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.