The FeLV+ Cats at APA!

The UNofficial goings-on among residents (nicknamed Felvies) of the Feline Leukemia Sanctuary at Austin Pets Alive! Shelters in many cities routinely euthanize FeLV+ cats, but Austin Pets Alive provides a place where they can live, thrive, and often find a loving home and human! Read about Feline Leukemia

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Word today that beloved Mr. Zinger has journeyed to the Rainbow Bridge. 

He fortunately spent almost three years in the best adoptive home ever, with his brother Zag, and humans who gave him all the love and care any cat could want.

So we focus not that he’s gone, but on the awesome life he was able to live thanks to the kindness of the Klier family. Zinger may have passed on from his physical form but he lives forever in spirit and in our hearts.

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He wasn’t even one year old. He never had the chance to go home. 

But he was so loved by every being he met, two- and four-legged alike.

Tiny Mr. Almanzo, ten-month old manx kitten born without a tail, passed away early Monday morning. His life was short, but he filled it to overflowing with his love. He craved affection. He was every cat’s little brother, watched over and taken care of by all the other cats in his presence.

In the end, it wasn’t enough. His medical issues overwhelmed his small body and his compromised immune system. But his strength of spirit, his courage, and his eternally sunny nature are his legacy---the qualities Almanzo always will be remembered for.

Fly free, Mr. Alamanzo. Be at peace. We’ll see you at the Bridge some day.

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One last post: the memorial keepsake for tiny, sweet Ms. Mitzi recently arrived. 

It was created by hand by Rainbow Bridge Hearts in Seattle, and incorporates a bit of Mitzi’s ashes.

The glass globe is beautiful. It’s the perfect memorial for this perfect little cat.

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Taking a break

This Tumblr is on hiatus for an indefinite period. After almost four years, it’s time for a break from volunteering at Austin Pets Alive!. It has been a privilege and an honor to look after the Feline Leukemia cats, each and every one of the dozens that passed through the Sanctuary. We may or may not be back with more from the Felvies, but we will remain open to the new and different opportunities to be of service that will emerge :)

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Wonderful news for Mr. Polo, shown here with his favorite catnip carrot toy.

He just retested negative for the Feline Leukemia Virus! For all practical purposes, he now can live his life as though he never was FeLV+!  And he can find his forever home among other cats without fear of passing on the virus!

Several Felvies from Austin Pets Alive! also have retested negative over the past year (as have numerous cats from Shadow Cats in Round Rock). It’s not clear how or why this occurs. The Feline Leukemia Virus apparent goes into a regressive stage, which means it still can be present, but is not actively infecting a cat’s genetic material, so the threat to the cat’s immune system is reduced or effectively eliminated. 

APA! and cats like Polo are involved in a new study at the University of Glasgow (where FeLV was first identified) to learn more about how some cats are able to convert to a negative test state. With so little known about the virus, hopes are high for this research to shed some needed light...and hopefully to save more lives like Polo’s!

tl:dr--Polo no longer is a Felvie (though he’ll retain his honorary title and the privileges that come with it)!

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We’re very much ready to step through the doorway and head off to our home, if you don’t mind, thank you very much!

Young Ms. Petra and hefty Mr. Cricket, two of the most affectionate cats ever, wait for you to adopt them from Felvieville at Austin Pets Alive’s Tarrytown center. 

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A sad aloha to Ms. Geena Davis. Not even two years old, and a particularly aggressive cancer sprung up, seemingly overnight. 

As late as last evening, she was her playful, cuddly self. Then in the past twenty-four hours, a fast downhill slide as breathing became more and more difficult because of the fast-growing masses in her tiny body. 

It mystified and saddened the doctors at Central Texas Cat Hospital, and devastated her humans, Heike and Frank--who are coping with seriously ill Ms. Cheesecake.

So all agreed it was time to end Geena’s suffering, and help her on to the Rainbow Bridge. But before her journey began, Geena wanted to let us know that everything was all right. Really.

Hi, it's me, Geena.

I have to go now... Sorry. it's always hard for those left behind but I am OK!

There’s Mitzi and Husky and all the others waiting for me. My sister Eartha will stay behind and play with Frank, and my adopted brother Justin really bonded with adopted sister Penny so all will be OK!!

The folks here at CTCH are really nice and I am not afraid! I just can't breathe, you know, and they cannot fix what is causing that. But thanks to APA, Ihad a great time for the little time I had.

Being dumped at a shelter door with Eartha and landing at a "catio" with loads of playmates - that wasn't all that bad! Plus I had those claw caps on when I was dumped so someone obviously just loved me for being pretty and when I was sick they dumped me.

At the catio I was the cat I wanted to be - chase Justin around the house, cuddle with Justin and Eartha (Pantera) in the sun on a window bank, climbing the cat tower, lounge in the hammock…all good. Short but good!!!

Don't cry please. Heike and Frank did all the crying one can do so just keep them posted. If someone from your FeLV ward needs a good place, think of them....

Going now.

Love, Geena

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Ms. Cheesecake isn’t an APA! cat, either--but she lives with a half-dozen APA Felvies, including the beloved Mr. Kemper and the beautiful Ms. Penelope Pigeon (who is her BFF, actually).

Cheesecake suffers from a mysterious neurological problem that so far has defied diagnosis. And unfortunately, she’s suffered a series of strokes, the last one in July. This little cat has been left incontinent, and has to be fed mostly through a tube inserted into her neck.

But despite her mounting medical issues, Cheesecake loves life! And best of all, she has humans who are giving her loving and compassionate care and who are dedicated to giving her every chance to live the life she wants!

Doing that, however, comes with a cost--emotional and financial. You can help on both fronts by donating whatever you can to help cover Cheesecake’s mounting expenses. 

She’s being treated by the excellent vets and staff at Central Texas Cat Hospital, the best place ever for feline care. And CTCH is doing everything possible to control costs. So everyone involved is pulling for Cheesecake and helping her to live life to the fullest--and you can, too :)

Cheesecake’s humans, Heike and Frank, have put up a GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/cheesecakethecat where you can assist. 

Any donation, no matter the size, is welcomed and appreciated. The Felvies of APA thank you for supporting a family who for years has supported them!

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He never was in the FeLV+ Adoption Center; he wasn’t even an Austin Pets Alive! cat. Just a plain, old, community cat, part of a colony a caretaker had been looking after. But circumstances changed, and the colony was in danger. 

Most of them were friendly, and none more so that this small guy. He trusted humans even though many abused and hurt him at the apartment complex where he and his colony mates lived. So a kind rescuer stepped in, and this little cat--now called “Friendly Feral”--was saved.

But at the vet, he was found to be very ill. And he tested positive for the Feline Leukemia Virus, so rejoining his former colony mates in the homes found for them was out of the question. The compassionate folks at Central Texas Cat Hospital went to work, developed a treatment plan, and Friendly Feral responded well. At CTCH, he was well fed, well loved, and well cared for. His future looked better than ever.

Until last night. Friendly Feral’s frail system finally succumbed to the many issues community cats face, and he made his way quietly to the Rainbow Bridge. 

We never met Friendly Feral. All we know is what we’ve heard--how trusting, how brave, how loving he was. What we believe, though, is that he stands for and is a symbol of the untold numbers in need of help, care, and love. 

Friendly Feral is their face, and why despite the odds, it’s worth the try to save them all.

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Cherished Felvies Mr. El Paso and Ms. Koopa are in a foster home!

After being under observation for a couple of weeks when they were exposed to calicivirus, they were cleared as healthy--and now get to live in a home, maybe for the first time ever.

Ms. Koopa is reportedly being her shy and demure self, and Mr. El Paso has explored his new space (between mealtimes).

Thanks so much to awesome foster Halie, who previously fostered Mr. Zebra (R.I.P.), Mr. Hippo, and Ms. Karina.

BTW Hippo and Karina were recently adopted--together!

(photo stolen from El Paso and Koopa’s new foster mom!)

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For the four remaining residents of Felvieville at APA’s Tarrytown Adoption Center, life goes on apace as they await kind humans and forever homes.

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The highly contagious Feline Calicivirus has felled at least two of the four residents in temporary FeLV+ quarters at the Tarrytown APA facility.

It began when Ms. Jenna went to the Austin Pets Alive medical clinic for her long-delayed spay surgery. She may have left her ladyparts in the clinic, but apparently brought back calicivirus. A few days after her return, she developed the respiratory distress and mouth ulcers typical of the virus...and has passed it along to Ms. Sterling as well.

Because tiny Ms. Koopa and gentle Mr. El Paso shared living space with the two infected cats, they, too, were whisked away. All four now are in the isolated calici ward, where they’ll stay in cages for weeks of treatment and observation.

With their immune systems already compromised by the Feline Leukemia Virus, they face a more difficult battle to recover from the calicivirus. Healing and comforting thoughts for all four are needed and welcomed.

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Ms. Desirae is not amused. But she is friendly and lovely.

Fed up with the kitten antics of new roommate Mr. Almanzo, she showed him the Paw of Warning to settle him down. Almanzo learned his lesson, and Desirae remains queen of Felvieville, reigning from atop the Kuranda cat tower.

She sadly now is the longest-stay cat at the Tarrytown adoption center, FeLV+ or not. She’s a young two-and-a-half years, and deserves a home of her own where she gets the love...and respect...she deserves.

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More good news for former FeLV+ Adoption Center residents!

Mr. Polo no longer spends his days behind bars in the Cat Isolation Unit. He’s gone to a temporary foster home, which he’ll enjoy for at least a few more weeks. He had tested “negative” for the Feline Leukemia Virus, and if that result is confirmed upon retesting, his options for his future significantly increase. Paws crossed!

Mr. Gobstopper also has been freed from Cat ISO, and has rejoined his fellow former adoption center residents, now living at Felvieville in APA’s Tarrytown center. They’ll be there until they are adopted, or until the renovation of their old home is finished.

And tiny Mr. Almanzo is on a rapid road to recovery. The suspicious growths on his hind end apparently are gone! He got a surprisingly clean bill of health upon examination, and he too is happy to be out of an isolation cage and scampering around his Felvieville quarters with friends old and new. 

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Lots of news about the former residents of the Feline Leukemia Adoption Center, topped by Ms. Bonshell and Mr. Dexter finding their forever home--together!

Dexter, recently returned for being “too affectionate,” and Bonshell have spent several weeks at Felvieville in APA’s Tarrytown Adoption Center. And while a few years past their own kittenhoods, they benefitted from Saturday’s big kitten adoption event. 

Their new humans, unsuccessful in their search for an appropriate kitten or two, were directed to Felvieville, where today they were chosen by Bonshell and Dexter--two of the most lovable and adorable cats anyone could meet.

Heartfelt congratulations to these most deserving felines. Have a wonderful, peaceful, comfortable life together!

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It’s over. The Feline Leukemia Adoption Center, nee the Feline Leukemia Sanctuary, is closed.

The last four residents partook of Sunday Brunch, enjoyed second (and third) helpings, then settled in for some morning grooming, playing, chasing, and napping. Then they were rudely awakened, stuffed in carriers, and taken away as the room was emptied.

A renovation, scheduled to take four weeks but we all know how that’s going to go, is supposed to begin Monday.

Meanwhile, Ms. Summer will spend the hiatus in a foster home! But Mr. Almanzo, Mr. Gobstopper, and Mr. Harvey Wallbanger are waiting it out in small cages in Cat ISO for the time being. Frankly, none of them seem very happy about it, and two of them are practicing pitiful wailing to draw attention to their plight.

So now as cats and humans together, we wait...

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Both sad and good news for Mr. Polo, who was adopted for the second time earlier this year.

His humans tragically now are homeless. They can’t take care of him right now, so he was returned today. We hope they overcome their setbacks and get back on their feet very soon. We’re grateful that instead of abandoning Polo, they brought him back so he’ll be safe and secure.

But during the intake process, something unexpected occurred. Repeated tests showed the same result--no trace of the Feline Leukemia Virus in his blood! It could mean that he’s converted into a cat that for all practical purposes is no longer a Felvie!

He’ll be retested in a month and hopefully that’ll confirm today’s findings. Until then, he needs a foster home with no other cats, just in case. It’s hard to find such a foster home, but we’re hoping Polo’s string of better luck continues immediately.