Rescue help: FIV-Positive Cat...What to do?

[KateKat]

hope you find a home for the poor guy! I wasn’t too aware of what exactly FIV was either until one of my cats was recently diagnosed with it. Scared me at first, until my vet talked me down, lol.

I think what you need to find is a senior who needs a single cat to love on!

[fordtraktor]

I am not really frustrated by hearing the upside of FIV, I am extremely glad and relieved there IS an upside so I can pass that information along. Sorry, the frustrating part is the underlying pressure to keep the cat, which I have been hearing nonstop from resource after resource and which is just not fiscally or otherwise appropriate. I understand they all see me as a sucker for taking in the darn thing to begin with, and think if they just tell me it can’t transmit to my others that it should be fine for me to keep it. I would love to keep every cat I see, I adore cats, but that doesn’t make it a responsible decision.

I shouldn’t have been so defensive, it’s not COTH’s fault. I’m just tired. The last rescue was a real peach – told me I should put it on petfinder and just not disclose the FIV status since it “wasn’t a very bad disease anyway.” Uh, yeah. Remind me not to ever deal with you. Ever hear of “ethics”?

[fivehorses]

So then if you are that pressured into keeping the cat, you obviously need to euth the cat.

I mean really, grow some whatevers.
Its not like its forever.
Sorry, but I have had a bad week, and I don’t come on here and whine.

The upside of fiv is good information.
the pressure to keep the cat…thats your issue. You can’t be pressured, you can’t feel guilty unless you want to.

[danceronice]

I’ve met him. He’s a very sweet cat. (No, FIV or not, I cannot take #4 indoors, and I have my own porch!cat already who is debating whether or not I should be allowed to touch her. No room at the kitty inn.) Very personable even to strangers. He’d be a good one-cat household.

A shame that the rescue I got Marcus from is in MA–they specialize in their adoption centers in cats who are FeLeuk or FIV positive (and are pretty reasonable about costs and about adopting out to barn homes.)

[fordtraktor]

Thanks for vouching for him, danceronice. He is an awesome cat. My toddler was playing with him this morning and literally hugged him several times (gently!), and his response is just to PURRRRRRRRRRR as loud as he can.

Thanks to the info from this thread and several alternative resources I have begun letting him mesh with my herd a little, supervised. He needs a new home but since that appears to be going to take a while, we are trying to integrate him in the meantime. He is friendly and sociable, despite my 2 females hissing at him. It hurts his feelings (“what, ME??? I’m NICE!!!”) but he has not responded with any sign of aggression.

Fingers crossed – for a new home and so they all stay safe.

[2tempe]

Suggestions re finding the handsome guy a home: I know a woman who does this regularly in Ohio and it always seems to work…But it takes some work!

Using one of those pictures, make a “poster” for kitty, highlighting his strong points, his little issue and what type of home would be best for him. Include an offer of a bag of his food, or something similar. Make the description a tear-jerker type story ie poor kitty was out in the world all alone, found and all he wants is a comfy home but alas nobody wants him, etc.

When finished, email this poster to EVERYONE you know, ask them to forward it to others that they know. Put it up at the vets and any other vet that will let you. Pet stores, feed stores everywhere you can think of.

Also - could he be a barn kitty at the right kind of farm? IE one that has a way for him to stay warm in winter.

[rubygirl1968]

http://www.petbond.com/flyerentry.php

Here’s a flyer template I used. It has the contact strips at the bottom that people can tear off and take with them.

I don’t know if any rescues in your area would do it, but some will do courtesy listings for cats/dogs that aren’t in their network. If a couple of them would post them on their website, it would generate a lot of exposure for him.

Good luck on finding him a home and with the integration process until you do find one! He sounds like a real sweetheart and certainly didn’t deserve getting tossed out like yesterdays garbage. At least he landed in a good spot on your farm

[2tempe]

OP - one more thing re the poster: if you know if he’s ok w/dogs, you could add that to his “qualifications”!

[clint]

[QUOTE=2tempe;5820153]
OP - one more thing re the poster: if you know if he’s ok w/dogs, you could add that to his “qualifications”![/QUOTE]

Good suggestion. It is a big help in adopting our our rescue’s cats and kittens. Many people have dogs and like the idea that a new feline family member will be okay with that.

[fordtraktor]

Great suggestions here. Kitty is terrific with dogs, he laid on his back with his belly up while my (great with cats) JRT sniffed him all over. Nary a hiss.

In terrific news, I found him a home! In a few weeks, he’s going to a family member in another state with a lonely but sweet spayed female. She recently lost her other elderly cat her kitty could use a companion. She needs a few weeks to vaccinate the other cat, since she’d feel better about it even though this kitty has shown himself to be so good. That is what her vet advised her to do and I think it makes sense.

So he’ll have another cat to play with, and a loving, cat-experienced home that I know well and has had cats for 50 years. We will miss him but I think he will be very happy!