A family in NJ noticed Jenny hanging around in their backyard.After a week or so, they guessed she might be a stray, so they picked her up and took her to their vet to be examined.They were hoping to make her part of their family, which included two other cats.

But, Jenny turned out to be FIV+ and they knew they couldn’t mix her with their other cats.So, they confined her to a room of her own as they searched for a safe haven for Jenny.Unfortunately, it is very, very difficult to find a place for a FIV+ cat and many months went by.Then the couple had a baby and Jenny was left alone more and more often.As far as we can tell, Jenny was without human attention (except for food, water and a clean litter box) for almost six months.When she came to us, she was quite scared of humans, as well as other cats.Her fur was so badly matted that we had to shave her in several spots (you can see this if you look closely at the second photo).And, she had a claw that had grown so long that it had worked its way back through her paw from the bottom of her foot.It was infected badly and smelled horrible.Cats that are FIV+, like Jenny, have been infected with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).This virus disables or destroys the white blood cells, and leaves the cat susceptible to infections. Once a cat is infected with FIV, the cat is infected for life and can transmit the virus if he or she bites another cat.

Our FIV+ cats have their own suite and we are extra-strict about disease control procedures in their suite. In addition, they are fed a higher-quality (and more expensive) diet than our other cats, to boost their immune systems. With good medical care, Jenny’s foot healed well and her fur is starting to grow back.She has only been in the FIV+ Suite for a short while and is still somewhat timid of other cats and people.But we love Jenny and believe that she will come around in time.We also hope that others will see through her FIV+ status to her true beauty and that she will be adopted into a forever home.

But, because she is FIV+, her chances of adoption are greatly lessened and she requries extra veterinary attention. Please sponsor Jenny and help us to give her the care she deserves.