Two Beloved FIV Boys

Sweet Taz  (SM)

There’s a steady trickle of FIV+ cats who arrive to our care from rescues all over the province.  Where there are people doing TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release), you can be pretty sure that some of the cats trapped will be FIV+ because it’s almost exclusively a virus passed by unneutered tom-cats. Once the cats are neutered, the testosterone that drives the fight-and-bite instincts is gone, and like the rest of the Sanctuary cats, they usually learn to get on well enough with each other.

Dust Bunny  (BC)

Our FIV+ boys are either ferals or strays. The ones who have come in as ferals may or may not tame up, and if they do, it may take awhile. Cypress was an aggressive, angry boy when he arrived in 2018 and now he wants in on laptime and treats. Obelix was very shy when he came a year later, and now looks for petting and love. A feral cat may appear settled, but the stress of a relocation, if we were to consider adoption for either, would probably drive them back into a place of fear. A stray, on the other hand, has known a home and human touch. The strays often appear very scared initially, and then blossom under touch and attention.

DB  (BC)

In the last six months we’ve had two new boys come to us, and settle so easily that it’s pretty obvious that they are strays rather than ferals. They began in different areas of the Sanctuary; Taz was in the Val Jones pen, and Dust Bunny in the larger New Aids. Dust Bunny arrived in March, from Foster Critters rescue in Duncan. His rescuer tells us that he was an occasional visitor at a small colony where they were doing TNR, and it was supposed that he was a barn-cat from a nearby farm. It soon became obvious that he was probably more than just a barn-cat; though initially very scared, it only took a few approaches from the Kitty Comforters to have him asking for petting and love.

Summer lounging in the back pen  (BC)

Our guess was that he has been stray for some time; he had earmites and bad skin and broken teeth. Skin and teeth are a common FIV+ problem, and it didn’t take long for the vets to whisk him in for urgent dental care. He’s not lost all his teeth, but they’re greatly reduced. Cage time was hard for him – he SO wanted human attention, and now he’s out and about he’s loving petting and laptime from volunteers and visitors.

May I come up?  (BC)

Unfortunately, as the new kid in the schoolyard, he was something of a target for Angus, who in turn was out of sorts that his favourite bed had been taken over by Kicks. Angus started taking out his frustrations on Dust Bunny, and we made the decision to move DB across to the Val Jones area.  At time of writing, he’s in a cage (short term), going for a vet check, and then he’ll be out and about with the Val Jones cats.

Taz loves his humans  (SM)

He’ll soon get to know Taz, who came to us in early summer, and who has proved to be a real love-bug. When Taz first came to us, it was hard to visit him in a cage, because a visit was never long enough, and he would cry when left. He had been in fosterage, and his foster-mother loved him, but had other FIV- cats, and her vet recommended not mixing them. In fact, we know that FIV+ and FIV- cats can live together safely, but as we saw with Angus, personalities do come into play, and territorial issues in a multiple-cat situation led her to the cautious decision.

Whatever the weather, Taz loves the heat-lamp! (BC)

In fact, Taz is loving with humans, and even more so, with other cats. Jim is delighted; he has been the resident Val Jones love-bug and his love has not always been reciprocated (not that it put him off much!); Taz and Jim can often be found playing or snuggled together.
Taz may have some vision problems; he’s slightly squinty, and possibly had entropion surgery for in-turned eyelashes. I’ve found that he doesn’t always see just where treats are, though he is aware of movement. But he moves with confidence and doesn’t feel his way around like a blind cat.

Enjoying the sunbathing....   (SM)

Both Dust Bunny and Taz are entirely adoptable. The fact that they’re in the Val Jones area and therefore living with the bladder-crystal cats doesn’t mean that they have that problem, though they’re living with that diet for now – it just means we wanted them near the front courtyard and more accessible to visitors.
We are so pleased when visitors fall in love with the FIV+ cats. In the last couple of years, first Biggie and then his brother Simon found homes, as did handsome Goose, Hank the hunk, and brave tripod Trooper; this summer sweet Kicks has gone to a foster-home where they hope to get his skin itchies under control. They may carry the FIV retrovirus, but it doesn’t mean they’re sick; it just means we need  to take a bit more care in keeping them healthy – and thereby benefit from all the love that a cat like Dust Bunny or Taz is ready to share with the right person.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Selena Marchetti

Rocket

Rocket (BH)

In late 2018, two little orange boys came into our care, trapped in North Richmond by faithful cat-trapper Stephanie Ross, who sadly passed earlier this year. Stephanie was responsible for bringing many cats to us – often from the Steveston area, where she lived, but she was also responsible for trapping the Cow Cats from an East Richmond composting facility, and for other colonies.

At a safe distance, in the back pen  (MW)

We still need to keep an eye open in North Richmond, where there is a green belt that results in many rodents that make for good hunting for cats who have strayed, or survived a feral upbringing. In the summer of 2019 there was a sudden population boom when a well-meaning cat-lover fed the local strays without alerting us to the need for some population control; only when kittens started having kittens did someone call us, and around 60 cats of all ages were brought in.  The two little orange boys of the year before were definitely from the same genetic pool; Sprocket, the long-haired one, is visually a twin (though probably an uncle) of orange Mercury; Rocket, the short-haired one, is an orange version of black Atlas.

There was a lot of hiding at first (KN)

Both boys were feral, and have largely remained so for years – but over seven years, they have become more comfortable with humans being around them. As we always do, the first thing to happen is a vet visit for blood-tests and neutering; the blood-test showed that Rocket carried the FIV retrovirus, and he was relocated to the New Aids pen. There, as for many ferals, his cage-time was largely hidden behind a drape; he wanted nothing to do with us, and when released, he got as far away as possible.  For most of the New Aids cats, that consists of either hiding on the cage-tops in the main cabin, or in going right to the back of the smaller cabins.

Being groomed by Cypress  (LBF)

Best buddies  (LBF)

When I sent the text of my blog to Sanctuary Manager Valerie for proofing, she reminded me of something I’d missed – I guess this happened when we were COVID-hit, and I might not have been around. She says:
Someone vandalised the fence, cutting it in the Prince of Wales section. Drake and Rocket got out. Drake came back right away - he was almost scared of being out there. But Rocket went on a murder spree! We had trail cameras set up and we were watching him climb in and under the Moore House (which is now gone, because it was in bad condition). And then we would find giant dead rats. Like the size of my shoe. My friend was rooting for him because he was living his best life. Then it started to rain a bunch in the fall and that's when he allowed himself to be trapped again.

A favourite place to look for petting  (KN)

Happy elevator bum!  (KN)

Rocket was initially antisocial with us – but NOT with other cats; he was a boy who liked feline company, and could often be found cuddled up with someone else. Though his early years with us were mostly at a distance, he obviously decided that humans who brought food, and offered treats and toys were worth taking a chance with; all his first contact with us was when he was up on a table or a kennel, and having us looming over him was still too scary. But when we were sitting by a table, it began to be a signal that he could come up and accept petting and treats, and he often approaches in the back pens by climbing on the waist-high side awning, looking for attention.

Blissful when he trusts  (KC)

His brother Sprocket hangs out in the back courtyard; like Rocket, he has remained wary, though he is ready to accept a little touch, and treats. His other-generation family in Pen 1 – Mercury, Juno, Nyx and Atlas – remain touch-me-not semi-ferals. And Mercury, too, is a hunter of any rats stupid enough to get through the fence.

Kuma & Rocket  (KN)

Other cats are still Rocket’s favourite thing. While Cypress was still an angry feral, he and Rocket would cuddle happily;  Cypress is now an attention-mooch and a lap-cat, and that’s a bit too much for Rocket to take. He likes to be with the smaller black boys – Kuma and Smalls – neither of whom are really ready for much human attention. (Kuma, incidentally, is from the same area as Rocket, and they may share genetics). Rocket takes himself out of the way when visitors arrive at the weekends - but he just loves it when the people he trusts come looking for him on a quiet day, and he revels in their care.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Katy Cobb, Brielle Hutchison,

 Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

Cypress

Cypress  (KN)

Cypress came into our care in 2018; he’s probably around ten years old.  As an FIV+ cat, he is a resident of the New Aids pen.  Because FIV is transmitted though bite wounds, there will often be multiple cats in a colony that carry it, and we have received several FIV+ cats from the various mid-Island rescues: in the same year Cypress arrived, we took in Francis, Drake and Jerry (the latter now living in the Val Jones area), Domino and Amaretto a couple of years later, and Marble and her sons more recently.

Early days: stay away!  (KN)

In his early days, Cypress did not approve of the relocation – he was a very angry feral, preferring to do his go-away hissing from the cage-tops or from the back pens where the shy cats hang out. His tattered ears indicated that he was a likely scrapper, and he was certainly not afraid to lash out at any humans that ventured a hand too close.

Cypress with his (now departed) buddies,
Francis (back) & Malcolm (front)  (KN)

He may not have been human-friendly, but he was, and is, very cat-social.  He could often be found in company with handsome Francis (who hated us just as much, in the early days!) and with little Tiberius, who progressed to accepting tidbits with great enthusiasm.   Some cats enjoy each other’s company and others just tolerate it;  Cypress really liked his feline friends, and made sure he was in integral part of the cage-top cuddle-puddles.

Rocket with Cypress  (LBF)

Many cats who carry the FIV retrovirus show no obvious signs of it, and will live healthy lives as long as any other cat. Where we do occasionally see symptoms is with the mouth: dental problems, gum disease, mouth ulcers.  Cypress is one of the cats for whom stomatitis eventually necessitated all his teeth being removed. Sometimes that enforced time in a cage with more human attention flips a switch for them;  certainly Cypress is now a changed cat. 

Relaxing in the garden (BH)

These days he spends more time interacting with the New Aids volunteers and the Kitty Comforters;  if there is a lap available, he is ready to be pushy in getting to it.  That was often difficult with Hank and Trooper around; now the two of them have been adopted, Cypress is very happy to be getting more attention.  He does get a bit over-stimulated sometimes, and the petting hand needs to be ready to suspend action; he may not have any teeth, but his paw is fast, and his claws are sharp!

Snuggles with Amaretto  (MS)

He may love humans more than he used to do, but he doesn’t love other cats less – he can still be found snuggling happily with his buddies, and in particular with little Amaretto, who is his best girlfriend (not that he has much choice, since Dahlia doesn’t like anyone, and Marble only has time for her sons!). With the recent cold weather, he has stayed in the warmth of the main cabin, but he’ll probably be off to the back pens soon to enjoy visiting with the shyer boys again.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Lisa Brill-Friesen, Brielle Hitchison, Karen Nicholson, Molly Sjerdal