Panther

Fantastic, friendly Panther is the third member of the Jeremy/Jasper/Panther lap-occupying gang in the Old AIDS building at the sanctuary.

At 14 years old, Panther's not a young guy. What I find amazing, though, is that it was 2002 when he came to RAPS as an FIV positive cat - which means he's been living with FIV for at least 9 years! And in all this time, says Leslie, he's never had any major illnesses.

Proof (for anyone who needed convincing) that cats with FIV should not automatically be seen as not long for this world. Some can still go on to live long and happy lives.

Panther and Bella

Updated January 20, 2013: 
I learned today that after living for more than 10 years at the sanctuary, Panther has at last left for the rainbow bridge. Here are a few words from Ed, who was very fond of this sweet and gentle soul:

RIP my beautiful Panther. I sponsored him since 2011. I'm glad that he spent his final years at the sanctuary and the final minutes surrounded by people who loved him. 

When I last saw Panther a week and a half ago, I brought my laser pen. He was chasing the light. I'm glad that we got to play chase the red dot one last time.

photo by Ed

Jasper (II)

Like more than a few cats living in the Old AIDS building at the sanctuary, Jasper is a cuddler.

I first met him when I was interviewing Jeremy for a blog post. Phaedra had mentioned that Jeremy, Jasper and Panther were all eager to have a share of cuddle and lap time, so that it was never possible to pay attention to just one of them. I found this to be true within moments (or was it just seconds?) of sitting down, when all three cats managed to insert themselves neatly in the available lap space like furry puzzle pieces.

Jasper has been at the sanctuary for a long time. And he's always been friendly. Like most cats, though, he does have his quirks. For some reason, while he's quite happy to cuddle with Leslie, he also loves to smack her. Why? Apparently, he just seems to think it's terribly funny.

Cats have a strange sense of humor.