Hello from Scotland!

*waves* Figured I'd say hi.

I'm very possibly going to be gaining a shelter FIV+ cat over the next few weeks seeing as I finally have my own apartment! I left home four years ago and left my kitty with my parents (seeing as he's an outdoor kinda guy), but now I actually own somewhere I can finally have a cat of my own. Trouble is finding an indoor cat (I live on the top floor), shelter visit with my bf was unsuccessful yesterday...

But on the way home I checked another shelter online and found this big fella who I should be meeting over the next few days. If we get on he should move in in early May! 


Teeny picture from the shelter page, but he's about four years old and FIV+. He's being fostered at the moment (presumably becasue people are wary of FIV+ cats) and was a stray. He's described as 'large' and 'affectionate' which sounds ideal really... He needs a better name for sure, poor guy. All my/our previous cats have been in pretty sorry states, the first one I remember had dislocated back legs and a broken jaw when he came to us. 

I'm going to be training as a vet nurse from next January, so I will at least be in a good position to look after him. Assuming I get confirmation from my vet that I won't cause too much risk being around sick animals all the time. 

Hopefully I can add better pictures soon... 

How exciting! He sure is a pretty boy. I have an FIV positive 5 year old, and she hasn't shown any problems related to her FIV status, which is wonderful. Good diet seems to be the most widespread recommendation for keeping FIV positive cats in good shape. I would assume practicing standard veterinarian hygiene (wearing gloves, hand washing, etc) would keep your kitty safe from anything too contagious.

You can find lots of threads on here about FIV kitties and their care. This is a cool thread about holistic supplements for an FIV positive kitty:
[thread="259351"]How I Am Treating Chumleys Fiv  [/thread]
Best of luck to you with the adoption process!

Thank you! I was searching for more info about caring for FIV cats and came across that thread and decided to join up to follow along.  

Welcome to the Cat Site! He is a handsome lad! You are so good to take him with the FIV, but I am sure you will handle it well. 

Hello from Ireland! Beautiful boy - sounds like he's lucky he found you!

Welcome to TCS!  I think it's wonderful that you're up for adopting a special needs cat - it sounds like you will be the perfect person for this sweet boy.  He is really a beauty, too.  I hope everything works out and you can bring him home soon.  Looking forward to updates!

Thank you all for the welcome!

As I can't drive the shelter is arranging for him to be driven from his foster home (quite far away) to one of their branches nearer to me, but I'm prepared to go by public transport if I have to. In love with a cat I've not met!

He's probably going to be renamed Arcturus. It's the fourth brightest star, is a red giant and is most visible in May. Also it comes from the Greek for bear and guardian, and he's a big guy. Aaaand Regulus Arcturus Black, because I'm a Harry Potter fan and a Slytherin...

Spent most of the morning researching a suitable diet for him...

Quick wee update, he's mine! It turned into too much of a faff for him to be driven down (nowhere for him to stay) and back again and I couldn't get there, so I'm taking him - wisely or not - without meeting him. He's hopefully coming home on 4th May! I'm trusting all my (substantial) previous cat experience that we'll get on well enough. 

Anyway, Arcturus will be home soon. 

reversedpolarit said:

 
he's mine!

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I think you'll soon find out you've got that backwards   Congratulations to you both!

Very true, I've belonged to all my other cats. 

Hi there! Can't wait to hear more about you and your spoon to be fur babies!

reversedpolarit said:

 
Quick wee update, he's mine! It turned into too much of a faff for him to be driven down (nowhere for him to stay) and back again and I couldn't get there, so I'm taking him - wisely or not - without meeting him. He's hopefully coming home on 4th May! I'm trusting all my (substantial) previous cat experience that we'll get on well enough. 

Anyway, Arcturus will be home soon. 

Click to expand...

I adopted Chula and Paul without meeting them first and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.  Here's hoping it works out as well for you!   

Margd said:

I adopted Chula and Paul without meeting them first and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.  Here's hoping it works out as well for you!   

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An AMAZING volunteer from the shelter is driving me and my boyfriend up on Saturday. They're very keen for him to be adopted seeing as he's been there since November time. We're both super excited! Though I'd happily take him without meeting him, I took my pup without meeting her and that was a fantastic decision.

So better pictures very soon!

Can't wait to see some pictures!

Okay, we met him yesterday and he's a beauty! Here's Arcturus in his shy glory.


His foster mum is pretty amazing and gets the difficult shelter cases as well as doing TNR, he was very miserable in the shelter but the first night with her he slept on her bed! He's been with her for seven weeks and he's coming along nicely, hopefully he'll do well with me.

He was very timid, the first few times I went to stroke him he did scared hissing so we left him be for a while and he came to sit where he could see us. When we were leaving (his foster mum having approved me!) I went to see him again as he'd moved back to a bed. This time he let me stroke his head and all along his back and scratch his ears. I don't think his mum was expecting that at all, and neither was I! He is a little more wary of BF, but he was sat beside me whilst I stroked him.

I think he deserves his own thread whilst he settles in and I figure out his FIV-ness. He looks in very good condition, his summer coat is coming through and he's very subtly striped (he likes being combed). He moves well and his eyes were clear, he's also doing well on wet and dry food and eats without fuss.

He's coming home on 4th May!

Yay! As someone who's volunteered a lot with rescues in the past, it just warms my heart when a perfect person like you who understands how to be patient and loving with cats who have had a rough life comes along to adopt someone. Congratulations, I'm sure Arcturus will soon be very happy to have his forever family!

Thank you! <3 Two days to go 

He's going to be the most pampered kitty I've had I think, I just got him a small cat tower to hide in. I gave up trying to get the other cats (who all went outside) to sleep in cat beds, they all preferred my bed.   Hopefully before the summer I'll have a screen door put over the front door of the flat so that I can have the front door open when it gets warm and he can get a nice big patch of sunlight to snooze in.