Two senior cats were brought into a high-kill shelter in California towards the end of 2017. Unfortunately the assumed sibling duo tested positive for FIV. Fate was not smiling upon the pair.
FIV, or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, is a highly misunderstood disease in the cat community. Luckily, new information is being shared as much as possible to dispel the myths of cats diagnosed with this. For more information, check out this link – http://loveyourferalfelines.com/fiv-learn-all-about-it.
A small local shelter heard of the two cats and rushed to the shelter to save them from being falsely handled. Sadly, just before they arrived, the male was euthanized.
The team quickly rescued the female named Kaline from the same fate. She was brought to a loving foster family where she resided for 5 months. She was spayed but shockingly they discovered that she had NO teeth; none at all!
Love Your Feral Felines (LYFF) was contacted to see if they could assist with caring for the poor soul. Sweet Kaline would require medical treatment to verify the teeth hadn’t just ruptured, thorough blood work and to confirm her FIV+ diagnosis.
Many cats who are FIV+, including Marmalade from the Cole and Marmalade pair, live perfectly long healthy lives. Dental issues can be an ongoing problem for these felines though. A healthy diet and regular vet visits are required.
FIV+ Cats = Positively ADOPTABLE!
LYFF then realized that Kaline was also wheezing. She was stressed during the vet visit where she also seemed to be struggling during the blood draw. Further tests and an abdominal x-ray revealed more devastating news. Kalines heart seemed to be massively enlarged.
Extremely concerned for Kaline, they had a specialist perform a cardiac ultrasound. Kaline’s heart was not enlarged but it was discovered that she had a diaphragmatic hernia. Her liver was also SURROUNDING her heart! This shocked the entire crew who had quickly bonded with the furry sweetheart.
Due to Kaline’s conditions, her FIV and other slight ailments found in her blood work results, extensive surgery was very risky. She would need to have the hernia repaired and her organs placed back in their correct places. Her chance at surviving a surgery of this magnitude would be slim at best, with a extremely difficult recovery.
Admitting that these options were too risky, the painful acceptance of Kaline’s reality set in. Animal hospice would be her best chance to live in comfort for her remaining days.
A group of guardian angels then stepped in: Golden Hearts Sanctuary. This extraordinary sanctuary has given Kaline the love, home and life she deserves to have for as long as possible.
Kaline is surrounded by a caring family that understand the dedication and special care she requires. She is in no pain and will hopefully live many more years bringing joy to everyone she meets.
Golden Hearts Sanctuary is an incredible home for kitties deemed “broken” or “un-adoptable by society. These include fur-babies with cancer, disabilities, autoimmune diseases or old age ailments. They are given a safe place to thrive, just like beloved Kaline.
Update from her rescuer heroes:
This is where she spends most of her day – in the outside cat tree with a view of everything! Kaline lives with our extra-special, special needs kitties, those who need extra sets of eyes watching them. They have an indoor room & covered yard – and she’s always outside!
So sad that precious senior Maine Coon girl Kaline´s brofur´s been euthanized before she´s been rescued, FIV´s NOT a death sentence, and FIV positive cats who´re social, who don´t like bloody fights, can live in harmony with FIV negative cats, furriend Marmy´s only one example, others´re Tabasco – One Hot Chili Pepper and Buddy (Buddy’s Buds) who live in households with 10 or more FIV negative cats, and theoretically my Gizzy (Gizzy, Thori and Sisi, da second hand kittehz) might be FIV positive too, the truth is I simply don´t know it, he´s never ever been tested, neither in his former home for about 6 1/2 years, nor here for more than 7 1/2 years since I adopted him, he´s been born as the son of a tabby European Shorthair farm mama kitty who had probably mated with other tomcats besides Gizzy´s papa who´s (been? I don´t know if his pawrents´re still alive or not) a then unaltered Norwegian Forest Cat who´s been around that farm for quite a while, the farmer didn´t know if he was feral or if he was an outdoor cat, so both of his pawrents might theoretically have been FIV positive, and we all know when a male cat and a female cat mate the male one bites the female one into the neck, and if Gizzy´s mama should´ve been infected with FIV she might´ve infected Gizzy and his two brofurs who had the same markings as him, but have been shorthaired while giving birth to them, like in female humans who´re HIV positive and pregnant, the babies of a FIV positive and pregnant kitty should better be taken out of her belly with a C-section because of that…. But why should I let Gizzy be tested when he´s doing purrfectly fine, except for a chronic idiopathic intestine that Angel Sisi who´d been born indoors and has been indoors for all of her life had it too from kitten age on??? I´d only worry more than necessary, Gizzy´s the most social cat you can think of!!! And Thori hates fights either… ??????
I´m really glad precious Kaline found a furever loving home, I wish her many many wonderpurr years at the Golden Heart Sanctuary….
#SeniorCatsRock, #SeniorCatsDeserveALovingHomeToo, #AdoptDontStop, #EndTheFIVStigma
This story´s my feelgood rescue story on my petition page and on my 2 other pages on #Facepoop, plus in my “Pet Pawrents….” group:
https://www.facebook.com/mypetitionsisigned/posts/888719074645457
What a beautiful kitty
Praise God for all of Kaline’s rescuers!!!
Praise God for Kaine, too!!!
I meant Kaline! Sorry!
Look at those amazing eyes! They look like they are glowing! What a beauty!