Greetings, FeLVie Fans!

There’s so much news this month…

The best news first: Jamison was adopted! We couldn’t be happier for him. He was with us for only a short time, but I’m really going to miss him. There’s something very special about that boy.

New to our FeLV+ crew is Shelly, a pretty medium-sized tortie with the cutest little orange tail tip.

Shelly appeared suddenly in a feral colony in Newark, though she is certainly not feral. She had severe issues in both eyes, and it was ultimately decided that both eyes had to be removed, so she is blind. She is somewhat easily startled because of this, but it’s the sweetest thing to watch her confidence grow when you pet her. If you approach her gently and speak quietly, you can pet her from her head along her back, and you can see the change in her attitude immediately; she obviously loves it.

Shelly also has a heart murmur. She developed some mild congestion recently and is being treated with an antiviral; she is scheduled for a polyp check, too, as it’s thought that might be the cause of the congestion.

Amigo doesn’t seem entirely certain about Shelly. He’s not hostile toward her, but he’ll go up to her and try to sniff her, which sometimes causes her some alarm. Amigo was drinking quite a bit, so we ran blood work and a urinalysis on him. One marker for inflammation was high, so we’ll wait a couple of weeks and then re-check him.

Hoopla Green is rejoicing in the spring weather and shows no inclination to come indoors. She’s happy in her solarium and particularly loves the tall cat tree there. And while little Batty is comfortable indoors, I think she and Hoopla are getting to be friends, as I often see Batty in the solarium these days, and she’ll frequently choose to hang out near Hoopla.

I believe that Braveheart and Leonardo DiCatrio are becoming friends as well. I’ll sometimes see the two relaxing in their solarium, and they’ll be close to one another.

Regina has been doing nicely over the past month; you can see her playing in a video at the end of this update.

I fear that Tabby’s Place has seriously annoyed Kitty Purry, as we actually had the temerity to place three new cats in her suite over the past few weeks when she believes the focus should be on her. However, none of that stopped her from sticking a paw out of the side of a cubbyhole and batting at me when I was looking into an adjacent cubbyhole at one of the newcomers.

Two of those newcomers are Mango and Jalapeno (Jalapeno is playing in the header photo)—sister and brother—probably born in September of last year. The two look quite similar, but luckily, Mango is a little smaller than her brother and has a white tip to her tail, so they can be told apart with ease. This dynamic duo is always in motion, as befits young cats, and both are friendly and sociable.

The third newcomer is Vincent, a large, medium-haired, all-black male who assumes that, if you are entering his suite, you are doing so to pay attention to him. Vincent will come up to you immediately and stroll in and out of your lap, as though he can’t quite make up his mind whether he wants to stay there.

We believe he was born late in 2023. He has chronic congestion, which explains his frequent sneezing. Vincent can be a trifle pushy at mealtimes, especially given that Mango and Jalapeno are the only cats in their suite who get a wet food lunch, so we have to distract him to make sure the young’uns can eat undisturbed.

If anyone ever tries to tell you that cats can’t truly be therapy animals, we suggest that you refer them to our Trifecta.  Evolve Pink runs a local breast cancer support group for women at all stages of their treatment journey. Once a month, on Tabby Tuesdays, we send a cat to the meeting. On two separate occasions now, when Trifecta was there, there were two different women who wouldn’t engage with others, which of course, is the point of these meetings.

On one occasion, Trifecta jumped onto the couch with one of these women and rested a front paw on her hand. Now, this woman had been to other support groups, and she wouldn’t speak in any of them. But as soon as Trifecta “chose” her, she began interacting with her current group. In an earlier instance, a woman who had also refused to engage in more than one support group was won over by the gentle persuasion of our grey-and-white boy, who jumped up next to her on a couch. The woman put her arms around him and sobbed, and then she began opening up to the group and now does so regularly. We are proud to know that Trifecta is a source of reassurance and unconditional love to people.

Trifecta, Luke, and Francois have all gained some weight over the past few weeks, but there are still some instances of loose stool in that suite. We’ve changed the diet in that suite to see if we can’t get this issue under control, but that’s made more difficult because we’re not completely sure who’s having the loose stool at this point. Enjoy seeing Francois playing in another video at the end of this update.

And finally, there’s Clifford. Our ostensibly grumpy senior has been seen playing several times over the past few weeks, sometimes batting at volunteers, other times at pieces of paper or towels. It’s amazing to see how much more comfortable he is without other cats in proximity.  Some felines—just like some people—are most comfortable when solo.

Though not everyone can grasp this, you understand deeply that cats with chronic, serious health issues deserve to have happy, comfortable lives. We’re grateful for your continuing love. Thank you!

Your correspondent,
Stephanie

PS: Have you ever yearned to care for the cats in a hands-on way? Please consider joining us for our April 25th Volunteer Recruitment Open House from noon to 4 pm. We’d be over the moon to have you with us as a volunteer! But know this: even if you live an ocean away, you are right here with us every day, personally caring for the cats through your generosity. What an honor it is to serve them with you!