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Popeye and Lord Randolph.
Photo submitted
Happy ending for a pair of FIV-positive cats
Two very special cats have embarked on a new life together.
Popeye and Lord Randolph—Randy, to his friends—are a pair of FIV-positive cats who were recently adopted and began a new adventure in a loving family home.
Most of the residents of RAPS’ Cat Sanctuary are considered “unadoptable” either due to medical complication or behavioural issues. These two beautiful boys have feline immunodeficiency virus, sometimes known as “feline AIDS.” The virus compromises the animal’s immune system, creating a number of potential health risks. However, when FIV-positive cats receive proper care, including regular veterinary exams and treatments as required, they can routinely live 17 or 18 years like any healthy cat.
It is estimated that somewhere between 2.5 and 4.4 per cent of cats worldwide carry the virus, which cannot be transferred from a cat to humans or to any other species. Even transmitting it from cat to cat is not easy. It can be transferred from a mother to her litter, but it generally results from a deep, blood-transfer bite. That’s why feral cats, who tend to get into a lot of scraps with other cats, are most susceptible.
That was probably the case with both these guys.
Lord Randolph was a stray that somebody found when he was an adolescent in the Bolivar Heights area of Surrey. The woman who found him took him to the vet, where he was tested and determined to carry the virus. The vet then asked the RAPS Cat Sanctuary if we would take him in.
The RAPS Cat Sanctuary is not the only rescue facility in B.C. that welcomes FIV-positive cats, but there are few—and we are probably able to accommodate more than any other organization in the province. Currently, we have about two dozen FIV cats, who enjoy life in a segregated area of the Sanctuary. We’re now expanding this section so we can take still more.
Our capacity to accept FIV-positive cats is a point of great pride for us. Many positive cats would be euthanized in other jurisdictions. Our FIV section is a testament to the Regional Animal Protection Society’s no-kill commitment.
Popeye—a one-eyed rascal—did not hit it off with Randy when they first met. Randy, who came to us about 18 months ago from Vancouver Island, is estimated to be about three-and-a-half years old now. His frisky nature didn’t impress Randy, who is about twice Popeye’s age. They fought frequently at first but, more recently, came to an entente and have been witnessed curled up together.
One of the Sanctuary’s most dedicated volunteers fell in love with both Popeye and Randy. When she asked if she could adopt them, we agreed enthusiastically.
We do not generally adopt from the Sanctuary. (Families wanting to adopt head over to the RAPS City of Richmond Animal Shelter.) But there are a few cats, among our nearly 500, who could fit into the right home. Because the person who adopted them is a Sanctuary volunteer, she was familiar with these particular cats—and with FIV-positive cats in general—so we were delighted that Randy and Popeye could find a welcoming home.
There are generally no special precautions that people need to make to accommodate FIV-positive cats. If there are multiple cats in a household when one of them is diagnosed with FIV, things should be fine if they do not fight.
FIV and other sanctuary cats are treated at the RAPS Animal Hospital. To truly be a no-kill, animal-serving agency, RAPS must have avenues through which animals who would otherwise be euthanized can find forever homes. This includes shelters and medical hospitals, where animals can be rehabilitated for adoptions, foster programs through which animals can live in the comfort of a foster home, and sanctuaries, where unadoptable animals can live out their lives in a loving, secure environment.
The RAPS Animal Hospital provides support to our shelter, sanctuary, foster program and households with low incomes. And it is open to the public providing lower-cost animal medical care.
If you would like to sponsor one of our FIV-positive cats ($25 a month—less than a coffee a day) you can help create more happy endings like Randy and Popeye’s!
Lisa Parker is manager of the Regional Animal Protection Society Cat Sanctuary.
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