VJ Jerry

Jerry (KN)

Sweet Jerry, in the Val Jones area, is one of our FIV+ cats – and he couldn’t be less like the Jerry that preceded him. Jerry I was small, fluffy, beautiful – and extremely erratic in aggressiveness, both to cats and humans.  Jerry II is a solid grey, not-very-beautiful boy, about 8 years old, who is very loving and anxious for attention. There’s not an ounce of nastiness in him;  he gets on well with the other cats, and he’s often one of the first greeters at the gate.

Jerry  (MW)

Jerry came to us in 2018 as one of a group of cats arriving from midway up Vancouver Island thanks to Catspan Ferals. As with Woody, in last week’s blog, when a rescue like this discovers they have FIV+ feral cats on their hands, it is often to RAPS that they turn; FIV+ cats should not be released into the general population of ferals. Healthy cats can be colony-supervised; kittens can be tamed and adopted out, but cats carrying the FIV or FeLV (feline leukemia) virus need more care.

Jerry (MW)

The three cats that arrived five years ago were all feral males, and two of them quickly disappeared into whatever hiding places they could find. Beautiful Francis and his buddy, black Drake, stayed out of our sight as much as they could manage. Jerry decided he’d landed on his feet, and acclimated himself to the New Aids pen very quickly. He is cat-social, non-aggressive, and when the friendliest cats were being selected for the new FIV pen in the Val Jones corner, Jerry was high on the list!

VJ snuggle buddies: Jerry, Magnus & Jim  (DW)

Many FIV+ cats show no sign of the virus they carry and may appear asymptomatic throughout their lives. Most problems are not in fact from the virus itself, but from secondary infections, or weakness of the immune system. Respiratory issues, skin problems, and dental diseases like stomatitis are common, and are a large reason why staff and volunteers are careful to sanitize when we move from one area to another.  Jerry has all the common secondaries.  He’s had mouth problems which have resulted in extractions, so the tip of his tongue often sticks out a bit; he’s not a good candidate for surgery so most of his dental issues are being treated with medication.

Jerry  (BC)

Once cleaning or feeding in the Val Jones is done, Jerry is anxious for lap-time. Most of the VJ cats are affectionate, but currently Jerry’s the pushiest in seeking cuddles. If he’s really drooly, a paper towel can sometimes be useful – but mostly I just make a point of having a good wash when we’re done. Jerry’s love is sometimes a little damp – but very heart-felt.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult, Karen Nicholson, Debbie Wolanski, Michele Wright

Francis

MW

Many of the cats in what we call New Aids are FIV+ males – Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is most commonly transmitted in blood through bites inflicted by feral males doing battle over access to females. And almost every case, whether the cat is feral or tame, this has happened because the cats in question have never been spayed or neutered. 

KN

Some of our guys have come into us as very friendly boys – they may once have had careless owners, but they are used to human contact.  Others are definitely feral, and both staff and volunteers may take years in getting them to the point at which they will relax with us.

Zimmer & Tiberius used to watch warily from the cage-tops

Zimmer wants love from Mel;
Tiberius hopes Karen has tidbits!

Sweet old battered Zimmer, and feisty little Tiberius are two of the cats that are gradually coming around; having spent most of their time hiding away on the cage-tops, both are living at floor-level now. Zimmer loves to be petted and comes for some lap-time;  Tiberius is happiest when chicken bits are on offer – bribery was the way to his heart.

Don't bug me!  - KN

There are probably volunteers who have not yet encountered Francis. For much of his time with us, this handsome boy has stayed out of sight unless he really knew the human intruder. When he first came to us he was one of the escape risk cats, and would climb between the wall of the enclosure where the rabbits once lived, and the netting over the pen, so that one could look up and see this cat-shaped lump pretending that he wasn’t there. All the outside of the pen needed to be reinforced – we don’t like to think of cats escaping with local coyotes on the loose.

Francis hangs out with Drake - as shy as his buddy  -  KN

Francis has lots of other places to hide. He rarely goes inside the cabin, but there are many kennels and cat-beds from which he can choose, and he can often be found right at the very back, in what we call the Prince of Wales pen, with the other ferals.

MW

Very few of our Sanctuary cats are pure-bred – and those that are, frequently come with behavioural problems. Francis is so beautiful, I was sure there had to be some deliberate breeding there – but I couldn’t find anything that perfectly matched his appearance. He’s more or less a seal-point, with dark face and legs, and blue eyes, his facial markings are tabby, and all his floof indicates some ragdoll – but he doesn’t ever relax enough with us to give us the behavioural indications of a ragdoll. It’s sad to think that a cat that may come from a breeding intended to give us a relaxed happy animal is so anxious and fearful.

KN

Francis has been with us for more than two years now, and we have in fact seen progress; I find that I can sit in the courtyard with the other cats without him hiding, though he still doesn’t much like to be approached.  At least, he knows with us that he’s safe, he has regular food and water, and other timid cat-buddies with whom to snuggle.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Karen Nicholson, Michele Wright

April 2021: We lost our beautiful boy quite suddenly. He had become much more friendly with his human care-givers, and was allowing petting. Sadly, a sudden gall-bladder infection proved inoperable, and we had to free him from pain.
Much loved - even when he didn't really love us...