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Nancy • Female • Orange Tabby • Age 15 yrs.

Featured Pet
Lenny

Each month we feature one of our animals here for special attention. You can also read our archive of featured pets from past months, although we hope those animals have all been adopted by now!

Lenny

It was the luckiest day of my life when I was brought to WSHS. Some kids found me one Saturday, hurt and sick. Their dad picked me up and rushed me to the shelter. Because I had wounds all over my front legs, the staff sent me right off to the vet. After recovering from my wounds and a parasite in my blood called hemobartonella, I came back to the shelter for some R & R. I liked that, but I couldn’t seem to get well for very long, with one fever after another. Finally, the inevitable happened: I came up positive for FIV, or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (the feline equivalent to HIV). Not surprising, really, considering I was a stray, intact tom cat. That is the highest risk category for the disease, passed through serious, penetrating bite wounds. This is not a death sentence for me, not by any means. After returning to the shelter, I have been moved to an area a bit farther away from the sick cats and I have regained my strength. I am now a playful young man of two with a big appetite. Because FIV is such a slowly progressing disease, I can live many healthy years. FIV is not the same as HIV. People cannot get it, and neither can dogs. In fact, indoor, neutered cats rarely pass it to other cats if introduced properly. A family living with an FIV cat should keep vaccines updated on their pets, feed the cat a high-quality diet, and provide an indoor-only, stress-free environment. No one ever really looks at me here. The volunteers and staff play with me, but I am never considered for adoption because people don’t understand the facts of this disease. They think I will always be sickly and die young, or that I will be a danger to them or their other pets. I just really want someone to come along and take a chance on me. I have so much love to give and I am full of playful energy. I am a little bit worried that if I stay here too long, I will keep catching colds, which can be really bad for me since my immune system is compromised. Because of the number of cats coming and going around here, it’s only a matter of time before more germs wear me down. Yes, I was lucky to find a place that cares enough about me to see me through my health issues, but now that I am strong again, I am hoping for another break. I have lots to offer a family. Will it be yours?

Some additional details about Lenny can be found on this page. To find out more, send an email to AnimalCare@wshs-dg.org, or stop by the shelter and pay Lenny a visit.