FIV-Positive Stray Gets Care, Compassion, and Warm Forever Home
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He looked tired and dusty as he sat on the porch after filling his belly with the bowl of dry kibble a few moments before. He moved off the porch onto the walkway as I emerged from the house.
I squatted down and held out the can so he could smell the wet food. He hissed at me, as I scooped some out and put it in the bowl. He sniffed the air in my direction, but he didn't move until I was inside.
He learned that if he came at 6:30, he'd get "good stuff". Some nights he wouldn't show, and I'd worry about the old cat I had started calling Al. Then I noticed that when he was eating, he'd hiss at the dish and run away - I knew he had to go to the vet soon because he had a bad tooth.
I put a cat dome on the porch. The first night he went in, I picked it up, opening pressed against my belly as I moved in the house. We put him in our spare bathroom because we didn't want him near our indoor cats until he was tested for FLV and FIV.
He went to the vet, was neutered, had two teeth pulled, etc. Unfortunately, the test for FIV was positive - the vet explained that it can only be passed from heavy fighting/deep penetrating bites. I kept him in the bathroom, using two baby gates stacked on top of each other. He had to get the rest of his teeth pulled because of severe infection. He had four weeks of recuperation before I started letting him out.
He made friends with one of my cats and ignored the rest. He was clean and happy. He covertly followed me around the house, sought affection, and played frequently with his friend.
He had a name, a warm, loving home, a friend, a person to call his own, and someone to shed tears because he's not here anymore. RIP Al (2/25/2013). I'm glad I could make your last few years comfortable.
Story submitted by Elaine Thomas from Ware, Massachusetts.
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!
