Greetings, FeLVie Fans!

Here’s the latest update on the ever-growing FeLVie crew!  There’s lots of news this month, as usual, so let’s get right to it. With the exception of one bout of coughing noted, our beloved Ponce de Leon has been much brighter and more engaged over the past month. He’s actively soliciting attention from people and is doing his best to convince us that more cat treats are necessary for his continued health and happiness.

Suitemate Durin had an echocardiogram at the beginning of the month. While the results indicated some progression of the thickening of the ventricle, it wasn’t enough to warrant medication at this time; he’ll be re-checked in 6 to 8 months.

Durin also developed an infection in his right ear that led to some scratch wounds, and he’s getting daily ear medication for that issue. Both boys are big fans of their solarium.

There is no medical news for Tucker this month—the best kind of medical news! We thought Oram was completely recovered from his dental, but it turned out that he continued to have some inflammation in his mouth. We’ve started him on a low dose of steroids, and that appears to be helping him.

There’s a new face among our FeLV crew. Arthur is a black-and-white senior. He’s a very sweet boy, but he can be quite noisy. If he thinks you aren’t giving him enough cat treats, for instance, be assured that you will hear about it.

We are concerned about Hoopla Green. Although still very timid around people, she has made excellent progress in coming out of hiding and investigating her home even during the daytime; I myself saw her in the solarium during the day just a couple of weeks ago, though she did her best to be invisible in a cat bed. Our worry is that she has lost a good deal of weight since coming to Tabby’s Place, and we cannot find a medical reason for this. We’ll continue to monitor her closely, however.

Boba was sedated for a dental exam and had several extractions, but she recovered quickly and is back to being the most confident cat in her suite.

Charles had a yeast infection in both ears, but it cleared up rapidly once treatment started.

And Espresso is becoming more outgoing; she will sometimes approach people for attention and treats, albeit slowly. Having noted that, she still gets startled easily. A few weeks back, when I was in her suite, she was napping in a mid-level space under a cubbyhole. I slowly and gently reached in to pet her, while talking to her quietly, but I obviously startled her; as soon as I touched her, she jumped up.

I tried reassuring her vocally, but she was having none of it. She gave a big stretch, came out from under the cubbyhole, jumped onto the highest level of the cubbyholes, walked over to a cat bed, and plunked herself down in it. Charles was already sleeping in that bed, but Espresso was not going to be deterred by such a trivial matter, and she actually settled down partially on his back, causing him to jump up and out of the bed.

An echocardiogram. Steroids to combat oral inflammation. Dental exams and extractions. It’s wonderful to see how advanced cat care has become, and how much we can do to help our FeLV crew live in comfort. But that’s possible only because you’ve made the decision to help them.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

By the way, if you enjoy stories about our cats, you may enjoy our blog, where we post at least three times every week.

Your correspondent,
Stephanie