Arcturus' journal: life with a FIV+ cat

I think it probably is the transition, because he's eaten about 90g plus some dry this evening.

He's started coming up to me when he wants to be stroked and rubs my legs, which is really lovely to see from such a timid cat! He's currently lying on my feet whilst I've been reading to him again.

More pictures, just 'cos he's such a handsome lad and I'm so proud of how he's doing.

What a good looking guy, I am glad he adjusted to his new home so quickly.

Oh my God, he is a beauty! So cuddly! What are you reading to him? I'm curious...

He knows he's handsome too. :lol3: I'm reading him Good Omens, I bought a new copy to replace a ratty paperback and to mark BF meeting my parents. I was considering naming him Aziraphale after one of the main characters so it's fitting really.

He's currently sleeping on my feet in bed and snoring up a storm.

He is gorgeous. I'm glad to hear he's settling in so well.

What's that little nick out of his ear, is that an ear tip or a battle scar? My FIV+ boy, Gin, has got very tattered ears from his feral days.

Was Arcturus born to a feral mum in the shelter or did he live out on the streets for a while?

Norachan said:

 
He is gorgeous. I'm glad to hear he's settling in so well.

What's that little nick out of his ear, is that an ear tip or a battle scar? My FIV+ boy, Gin, has got very tattered ears from his feral days.

Was Arcturus born to a feral mum in the shelter or did he live out on the streets for a while?

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It's a battle scar, there's a few more on his ears and I suspect he had quite a nasty bite to a back leg. He really doesn't like me going near it but it looks like there's a slightly bigger scar there. I think he probably won more than he lost! 

He was found wandering around in a village in rural Scotland and I think he was trapped by a shelter volunteer, presumably he was going to be TNR until they found he was FIV+. From what I've heard he was pretty much feral in the shelter, not that you'd believe that from how he's being here! I suspect he was a pet before though, he made such a huge turn around after being fostered and he's far too comfortable jumping on the bed and sleeping with me to not have been (his first night with his foster mum he was crying in the kitchen, so she let him into her bedroom and pulled back the covers and he leapt right up). 

Last night he actually settled down with me (BF wasn'\t here) and he slept on my feet or against my legs and only woke me up twice to come be stroked. He's got his appetite back some more and has been mewing to be fed. He drinks an awful lot and pees quite a bit, but then the flat is quite warm at the moment (even with the heating off it's about 19C). He's currently sprawled out on the sofa having a wash and looking very smug. 

He knows when he's got it good.

I am so happy he has a loving home.

Oh wow!  I thought that was another cat!  

Sounds like Arcturus is doing VERY well.  He's certainly a handsome guy!  All the best to him and to you.  He looks a lot like our beloved King Nicolas Cat, who also has "long fur for a shorthair" -- actually a very dense white undercoat underneath his ginger/ beige/blonde/apricot/orange/yellow/pink/buff (choose your favorite) topcoat.  He needed, and loved, a lot of brushing.

*What a gorgeous boy!* 

Tarasgirl06 said:

Oh wow! :shocker:  I thought that was another cat!  

Sounds like Arcturus is doing VERY well.  He's certainly a handsome guy!  All the best to him and to you.  He looks a lot like our beloved King Nicolas Cat, who also has "long fur for a shorthair" -- actually a very dense white undercoat underneath his ginger/ beige/blonde/apricot/orange/yellow/pink/buff (choose your favorite) topcoat.  He needed, and loved, a lot of brushing.

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Thank you! Yeah, the amount of white fluff that he's losing is crazy but his tabby markings are getting clearer.


I picked him up earlier, which he wasn't too thrilled about but didn't do anything apart from stick his claws into the duvet so hopefully I can get him into the carrier no problem. I took the carrier out yesterday and resprayed with Feliway, so as long as he doesn't hide we should be fine.

Good luck at the vet Arcturus and mom!!

Well we got there okay! He went into the carrier with minimal fuss and did some half hearted hissing. I carried him with a towel over the carrier and he was quite calm. Whilst we were waiting at the vets he was rubbing against my hands wanting to be stroked. 

The not so good news is that he needs a dental clean and possibly removal of teeth due to gingivitus as well bloodwork done to check his thyroid/kidneys/liver because he's drinking so much. He was incredibly well behaved though, and the vet was very surprised that a ginger tomcat was so cooperative.   He clipped all his nails too which was good. 

Because he's FIV+ no insurance will cover anything worthwhile, but the vet I go to has a loyalty scheme which is about the same price as insurance per month and covers flea/worm treatment, vaccinations, nail clipping and a six monthly check up. It also reduces the dental by £200...bonus. So I think I'll go for that instead. To have the dental, bloodwork and antibitoics and painkillers is still just over £200 (instead of about £400 though!). So not cheap. I'm kinda annoyed that none of this was noted in the shelter, because when you watch him eat it's obvious something is going on in his mouth. 

The reccomended medications are Synulox and Metacam, the latter I've used no problem with previous cats and the dog. Think I'll check out the former. I was a bit too shell-shocked by the original quoted price that I forgot to ask about supplements for poor Arc. 

He isn't very happy with me right now, but I put down a packet of the really good wet food (instead of the good stuff) and he ate some of that whilst I was on the phone. I'll reduce the amount of dry he gets (not that he gets more than a handful or two a day) too. I'd remove it all together but it means he can eat overnight when he's hungry or I'm out and he's finished off the wet. 

Great to hear you adopted an FIV+ cat. At my local shelter they're always trying to find homes for these cuties. 

On the gingivitus, it isn't unusual for a shelter not to say anything about it in advance. I feel they don't want to scare off potential adopters by letting them know that they'll be facing a huge vet bill right away. As this cat becomes more comfortable with you, I would suggest brushing his teeth. My cat had bad gums when we got him, but now they are healthy and pink since we brush them every day. He didn't end up having to have a dental yet because of it.  It may also be good to learn how to clip his nails eventually.

Thank you for adopting an FIV+ cat. The world needs more people willing to take that on.

I was wondering about the potential need for some dental work when you mentioned how he was eating. The good news is that you are taking steps to address the problem now rather than waiting until things are really bad and now you are getting a good baseline as to where he is at (as overwhelming as this feels). It will probably feel like a lot at first but once you address these issues and get things stabalized, you will be able to take a more proactive approach to his health. The loyalty program sounds like an ideal thing for you to use with the lack of insurance available for Arcturus.

I bet all is forgiven after the packet of the really good wet food [emoji]128571[/emoji]

NewYork1303 said:

 
Great to hear you adopted an FIV+ cat. At my local shelter they're always trying to find homes for these cuties. 

On the gingivitus, it isn't unusual for a shelter not to say anything about it in advance. I feel they don't want to scare off potential adopters by letting them know that they'll be facing a huge vet bill right away. As this cat becomes more comfortable with you, I would suggest brushing his teeth. My cat had bad gums when we got him, but now they are healthy and pink since we brush them every day. He didn't end up having to have a dental yet because of it.  It may also be good to learn how to clip his nails eventually.

Thank you for adopting an FIV+ cat. The world needs more people willing to take that on.

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I couldn't resist his lil face. Previous cats have had it and had to have teeth removed (my only female cat had it bad and was left with four teeth when we got her!) and I was expecting it with him because I know it's quite common with FIV. So I'm more annoyed that he's been in pain for the last fifteen weeks or so and no action was taken. He had his vaccinations done at the shelter and blood tests, so they're bound to have checked him over, but not given painkillers or antibiotics for what is at this point quite a bad infection. I will clip his nails when he's a little more settled/can cope with being on my lap. I think he put up with it out of fear today. 

HelloMissKitty said:

I was wondering about the potential need for some dental work when you mentioned how he was eating. The good news is that you are taking steps to address the problem now rather than waiting until things are really bad and now you are getting a good baseline as to where he is at (as overwhelming as this feels). It will probably feel like a lot at first but once you address these issues and get things stabalized, you will be able to take a more proactive approach to his health. The loyalty program sounds like an ideal thing for you to use with the lack of insurance available for Arcturus.

I bet all is forgiven after the packet of the really good wet food [emoji]128571[/emoji]

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Definitely not forgiven! I was out this afternoon for a few hours and he's still behind the sofa. I just put out more smelly, tasty food though and I bet if I start reading to him he'll peek his head out. 

I'm not overly surprised it needs doing, but I was hoping for a bit more time to put aside some savings! I might check out the PDSA and see if I can use that as I'm earning very little at the moment (not many shifts, searching for a job with more hours). He's been so amazing given that he's in pain, so I can't wait to see what he's like when he's pain free!

(He just snuck out to eat the food, clearly I'm slightly forgiven). 

I think I've been forgiven.


PDSA is a no go as I don't receive any housing benefits. Looks like I'll be eating baked beans for the next six months. Worth it if he's out of pain.

Feliway is a must, don't you agree?  I've seen that leaving the carrier out and open can also help cats to get acclimatized to their carriers and some even enjoy napping in them! 

One of my cats loves sleeping in the carrier. In fact, I have to unceremoniously dump him out to put in whatever cat needs it at that time.
I'm glad you found out about his teeth. Poor boy.