Greetings, FeLVie Fans!
Ready for another update on our boys and girls? There’s a lot of news, so let’s get right to it.
Oram had a dental procedure over the past month that included extractions of most of his teeth (all but incisors and lower canines). He came through very nicely, but he could not eat kibble during his recovery and had to be crated overnight so that suitemate Tucker could enjoy kibble. Oram is all healed up at this point and can now have kibble if he wishes.
Meanwhile, Tucker gave us a scare. He had lost a little weight and some of his liver values were slightly elevated. This was concerning, as it might have meant that his chemotherapy was not fully managing his disease. However, further blood work revealed normal results, and his weight has stabilized, so we are continuing his treatment without alteration. Both boys enjoy their solarium; Oram in particular is a big fan.
Charles, a handsome orange tabby, has joined our FeLV crew. He’s currently living with Boba, Espresso, and Hoopla Green. Charles was quite timid for the first couple of weeks, but he has settled in nicely and is exploring his surroundings. Like Oram, he seems very fond of the solarium attached to his suite and can often be found settled on the highest possible perch there, especially on sunny days.
Miss Boba continues to be the most sociable of the cats in this suite, and it seems that Espresso takes some cues on how to behave toward people from Boba. Hoopla Green remains frightened of us, but at least she is now sometimes venturing into the solarium, a good sign.
Moving on to the double positive (FIV+ and FeLV) boys, Durin was found to have what looked like a small scratch behind one ear. We’re not unduly alarmed by a small scratch, but we are monitoring the area.
I’m happy to report that Durin appears to have stopped going after suitemate Ponce de Leon following the establishment of a second feeding station in their suite.
And what of our Ponce? At the beginning of last month, he was having some congestion, he continued to lose weight, and he was still not as engaged and active as he was just a few months ago. We ran a full blood chemistry analysis and it told us—well, nothing (!) as all values were in the normal range. However, as the month went on, his weight stabilized and his congestion disappeared. He does have some issues with dehydration, and we administer subcutaneous fluids as necessary.
The solaria are each connected to their various suites by two doors, one human-sized and one sized just for felines. It’s been very interesting to see how quickly each cat figures out the specially-sized door. Oram and Tucker took to their cat door as though they’d been around such a situation all their lives, while Espresso still isn’t quite certain about the cat door in her suite. On several occasions, I’ve seen the cat doors in each suite propped open, so I’m not sure if any of the cats are having trouble figuring out the arrangement or if it’s merely that a staffer or volunteer props open the door so it will be more convenient for the cats.
Spring is here in earnest, and our FeLVies are all spending more time relaxing in the sun, living lives of peace, comfort, and too many cat treats. That’s possible only because you’ve made the choice to help them. Thank you!
Your correspondent,
Stephanie
