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| Count: 137 foster cats/kittens fostered so far. (No new fosters on this 2002 page) | ||
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From last year... July 2001, my long term FELV+ fosters
These are not new fosters, but they have grown so much I thought they deserved updated pictures. These girls all tested positive for feline leukemia virus (FELV). I have been looking for homes where they can live out their lives, but haven't had much luck finding places for them. So they are pretty much mine! I love them dearly, but soon I will have to find a sanctuary for them so I can start fostering again. These pictures are from January, they are 6-7 months old. They have been extremely healthy so far with only a cold over Thanksgiving 2001 giving us a little scare with Liesl and Gretl.
(11/02) The time we've been dreading has begun. In late October Louisa became ill, losing the ability to move the rear half of her body. We have continued to nurse her although it is pretty certain that she will never recover. She is very happy being catered too, smelly canned food and concierge service all around for her. A few weeks later sweet little Gretl suddenly became extremely spooked for a few days. Then one afternoon I found that she too had the rear end paralysis like Louisa. Unfortunately Gretl was much more scared and upset. She had bouts of delusion, like waking nightmares. Since we knew from Louisa's progress that there was nothing to be done to make her better we didn't wait long and had her euthanized a day later. She was almost feral at that point, a far cry from the gentle sweet soul I'd loved so much. At this time Liesl and Marta appear to be doing well. I've signed the papers to make them legally mine...it is a rescue adoption, so I am expected to continue to look for homes for them, and I do plan to continue my search. May 2003: Liesl got sick repeatedly this spring, initially responding to antibiotics and treatment, but in April she stopped eating and became distant and uninterested in life (no longer playing, hugging, etc.). We decided to not pursue extraordinary measures to keep her alive and give her what we assume would have been a short unhappy time. She seemed ready to go and we didn't want to let her suffer at all. After Liesl was gone Marta was alone and got extremely lonely. She would call and cry and croon for us all the time. I was motivated to follow up on some old options that hadn't worked when I had FOUR felv cats, but that might be possible with one. I was hoping to get her back in the company of other cats (felv+ cats of course). A woman I know had compassion for Marta and is now trying to integrate her into her home with her young (1 year old) male felv cat 'Butters'. Surprisingly Butters LOVES Marta, but Marta isn't so sure about everything yet. Hopefully they will make peace soon and she can stay. It was very difficult to give her up after having her in our home for almost two years, but at the same time it's so nice to finally find a spot for at least one of the girls in a real home! Now that this adventure is over I wouldn't change a thing. I had a great time getting to know these four cats, watching them grow up and helping them on their short journeys through life. It was heartbreaking, but at the same time it was a heart healing experience. Update Summer 2010: Marta is still going strong, now a senior citizen and a marvel to us all. She's outlived Butters and her second companion Spike the cat and is now adjusting to sharing life with a dog. Her owners love her as much as anyone could (one case of my fosters being in a home that loves them as well or better than I did) and I'm so glad they were the ones to take her in. This woman has been taking in FELV cats for years and dealing with the continual losses, so Marta is a blessing beyond words in their life. |
(the thumbnails are their baby pictures, see how much they've grown!) 
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URL: http://www.artfulbadger.net/animalhouse/fost02a.htm