FIV+ WINSTON needs to pay his medical bills

Winston, a young FIV positive boy cat was brought in to be neutered in late June by a sweet couple named Mary & Enoch.  Their sister-in-law, Ina had been doing TNR with me after a desperate call for help in her neighborhood restored her faith in humankind when she learned she didn’t have to haul the cats in to be killed.

Ina fixed a half dozen cats as did her family in their neighborhoods.  But a week later, Mary called me to see what could be done with Winston who was seen around dragging his back leg.  Mary figured the injury was due to some cruel kids who were new to the block.  She may be right, but the injury was very severe because Winston has Perthes Disease and with necrotic bone in the hip, he needed a femoral head and neck osteomty.

When my vet, Bruce Langlois told me that he’s require surgery, I asked about the cost then asked him to please test him for Feline Leukemia and FIV.

He quoted the surgery at $350.  Which restored MY FAITH IN HUMANKIND cuz that would be probably over $800 elsewhere.

But then read me the unexpected test results.  Winston was positive for FIV!!

Usually, without the help of the caregiver and the promise of a home for a feral, I don’t do surgeries of this type on cats that are FIV positive.  But he was becoming friendly quickly in the doc’s care and Gabby was now involved and there was no turning back.

I agreed to the surgery once Dr. Langlois assured me his prognosis was good and he’d make a full recovery.

So now, Winston has a very reduced but still quite hefty medical bill.  And he’s also in need of a home.  Mary and Enoch would keep him but can’t guarantee he’s stay indoors, and that’s a big stipulation for me when it comes to a immune compromised cat that’s had so much work put into him.

So now, ACTUALLY, Winston needs $350 and a HOME!

We know it’s hard for lots of folks to take in another cat, but can you maybe spare $10 to put toward his surgery costs?  That would help a great deal.  If 35 readers pledge $10 each, we can pay his vet bill.

Why am I so invested in FIV cats?  Most rescues put cats down for FIV.  There are few rescues that deal with FIV.  Our own Big Sid’s is full and unable to take Winston at this time.  He cost a bunch of money and he isn’t without special needs to a certain extent.  Why would I go out on a limb for his life and uh….LIMB like that?

Well, recently we have started a campaign to educate the public about FIV and how these cats can live long healthy lives if given proper care and are not a risk to have around other cats.  So with that campaign on the upswing, how could I turn my back on this boy?  I simply couldn’t.

But now I can really use your help.  Might you know someone who’d like to adopt Winston?  If not, might you be able to help raise some funds for him?

If so, please make donations for his surgery costs via mail or paypal.  Details here:  http://www.carolsferals.org/donate/

Here is handsome and sweet Winston, who is the most snuggly loving little thing, done gone from feral to friendly all cuz of a icky femur!

Doing well at my place.  Likes soft food.  OBVIOUSLY!

Cozy in his cubby.

Handsome!

Doing really well, putting weight on it and all.  Still a little limpy though.

___________

For more information about FIV, please read our latest educational flier contents below:

The majority think that AIDS is a disease that affects only people. Many do not realize that such a disease can affect animals as well. One of the animals most susceptible to AIDS is the domesticated cat.
Cats with Feline AIDS are said to be FIV+. FIV, which stands for Feline
Immunodeficiency Virus, is the equivalent to HIV. Like the human virus, FIV interferes with the cat’s immune system. Once the immune system is weakened the cat becomes susceptible to all forms of infections.

So are all cats at risk of contracting this terrible disease?
What can cat owners and feline lovers do to protect our kitties?

To begin to answer these questions it needs to be stated that not all cats are
susceptible to contracting Feline AIDS.  Un-neutered male cats, which are kept outdoors, are at the greatest risk of contracting this virus. The reasons for this are quite simple. Un-neutered male cats are extremely territorial. This strong need to mark their own boundaries causes them to be more aggressive. An aggressive animal is more likely to become engaged in fights with other animals to protect their own domain. The virus is then spread through the blood contact that occurs with biting.
Although male un-neutered male cats are at a higher risk of becoming FIV+, female cats (spayed or non-spayed) are not immune to this disease. They can contract the virus from male cats during mating. The actual act of mating has not been proven to be the cause of this. The cause is that at times male cats will bite during mating. As mentioned before, the virus is spread once blood contact is made.
The next concern cat-lovers may have is in regards to their own health, the health of their families’ or the health of other pets. It is important to remember that Feline AIDS is not transferable to other cats by sharing food and dishes or by cat-to-cat grooming. It is only transferable by blood contact through openings in the body. It is not transferable in any manner
to humans or to other animals. This strain of the AIDS virus is unique to cats.

FIV is more common than most people think. It is surprising to discover how few know about this illness. The best way to prevent a loved cat from contracting this virus is to keep him/her indoors and out of harms way .