Fern
Beautiful Fern shares with Nickey the distinction of being a petite cat in the land of heavyweights – the FIV+ suite. With her beautiful coloring and intense eyes, Fern is a stunner, and especially stands out in comparison to her super-sized roommates. She is also among the youngest in her suite; at only 5 years of age, she’s a young cat with, we hope, lots of life ahead of her.
Fern has come a long way from her early, timid days here. We think she was part of a feral colony at some point, and experienced minimal handling. She initially spent nearly all of her time in hiding, or squished up at the very top of the ramp. She has made beautiful progress, though, and actively enjoys affection now. When she’s especially happy, she’ll start to “make bread,” kneading her little paws excitedly into her blanket or bed.
Fern is at her happiest – and friendliest – in the FIV+ cats’ solarium. (The solarium is a large, enclosed area where our cats get to enjoy the outdoors safely; it’s so balmy and inviting out there in the summertime, someone once remarked that all the cats need now is a big beach umbrella!) Something about the sunshine and mellow company of fellow solarium-lovers Thomas, Jasper, Dusty and Nickey seems to bring out Fern’s cuddly side. Sit beside her quietly and, while she may be startled at first, she’ll gradually come around and rub her pretty head against your hand, starting to purr if you give her a nice neck scratch.
Fern is part of our FIV+ crew, which means that she’s infected with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), which compromises the immune system. Once infected with FIV, a cat has the condition for life and can transmit the virus via a bite. A small percentage of cats are found to be FIV+, and most of them will live for many years. The FIV+ cats at Tabby’s Place are monitored carefully for any signs of sickness, and the staff is especially vigilant about disease control procedures in their suite.
Fern and her FIV+ suitemates receive frequent examinations from our veterinarians, and are fed a higher-quality (and more expensive) diet than our other cats, in hopes of boosting their immune systems.
Fern is a beautiful sweetie, with no health problems other than FIV, and we hope that someday she will be adopted into a loving home. But, because she is FIV+, her chances of adoption are greatly lessened and she requires extra veterinary attention. Please sponsor little Fern and help us to give her the life of care, love and sunshine she deserves.