A Special Story About A Special Cat

Written by Amber Le

As we frequently see many cats find their special homes, one of our most heartfelt stories is about Wendy (now known as Winnie). Wendy pretty much had the whole package: exotic looks, a loving nature, and her overall positive presence. However, it was a bit hard for her to be adopted. She has a condition called feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) which severely weakens her immune system. FIV is only contagious through deep bite wounds and cats with this condition tend to live long, healthy lives. Wendy’s charm and affectionate behavior usually caught people’s eye but potential adopters would usually worry about her health. As a result, she remained at the shelter for a while. As the days went by we didn’t know when her special someone was going to show up. 

One day, we received a call from her future adopter. She reached out to us and was looking for an adult cat that would get along with her other 3. As she had adopted these 3 cats from us previously, we suspected that something amazing was about to happen. As she met Wendy during a virtual tour, she instantly fell in love with her. Not only did she have an instant connection with her, one of her cats at home also has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It seemed like fate at this point! Almost immediately, Wendy went on her way to her forever home. Today, Winnie is living happily with her lovely owner as well as her 3 other siblings.

Epilogue

FIV doesn’t determine a cat to be terminally ill, but unfortunately social stigmas on FIV can determine a cat’s adoptability from a shelter. While those of us cat savvy individuals understand that FIV is extremely manageable, most of the public is uninformed and is bound to make critical decisions without research. Therefore it is important to educate as many people as possible on the vast misinformation about cats and cat illnesses that keep cats like Wendy from their fur-ever homes.

Edited by Alexis Meehan & Jose Parra