Hello, FeLV Feline Cherishers!

Welcome to the very first update on these special new residents of Tabby’s Place. Some of you might already know that FeLV and FIV are not the same, although both are seriously misunderstood diseases. Our knowledgeable vet likes to say that FIV is a fighting disease (transmissible by a deep bite or scratch), while FeLV is a “kissing” disease (transmissible by mutual grooming, sharing food and water, or from a Momcat to her little ones).

A cat can have both diseases simultaneously (in fact, two of our FeLV felines have both). But I don’t want to get into too much detail on disease right now. We’ll do that gradually in the coming months, but for the moment I want to tell you about these beautiful cats!

Currently, we have four FeLV cats in residence (a fifth was recently adopted). Oram and Tucker are feline leukemia (FeLV) positive. We think Oram is about four years old. He’s entirely black except for a slightly comical white tail tip, which looks almost as though he accidentally dipped the tip of his tail into a bucket of white paint.

As the result of a recent oral exam, we’ve determined that Oram needs a dental cleaning soon; he may have the beginnings of stomatitis, a condition of inflammation in a cat’s mouth. Stomatitis can be challenging, but it can usually be managed.

Tucker is a handsome black-and-white boy, probably closer to seven years of age. He has weekly chemotherapy for large cell lymphoma and needs to be sedated for that, as he becomes anxious during the chemo sessions. He was recently able to have his steroid dose decreased, a nice plus. These boys live in one suite in the new part of the sanctuary, called Quinn’s Corner, which will officially open to the public later this year.  They are friendly, but both are high energy and can get quite wound up. They love to play-wrestle with one another and often do so very vigorously.

More laid-back are Ponce de Leon (yes, we have a cat named after an explorer of the early 1500s) and Durin. Poncey, as he’s known to his friends, is a paler orange tabby, born around 2010. He is a love bug, with a loud, throaty purr, who favors climbing into laps, especially if you’re sitting on the floor. And he’s polydactyl (don’t you love those extra toes?).

Durin was having mild clear nasal discharge and had lost some weight before moving into his suite with Ponce de Leon (I saw no evidence of nasal discharge when last I saw him, though). This tabby-and-white guy is also a senior, probably around 11 years of age. He’s an affectionate “talker,” but he burbles rather than meows, and he must investigate all new humans immediately. Both Poncey and Durin are “double positives”; that is, both have FeLV as well as FIV.

Most shelters would not be able to keep these wonderful boys for very long, if at all. We’re lucky that we have space dedicated to these cats, but we’re also lucky to have your assistance in helping them. Thank you!  We couldn’t do it without you!

Your correspondent,
Stephanie