Buddy

Buddy is a friendly cat I met in the New AIDS house while “interviewing” another cat for a post.  Buddy was insistent on getting some attention from me; he stood on the back of the chair I was sitting in and rubbed his face repeatedly in my hair and occasionally bonking me in the head with his own head. Still not getting my undivided attention, he used his paw and tentatively reached for my cheek as though making like he was going to grab my face and pull it towards him.  Thankfully, as his claws are razor sharp, he restrained himself gave me just a gentle pat on my cheek.  Finally I gave in to his demands and lavished him with all the love he wanted and he rewarded me with a very loud and appreciative purr and some more head buts.

Buddy hangin' with his buds Riley, Fergus and Tarantino

Barbie

I’ve written about FIV cats Hubert, Fergus and Annie. With Fergus, I noted that to look at him, you’d never know there was anything wrong with him.

Barbie, an FIV positive stray trapped a number of years ago at a RAPS feeding site in North Richmond, has more of the ravaged appearance that people probably expect from an animal with feline immunodeficiency virus.

photo provided by Michele

Still, the fact that she’s been living happily at the sanctuary for the past 8 years or so shows that this little girl’s got staying power. Lisa has described her as a cat who “has done extremely well at the shelter” and Leslie referred to her as “one of our most beloved FIV positive cats....” Both very true.

photo provided by Michele

So few shelters are equipped to take in and care for cats like Barbie that all who've met and grown fond of her can't help but feel thankful that she's been able to find sanctuary here. You can see her in the photos above, out enjoying the sun. The first two shots were even taken by two different people (Michele and myself) on two different days. And yet there's Barbie, nose in the air, enjoying the attention of her visitors and the sun's rays.

photo provided by Michele

Check out Barbie's Story in The Love Blog for more details on how she came to be at the RAPS sanctuary and on FIV positive cats in general.


Update January 28, 2010: Sadly, we had to say good-bye to Barbie girl today. She was loved and knew she was loved. She will be missed.

Annie

I can't write about Fergus without Annie following soon after. She's remarkably assertive for her size and will want to be given her due.

Annie lives with Fergus and other FIV positive cats in the New AIDS house. Whenever I sit down, she manages to get around what seems to be a logistical impossibility of finding a little cuddle space that's not already occupied by a furry purring mass of Fergus. A knee, a hip, the arm of the chair (as in the photo from Sunday's post)... she's flexible.

Once thus installed, it's a matter of waiting for the tail to start swishing wildly back and forth. This isn't the red alert warning that it might be for another, more temperamental cat. If anything, she seems to mean it something more akin to wagging and generally accompanies the movement with a good deal of purring and circling. But, being a cat and not a dog, each circle will ideally position her to lightly slap the sitter across the face a few times with her tail. Ideally for her, not so great, perhaps, for the recipient.

For me, this little quirk is more than made up for by the sight of her face: as she really gets into her cuddle dance, she often lets the tip of her pink tongue out between her teeth. The resulting expression looks faintly ridiculous and totally adorable.

photo provided by Ayako

Update November 23, 2010: I'm very sad to report that Annie is no longer with us.

Fergus

Fergus has been living in the New AIDS house for a few years, but you'd never know to look at him that he's FIV positive. He's a big, friendly black & white cat who loves nothing better than some quality lap time with one of his many human friends.

Claire, Fergus (center) and friends 
photo provided by Vincent

Just before the picture above was taken, I wanted to see how much time passed between when I sat down and when the first cat climbed into my lap. It took them the same amount of time it took me to lift my hand and look at my watch.

Fergus was having ear problems for a while there: infection, strange growths, concern over cancer... Fortunately, the growths turned out to be benign and Fergus only needed some antibiotics for the ear infection to fix him up. All of this necessitated a number of vet visits and tests though, which needed to be paid for.

RAPS is very lucky to have the support of the Helfer Wellness Fund, which was set up by Tricia Helfer (well known to Battlestar Galactica fans as Number 6) and her sister Tara to make sure that RAPS can give cats like Fergus the veterinary care they need. Check out the fund's blog for stories on Fergus, Sweet Pea and others.