Meet Some Special Needs Cats

Those of you who have been following us know that we’ve placed a number of special needs cats from The Rescue House and San Diego Humane Society. The Cat Cafe has sent several blind cats, deaf cats, one eyed cats, and a three legged cat to good homes. And right now, we’ve got in a bonded pair of blind cats.

But there are some special needs cats that The Rescue House doesn’t bring to The Cat Cafe. These are their cats with FIV. As you may know, FIV is the feline equivalent of HIV. However, unlike with HIV, there is no treatment for FIV. Eventually, the cat’s immune system will become unable to fend off the typical infections an uninfected cat can.

But before this happens, FIV positive cats can live long and healthy lives. And while The Rescue House and many other animal welfare organizations keep FIV positive cats segregated from cats without the disease out of an abundance of caution, it’s unlikely that the disease will spread between cats in a home environment. Just ask, for example, Cole and Marmalade. Or researchers from Purdue University, who found no transmission of FIV from cats with the disease to those without it in a shelter environment.

We wanted to highlight some of the FIV positive cats The Rescue House is caring for, in the hopes that they might get adopted. You won’t find them at The Cat Cafe, but we’re happy to help you learn more about them.

Derby

Derby is a four year old orange and white long haired cat who defies a lot of the stereotypes about them. People think orange cats are friendly and outgoing, which Derby is. But he’s got a feisty side to him, and if you get him riled up, he’ll give you a nip. He’s also got a raspy meow that he’ll use to tell you everything he’s thinking.

Walter

If you’re thinking about taking home two FIV positive cats, consider pairing Derby with Walter. This three year old black cat is solid and muscular. But he still loves to try being a lap cat. He’ll surprise you, though, when the talks. Walter, like many of the big cats at The Cat Cafe, has a tiny little meow.

Sabine

Finally, there’s Sabine. She’s been through a lot in her three years. She was carrying an undelivered kitten, and this caused health issues that required extensive medical care. Despite all this, Sabine remained a friendly cat. She’s independent after her time on the streets, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love affection!

If you’d like to meet any of these special needs cats, please let us know. We’ll be happy to facilitate the interaction. Hopefully, even though these cats won’t be at The Cat Cafe, we’ll play a part in sending them to good homes.