FIV CAT STILL GOING STRONG
by Holly Maglothin
(Picture is actually Sunny, and below Sunny & Tulip)
I met Sunny in the winter of 1993-94, at my apartment complex in Des Moines, Iowa. He was a stray and was being fed by a neighbor in my apartment building. He was wild and quite defensive before I invested my time during that winter. I would sit on the cold sidewalk outside my apartment (yes, sometimes in the snow) on the coldest days of Iowa winters, and wait for him to come to me, then let him sit in my warm lap. After that, my neighbor lady, Harriet Glen begged me to take him to the country with me when I moved because “Sunny loves you so much!” This now 100 year old woman was the one to give Sunny his name. He breed is listed as “Domestic Shorthair” and he is an orange mackerel tabby with white.
My veterinarian, Dr. Sherry Zenor of Fleur Pet Hospital in Des Moines estimated him to be about 4 years old at the time. He was full grown, and had been on his own for quite some time. He was tested for FIV and it was positive. We neutered him in 1994 and afterwards I officially adopted him and took him to live with us in rural Winterset Iowa.
Since his diagnosis (which was confirmed by another test months later), he remained on our acreage. I have made sure he has received his FVRCP and FeLV and Rabies vaccines each year of his life with me. He has had an occasional dental cleaning, and I have fed him Science Diet ever since I took him home.
In December 1998, we moved further north to Manson, Iowa to another acreage, where Sunny adjusted fine to his new home. The following year he met a young “girl” named Tulip. They have been const
ant companions ever since.
(Picture is actually Sunny, and below Sunny & Tulip)
I met Sunny in the winter of 1993-94, at my apartment complex in Des Moines, Iowa. He was a stray and was being fed by a neighbor in my apartment building. He was wild and quite defensive before I invested my time during that winter. I would sit on the cold sidewalk outside my apartment (yes, sometimes in the snow) on the coldest days of Iowa winters, and wait for him to come to me, then let him sit in my warm lap. After that, my neighbor lady, Harriet Glen begged me to take him to the country with me when I moved because “Sunny loves you so much!” This now 100 year old woman was the one to give Sunny his name. He breed is listed as “Domestic Shorthair” and he is an orange mackerel tabby with white.
My veterinarian, Dr. Sherry Zenor of Fleur Pet Hospital in Des Moines estimated him to be about 4 years old at the time. He was full grown, and had been on his own for quite some time. He was tested for FIV and it was positive. We neutered him in 1994 and afterwards I officially adopted him and took him to live with us in rural Winterset Iowa.
Since his diagnosis (which was confirmed by another test months later), he remained on our acreage. I have made sure he has received his FVRCP and FeLV and Rabies vaccines each year of his life with me. He has had an occasional dental cleaning, and I have fed him Science Diet ever since I took him home.
In December 1998, we moved further north to Manson, Iowa to another acreage, where Sunny adjusted fine to his new home. The following year he met a young “girl” named Tulip. They have been const
ant companions ever since. We moved to another acreage in 2005, and he showed Tulip that it was fine to stay with us at our new home, and not try to find our old house (2 and ½ hours away).
In the fall of 2006 I took him to the local vet for his most recent check up. He received a dental cleaning but no teeth needed to be pulled and his blood work was in the normal range.
Sunny is now 17 years old and has lived his entire life outdoors or on an enclosed porch. Despite his FIV positive status, however, the only medical problem he has ever had is arthritis starting about a year ago. He is a very loyal and affectionate cat which means a lot to me since he started out so fearful and wild. I am glad we “took a chance” on Sunny because when he was diagnosed with FIV the disease was not yet well understood and many veterinarians didn’t think these cats had much chance of living a normal life. With proper care and good nutrition however, it was found many of these cats can live quite some time. Sunny is sure an prime example. Although he moves a bit slower, he still loves to be petted and brushed, and spends his golden years in the sun whenever possible.
In the fall of 2006 I took him to the local vet for his most recent check up. He received a dental cleaning but no teeth needed to be pulled and his blood work was in the normal range.
Sunny is now 17 years old and has lived his entire life outdoors or on an enclosed porch. Despite his FIV positive status, however, the only medical problem he has ever had is arthritis starting about a year ago. He is a very loyal and affectionate cat which means a lot to me since he started out so fearful and wild. I am glad we “took a chance” on Sunny because when he was diagnosed with FIV the disease was not yet well understood and many veterinarians didn’t think these cats had much chance of living a normal life. With proper care and good nutrition however, it was found many of these cats can live quite some time. Sunny is sure an prime example. Although he moves a bit slower, he still loves to be petted and brushed, and spends his golden years in the sun whenever possible.
1 comment:
thanks for sharing.
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