Adoption Event Adventures!

Timmy went to his first adoption event today! He can't go to the cat adoption events with the other kitties since FeLV can be spread between cats through saliva. Thankfully, FeLV is NOT contagious to dogs or people (just cats!) and the virus is easily killed with disinfectant. So Timmy can still come to the dog adoption events with his puppy pals! Today he brought our foster pup Tok along as back up.

Timmy LOVES car rides so he was very excited to go on an adventure! He gave me some kisses and meowed at our foster pup Tok in the backseat. "Hey dog! Aren't you excited for our car ride?! I AM!"

  

After the initial excitement, Timmy settled down and laid politely in my lap for most of the car ride.

But of course, he also took some time to look out the window and assess the traffic situation. 

Stop lights are also a great time to sneak in some chin scratches...

Timmy spent most of the day hanging out with me in his pet sling. He will poke his head out of the sling every now and then to greet a new friend (canine or human), but most people don't even notice the quiet kitten at my side. He is such a good boy that he will covertly nap in his bright red bag all day while I interview adopters and help with the event. Occasionally, he will strut on the adoption table showing off his cool leash, but he prefers to stay purring in his person's arms.

At the end of the event, Timmy was happy for all of his new puppy pals who found homes. His friend Tok was one of the lucky dogs who was adopted today. Timmy is hoping someone will adopt him soon if he keeps coming to events and showing off how cute and sweet he is to everyone he meets. 

For now, he's pretty tuckered out though...

After the event we went to our favorite food spot, the Lost Dog Cafe! As always, Timmy was a very good sport. He napped in my lap and purred away as we ate our yummy pizza and drank delicious beer.

And after dinner, it was his turn to chow down. Timmy prefers sardines to pizza though...

Hanging out with Mr. Handsome

Tim Tim is so handsome. I love his cute little face. :)

Is it Snuggle time yet?

Little man needs some loving...

Fun with String

Timmy enjoys the simple things in life. One of his favorite simple things is string! So when his feather teaser broke, Timmy still managed to have a grand time.

He pawed at the string...

He nibbled the string...

And he gave it a lip curl!

Wait... We aren't done yet... right?!

I can see that string lady!!! Give me!

Watch him in action!

Playtime!

Timmy loves his feather teasers!

Car Rides

Timmy has a vet check up today. The rescue vet we go to is about an hour away, but Timmy doesn't mind because he LOVES car rides. He was one happy kitten!

When I met Timmy...

When I met Timmy he was in not in the best place. He was a shy, scared little kitten hissing in a cage in a crowded urban shelter. The shelter was full so in my carrier he went along with three other cuties to join my room of wayward orphan kittens. Even in a pile of cute, this little guy stood out.

Timmy came to me with the worst luck. First, he had an upper respiratory infection, then his eyes swelled and he got a corneal ulcer. We fixed all of that and he was feeling fabulous after his check ups.

But then... ringworm hit the kitten room. No fun. While we were treating Timmy for ringworm he got his front toe stuck in the crate and it swelled up like a balloon. Off to the vet we went again and Timmy told me ALL about it on our there...

Thankfully, with pain medication, antibiotics, and lots of foot soaks Timmy's foot deflated back to normal and he was running at full speed in a few weeks.

He grew and grew until he was ready for adoption. When he was at the vet to be neutered, he tested positive for Feline Leukemia (FeLV). My heart sank. This little guy had been through so much and now this... so we talked with our vets and made a plan. We would retest him in three months and hold our breath hoping that it was a false positive. Unfortunately, it wasn't. When we retested Timmy he was still positive for FeLV.

After talking with vets and researching FeLV, we've found that it's not as scary as one might initially think. It's not great, but it's not the end of the world. Timmy is happy, healthy, and full of life. He is showing no symptoms, and may never show any symptoms of the virus.

FeLV is a retrovirus that may lower the immune system or cause illness later in life (examples include general ill feelings like fever, loss of appetite, or weight loss). Most kittens get the virus from their mother. However, it is possible to spread it through saliva or other fluids, such as sharing food and water bowls. Because of this, FeLV cats are not generally recommended to live with non-FeLV cats in case of spread, but can live in harmony with other FeLV cats. FeLV is species specific and can NOT be transmitted to humans or dogs, only cats are affected.

Many cats live full happy lives with FeLV and never show any signs; cats with FeLV have slightly increased chances of developing infections so it is especially important that they see their vet for yearly check ups. Unfortunately, FeLV tends to hit kittens the hardest and they rarely live longer than two to six years old.

To learn more about FeLV and common misconceptions about these awesome cats click here.

So Timmy hasn't been dealt the best hand in life, but he doesn't know it and he is a happy little dude. We are still going to keep looking for his forever home. I know that there is someone out there who is special enough for our Timmy because even short lives are worth living and living well.