The Good: I have actually rescued six pregnant cats in the past month. Tabitha had her babies the very next day I got her off the street. I cant wait to get an updated picture of them. Yesterday, Sunday morning I rescued a little black pregnant mama - have named her Mama Mia (Mia for short - her picture is above). She is very shy, but very sweet. Won't bite, and will let me hold her and rub her belly. She is due any day now. Four Legged Friends will come get her, what a wonderful group that I am so happy to have come into contact with. The other pregnant kitty from the same spot that I rescued last week has not come around like we would like her to. She will be spayed tomorrow, and hopefully go to a barn that I found out about. I am still waiting on an update on the third pregnant kitty I got late last week and brought to a foster girl named Sara. Taffy is getting as big as ever, and Sasha is doing fine from what I hear. The other girl Sparkles was spayed and let loose last week, and continues to run to me each morning.
The (NOT SO) Bad: Laura: Laura was diagnosed with FIV. Now, there are many folks who don't understand FIV and I will try to shed a little light, along with some facts. I have a cat named Boris who I rescued six years ago behind Lorraine's on Culver and E-Main Street. I had been feeding him for quite a while, and this was in the dead of winter, under a truck I would scootch each morning and he would head butt me. It was below zero temperatures. I finally got him. He is my blue/grey russian, therefore Boris was a good choice for a name! He eventually was tested and diagnosed with FIV. Boris is the SWEETEST kitty ever. A real cuddler, and has lived with the rest of the brood all these years, and nothing. He is not sick, nor has he been, and I would never consider putting him down with that diagnosis. Most FIV cats can live forever with that. INDOOR ones. Plans for Laura to be adopted or fostered have dissipitated and I will now have to try to find her a home, outside of the tiny bathroom she is confined to. I DO plan on letting her out and see how she does with the rest of the clan because it kills me to keep her confined, she is so lonely. But obviously I must get her adopted out quick. I am over my limit.
FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. It's a lentivirus, meaning that it progresses very slowly, gradually affecting a cat's immune system. It is passed through blood transfusions and through serious, penetrating bite wounds - mainly by stray, intact tom cats. The most well-known lentivirus in humans is HIV. But the two are not at all the same, and you can't get FIV from a cat. In fact, the only thing about FIV that you can catch is a bad case of the rumors.
FIV FACTS:
1. The Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus is a slow virus that affects a cat's immune system over a period of years.
2. FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.
3. FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all.
4. FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread casually - like in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing. It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens.
5. The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats.)
6. A neutered cat, in a home, is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly introduced.
7. Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago.
8. FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible. Keep them indoors and free from stress, feed them a high-quality diet, keep and treat any secondary problems as soon as they arise.
Despite what many people think, cats with this condition can live perfectly long, happy, healthy lives.
FIV positive cats still find it harder than most to find new homes, even though in all other respects they are normal, loving cats, and deserve a chance at a happy life.
The Ugly: A beautiful light gray and white cat came up to me on Webster and Fernwood this morning, full term pregnant. I am not sure what to do. I know I cannot ask any more of the rescue groups that have helped me as I have inundated them already. They, I am sure, have gone beyond their capacity to take any more in. I will most likely bring this one to a shelter, as I will not allow any more kittens to be born on the street. I am sick over this.
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