FELV+ PING PING WAITING FOR HER FUREVER HOME
POSITIVELY, PURR-FECTLY ADOPTABLE CATS For 90 years, HSSC has been helping homeless animals not only survive but thrive! We believe that every pet deserves to be met with love and hope, wherever they are in life, whatever their unique needs may be. Not just the “perfectly healthy” ones, but the “perfectly imperfect” ones with untreatable conditions too! Cats with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) fall into the latter category. Though both viruses can compromise a cat’s immune system, leaving them vulnerable to secondary infections, they are spread in different ways: FIV is primarily spread from cat to cat through fighting and bite wounds. FeLV, considered to be more contagious and aggressive, is most commonly transmitted from cat to cat through direct contact, mutual grooming and through sharing litter boxes or food and water bowls. Both viruses affect only cats and cannot be spread to humans or other animals. While there are no known cures for either, the good news is that infected cats can live full, happy lives. “FeLV-positive cats typically have a shortened lifespan but FIV-positive cats can live a normal lifespan without ever becoming symptomatic,” explains Lisa Labrecque, DVM and HSSC’s Director of Veterinary Services. 4
Thankfully, in the animal welfare community, FIV and FeLV are no longer considered reasons to euthanize otherwise healthy cats. While it is becoming less common for shelters to euthanize cats with FIV and FeLV, many overcrowded shelters still do when they exceed their capacity and exhaust all other options. Thanks to your support of our lifesaving mission, we’re able to take in cats who might otherwise face euthanasia due to their positive status. “We frequently receive requests from our shelter partners, as well as our local pet owner community, needing assistance with FIV+ and FeLV+ cats and kittens,” HSSC’s Admissions & Animal Care Program Manager Anna Harrison explains. “Or sometimes rescues are just seeking a new pool of adopters for FIV- or FeLV-postive cats that haven’t been getting enough interest.” Each day we see firsthand how much love these cats have to give and we work hard to ensure they get that love reciprocated in forever homes. “We commit considerable resources to help these positive cats be as healthy as they can be,” says Dr. Labrecque. For example, “we sometimes perform extensive dental surgeries - including full mouth extractions for FIV+ cats with severe dental disease and stomatitis (severe oral inflammation), conditions that are often very painful and could cause a decreased appetite.”
