Quiet Days in the Leukemia Pen

Neko  (KN)

Looking back over fourteen volunteer years, it’s interesting to recall how the numbers of FeLV (feline leukemia) and FIV (feline AIDS) cats has fluctuated. We’ve always had space for both sorts of residents, but at one time we had leukemia cats in the back of the SingleWide, in the Val Jones area, as well as in the main leukemia pen (which, confusingly, was known as Old Aids), and only one pen of FIV cats; now we have more than 30 FIV cats in two pens.  Sadly, many of our leukemia cats don’t live very long – the virus is very hard on their immune systems – and we love them, knowing that we may not have them with us as long as we would like. We are learning things about the virus that we didn’t know years ago, and we hope that it will give our current leukemia cats more time.  There is no cure for FeLV, but anything that will boost their immune systems is helpful. 

Adria & Creston, now adopted  (BC)

One of the things we still don’t understand it what causes the virus to go into remission or to flare up. Cats like Ooly lived much longer in our care than some of the others – we think Ooly made it to 18 years, which is good for any cat – and we don’t know why; we can only be grateful.  Since my last leukemia cat blog the numbers of inhabitants has gone down: currently there are only six cats living there, but they all seem to be in good shape, and we hope that their health will remain strong.  We rejoiced when sassy Adria and loving Creston were adopted together by someone who understood that they would need constant oversight, and no contact with other cats. But the two were both young, and it’s wonderful to think that they have the experience of living in a home with humans of their own.

Beautiful Neptune  (KN)

We’re left with four black cats, a Siamese mix and a tabby. The four blacks are headed up by Neptune, who is probably the senior resident (if not very senior). He has been with us nearly seven years, having come from Oregon with Portia, who we lost last year. Neptune is shy until he knows you, but once he feels safe, he will come for petting and treats. 

Athena  (PC)

He is trailed devotedly by Athena, who was the only one of the MacLeod cats (arriving in 2019) to test FeLV+; Athena weaves her way around him, and bunts to get his attention. She looks like his mini-me, and you need to see them together to be certain who's who.  She’s still not very sure about wanting human petting, and is very picky about what treats she will accept.

Furgie usually looks startled   (BC)

The other two blacks are very shy as well.  Furgie came from the colony that now lives in Pen 3; the youngsters from a hoarding situation in Alberta. She’s now about 6 years old, and can be distinguished from the others by the little flecks of white on her neck and shoulders; she tends to look a little rumpled, and it always takes time and patience to get her to accept attention.

Laszlo  (KN)

The fourth one is Laszlo. who is the last of a group of leukemia cats who came to us from CatNap rescue in Nanaimo just over two years ago. As a leukemia-infected colony, the virus obviously had a good hold on their immune systems, and they have all passed in those two years, except for Laszlo who is still holding strong.  He is wary, but will accept a little petting if he accepts you. 

Athena, Laszlo, Neptune having a cage-top meeting  (JS)

The four of them integrate pretty well – Furgie and Laszlo tend to find their own corners, but every now and then there is a black cat meet-up to plan the next party.  Volunteer Justin calls it The Void.

Handsome Neko, listening to Joanne talk in Japanese  (JN)

The largest cat in the pen is Neko. Neko came to us almost five years ago, having been trapped as a Valley stray near Abbotsford. Initially he was very scared, and spent considerable time hanging out on the walkways under the roof of the outer section of the pen; in cold weather he took over the wicker basket under the heat lamp, but he was not ready to come inside for real warmth.  Gradually he has come to accept that nobody will hurt him, and began to venture indoors. 

Neko with black cat buddy  (BC)

He became more social with the other cats, enjoying cuddles and company with Boris (now gone) and Adria, and accepting attention from volunteers and Kitty Comforters. He especially enjoys it when Joanne comes and talks to him in Japanese; like Princess in the back courtyard, and her conversations in Farsi, there is something in the sound of the language he heard as a youngster that gives him comfort.

Big Dave preferring quiet alone-time on the cat tree  (BC)

The most recent addition to the Leukemia pen is Big Dave – who doesn’t look so big, when faced with Neko!  Poor Dave was obviously used to being either boss cat or the only cat, and he’s had struggles to deal with his new situation. Initially he remained mostly indoors, while the other cats came and went; Neptune in particular was not friendly, and Big Dave learned to find the corners where he could feel safe. Volunteers made a point of coming to visit for some BD time on the couch, but it took a while before he would venture past the cat-door.  With the recent heatwave, being out in the Leukemia courtyard is infinitely preferable to staying inside; cool stone floors and walkways that catch the breeze are too much to resist. However, there’s not much progress happening yet in terms of cat socializing.

Sweet anti-cat-social boy  (BC)

Big Dave will come for human attention, but he prefers to tuck himself away in a safe bed when the others are out and about.  With only six cats currently in residence, there are lots of places he can feel secure – but he would obviously feel much happier if he had the place to himself, or if, like Adria and Creston, he could score someone who would give him his own home.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Pauline Chin, Brigid Coult,
Joanne Nicholson, Karen Nicholson, Justin Saint