We are so thankful to have mellower cats like our marmalade guy in our FIV+ suite, as more personality troubles have developed there. In addition to having to keep Nuttin and Dusty separated, we must now keep Chopper and Jasper apart. Luckily for us, Thomas has no serious antipathy toward any of his fellow FIV cats (as you can see in the photo of Thomas with Jasper below); he only gets annoyed if someone gets in his face or is hogging too much attention when he wants some. Otherwise, he’s content to spend time with either “faction”, something that makes our lives a heck of a lot easier.
On the medical front, things are a little less than optimal for His Orangeness. We do not give steroids to cats lightly, especially if the cats are FIV+, as steroids suppress immune function.
But there seems to be no other way to manage Thomas’ skin lesions. When we cut back on the steroids, giving them to our big orange guy every other day instead of daily, the lesion on his back worsened, and new lesion spots appeared on his tummy. We returned Thomas to daily steroids, and it helped him greatly, so he’ll remain on a daily dose for the time being. Otherwise, he’s doing fine.
Perhaps the most interesting news this month isn’t directly about Thomas at all. According to the Winn Feline Foundation, a study of 1205 FIV+ cats, conducted in western Canada, demonstrated that the lifespan of FIV+ cats did not differ significantly from that of FIV- cats of the same age and gender. This is great news for all of our FIV+ cats, and especially for their chances of adoption. It also means that our Thomas likely has a good many more years left in him, something that’s as pleasing to me as I know it is to you.
As always, my gratitude for your assistance in helping us care for our handsomest orange tabby.