Romeo

The boys called him Tigger –

a fine name for a big stripey boy cat. He had been coming around for more than a couple of weeks, and he really was very friendly. So friendly that mom Jennifer knew that he must be someone’s.

He started hanging around regularly, taking shelter under the trailer in their driveway, disappearing for hours at a time, then reappearing at his regular spot just before the boys got home from school.

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After posting his picture at the community mailbox for close to two weeks, no one came forward to claim him, and he came into the Appin Cats fold to find home; we welcomed him with open arms, and a fresh can of cat food.

He’s a big, handsome tom, curled up beside me as I write this; he was somebody’s cat, most assuredly – he has a clean, well-groomed coat, and looks the picture of health. Is somebody missing this guy? At this point, we fear that he has been dropped off in our neighbourhood, and home to him is where he is now, and where he will find love, not wherever it was he came from.

Due diligence brought him to our vet, where he was slated for neutering and vaccination, and an overall health check. His healthy dental put his age at between 2-3 years old, but before he was slated to be neutered, we received the call from the vet. He is FIV-positive. How would we proceed?

If you’re unfamiliar with FIV, it is the feline version of a disease humans can acquire – HIV. While many advances have been made in medicine in past years, there is currently no cure for FIV and, as a result, this immunodeficiency virus can develop into FAIDS, a terminal illness.

This was the moment that we knew would eventually come, and the reason why we do rescue work (the first and only time we surrendered to a rescue, our friend was put down because of an FIV-positive diagnosis). FIV is not a death sentence (as once thought), and while communicable, is not highly contagious (as once thought). How would we go forward? Proceed as planned – neuter, vaccinate, love. A feline with FIV can live a perfectly happy, normal life, with some special attention. As an indoor cat in a single cat household, with proper daily care, and regular visits to the vet (they recommend every six months) a cat with an FIV diagnosis can lead a very normal life.

This is not an undertaking for everyone, and no one would fault a person for saying no. It takes a special kind of person to shoulder the responsibility, and the rewards aren’t always as evident. For the right person, though, the extra attention and care that our boy will require is rewarded with an abiding connection, an enduring joy.

The boys called him Tigger, and that’s a perfect name for a big, stripey cat, but when we brought him home, he was rechristened with a name that captured his personality. He is such a sweet, friendly, grateful, attentive, gentle and loving soul, we fell in love with him. His first name is Lance, but we call him by his second name.

Romeo.