Goose, aka Augustus

Goose (KN)

Goose?  What sort of a name is that for a cat?
We have one feline Goose already – a pretty little tabby girl who is still shy, but who has made herself at home in the front Courtyard.  This Goose is a very different prospect. He’s a solid boy who came to us through SARC – the Animal Resource Centre of Surrey, just to the east of us. They thought he was around a year old, and would probably have had him up for adoption, but discovered that he was FIV+, and contacted us to see if we would take him.

Goose-grass  (KN)

He came to us with the name Goose, but he is also known as Augustus (or perhaps that should be AuGOOSEtus!) When he arrived in June, volunteers working in the FIV area totally fell for him – he was very vocal from his holding cage, calling for attention and cuddles – and then more cuddles. Sadly, he discovered, when eventually released, that the place was full of felines – and he does not like other cats!

At his most lion-like  (BB)

You’ve heard this before from me, but discovering a cat is FIV+ is no longer the death sentence it used to be thought (and still is, in some places). FIV is a retrovirus that remains in the cat’s system but is not actually AIDS, and feline AIDS may never actually develop. The one problem is that it can still be transferred from one cat to another by means of bite wounds, but as long as the cats don’t fight, the virus doesn’t survive outside the cat’s body. We need to continue with a lot of education to help folks know that an FIV+ cat can be a really good choice for adoption – with two conditions: they must remain indoor pets, and they must get on with other cats in the home.

Birdwatching?   (KN)

So here we now have a pen full of cats who are no longer at the mercy of their hormones, and whose aggression is mostly of the “slightly irritated” variety. And we have Goose, who doesn’t like to be around other cats, and walks around growling when someone gets too close.  Mostly he’s very good at taking himself out of the way – he climbs way up where the others don’t go, and enjoys watching the birds, and keeping his own company.

Getting all the love   (HM)

As much as when he came in, he still loves human company, and if the other cats are occupied with urgent business like dinner, Goose will come looking for a lap and cuddles with a convenient human. But he keeps a wary eye open for cats like Hank and Trooper who think that laps were made for them, and who are not shy about butting in.

More lap-time  (BB)

The RAPS Adoption Centre recently posted an Adoption Special for some of the adult cats – so this is to add a bit of shameless advertising for Goose, who needs a home with no other cats – a home where he can be King.  If you can offer a home, or know anyone who can offer one, this handsome guy will repay you with cuddles and purrs. 

Having a cat-nap  (BC)

Goose has a home with us as long as he needs it – but he would really much rather not have it. Humans are OK, he thinks, it’s just all those other felines... 

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brit Burant, Brigid Coult, Henrie Morgan & Karen Nicholson