I always thought those big FIV cats are just the sweetest - just never heard anyone come out and say that!
Lucky person who gets found by one of those cats - my big, scary looking guy was the best cat I've ever lived with. My husband went from calling him a "monster" - this was fear I think for the other cats, and his bloody mouth - to crying like a baby when the cat passed. My vet at that time had 4 FIV's and 4 negs for years living together and she tested them every year, since she could do that on her own, and nothing ever changed. Congratulations and give him a big head butt for me - I really miss that! Janine --- catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Nina, > > As soon as you said 'big intact male' I KNEW he > was going to be fiv positive. Since you asked for > opinions I'm going to give you mine. I hope you > don't take offense. > > We had a stray cat living around our lake house > that we visit on weekends only. He looked horrible. > His ears were all bloody and bent down. He was > grungy. He would walk around and cry when we were > there, but would never let us catch him. His eyes > were crusty and he drooled constantly. He was in > really, really bad shape. The first weekend I saw > him I found out he had been hanging around and > people were trying to run him off. You can imagine > how well that went over with me. > > So I spent all weekend trying to catch him, but > didn't have a carrier, trap, anything with me. At > that time I was not into rescue. I had 3 cats at > home. (My first 3 I'd ever had.) He was HUGE, and > I was afraid of him. Well I couldn't catch him and > everyone was saying someone should shoot him and put > him out of his misery. I told my grandfather if he > did such a thing I would NEVER speak to him again, > and he believed me. We had a huge argument about > how I had too many cats. (3- lol) > > I had to work during the week, but the next week I > went back with a carrier, tuna, and sardines. I > didn't even know there was such a thing as a 'cat > trap'! After hours and hours I tricked him into the > carrier sometime Friday night. He went beserk, > foaming at the mouth, his ears all bloody, sneezing, > etc.... The next morning I found a local vet and > took the cat in squawling to have him put to sleep. > > Well, the vet said the cat was fine and there was > no reason to put him to sleep! He had scratched his > ears raw due to earmites. He had buckshot in his > ears that the doctor removed. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! He > had an upper resp. infection and some bad teeth. > > I didn't know what to do. I couldn't take this > sick cat that I was scared to death of home! The > vet said "Why don't you just take him home and let > him be an outdoor cat? So I thought that was a > better choice than pts so I said yes. He kept him > until the next weekend for me and neutered him > etc.... > > During that week I put up a fence for a few > thousand dollars so dogs wouldn't bother my 'new > outdoor cat'. I brought him home the next week. > The vet said he was fine, but I was still afraid of > him. I decided to keep him in a cage until his > antibiotics were finished. His ears were so gross I > didn't even want to touch him. Everyone who saw him > had a fit asking why I brought this horrible looking > bloody cat home. > > After a few more days I decided to just let him > out on my screened porch because I was afraid if I > put him outside right away he would run away. This > cat would come up to me and try to head butt me with > his bloody head. He would follow me around like a > dog. He weighed nearly 20 pounds, looked like a > mongrel, and I was STILL afraid of him. I kept > waiting for him to cry to go outside or bolt toward > the door when I opened it, but that never happened. > Over the days of course I petted him some, but was > still afraid. > > Finally I let him in the house with everyone else. > The first night he snuggled right up with me on the > bed. He was the biggest loverboy I've ever known. > Soon his ears healed, but they were always scarred. > He looked like a scottish fold with lots of scars. > I had named him Brutus because he was such a big > Brute. Anyone who's been on the list for years like > me has heard me talk about my Brutus. He was THE > most loving cat I've ever had. EVERYONE fell in > love with him. Every time I had company they wanted > to take him home. He was almost like a person. > When I would talk about who would take my cats if > something happened to me everyone always said they'd > take Brutus! He was soooooooo cool. > > He is the one that I wrote about that would eat so > much he would throw up most of the time. I guess he > had been starved for so long. I had to feed him > small amounts at a time or NEVER let the dishes go > empty or he would overeat and get sick. > > It's too late to make such a long story short, but > after about 7 years I noticed he was losing weight. > By that time I had TONS of cats (20 or more at a > time) that I was fostering and was neck deep in > humane society work. I blamed myself that I didn't > notice his weight loss sooner. He had fatty liver > disease. When I first took him in to find out what > was going on with him they ran a snap test and did > other blood work. Guess what? Brutus tested fiv > positive! When I had found him they didn't even > have fiv tests it was so long ago. Anyway, we did > a feeding tube, etc... but I lost my sweet Brutus. > But it was totally unrelated to the fiv. Looking > back, he always did have problems with ear > infections. We always thought it was because of the > scarring inside his ears, but the vet said the fiv > could have had a part in that. He had to have some > teeth removed. Again the vet said the fiv might > have been a part in that. But except for the fatty > liver (and we don't know what put > him off his food. We think a tooth infection) he > was a totally happy healthy cat. > > FIV is really nothing. If you get Star neutered > he is NOT going to give anyone fiv. Some vets will > even remove or file down an FIV cat's incisor teeth > so that they can't seriously bite another cat if > you're worried about that. > > A vet came to visit my class last year and brought > a cat and a dog. She said she brought her laid back > big old boy because he didn't freak out with noise > etc.... He was so cool, etc... Guess what? He was > fiv+. And the vet was keeping him with her other > cats at her own home. > > My internal specialist who was treating my other > cat's ibd and kidney disease told me that he kept 2 > fiv positives at home mixed with the rest of his > crew. > > My opinion is get the cat neutered. Leave him at > the vet's until the URI clears up. And it will. My > vet will usually board cats for me for free in cases > of uri because she knows I can't bring that home and > let it spread around. > > Then bring him home and keep him separate for a > while. I bet he's all show and no fight when he > actually 'meets' and interacts with your other cats. > > If, in fact, there are problems you can separate > him some way. But I doubt very seriously there will > be. For some reason FIV + cats are notoriously > friendly. And if all else fails you can let him > live outside or try to find a home for him. > > Don't shortchange him. I bet if you give him a > chance he will work out just fine. > > take care, > tonya > > >
