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.

Jeremy (King Tut)

Brigid suggested I get to know this lovely, friendly boy in the Old AIDS building and recommended Phaedra as a good person to ask about him.

 photo by Phaedra

Here's what Phaedra had to say:

"Jeremy is actually called King Tut as he was trapped out by King Tire.

He used to live in the back courtyard. My daughter spotted him one day and asked me who he was. I had no idea what his name was, so my daughter said he looks like a Jeremy and it's stuck for me.

Back then, he wasn't so big on snuggling or even allowing you to touch him. After lots of courting and flirting, I finally won him over and he would patiently wait for the flocks of kitties to leave me alone so we could have some quiet lap time. We used to do this every day at either coffee break or lunch time.

When he was diagnosed with feline leukemia, I was heartbroken for him and promised him that I would visit him every day I worked. So every day after work I go and sit with Jeremy.

Obviously I can't just sit with him because Panther and Jasper and all the other kitties in that area would not have that, so I've had to bear the burden of loving them all up after work. Not quite sure how I ended up being persuaded to buy a case of cat tuna every pay cheque and feed them at least two cans every day... Somehow they managed to convince me to do it without my prior knowledge. 

Having followed Jeremy to the Old AIDS, I've taken an interest in making the change of spaces easier on all the new kitties that enter that area. It just seems like the right thing to do."

Jeremy (I think we're all calling him that now) has been so successfully turned into a cuddler that he's ready and willing to love up anyone, anytime, seemingly all the time. Don't expect much alone time with him, though. Offer him your lap and soon find Panther and Jasper tucking themselves neatly in beside him. Fortunately, he's just as willing to snuggle with his cat friends as he is with his human friends.