'Silver lining' for FIV cat George ...
03 October 2016
Angela Martin, a retired civil servant who lives in Mere Green, describes Silver - the FIV cat she recently adopted - as ‘Friendly, Inquisitive and Valuable’ and says she ‘wouldn’t be without him for the world’ – which is, of course, meowsic to the ears of CPs welfare team and fosterers.
Now named George, he really must be one of the luckiest cats alive. He was rescued from a multicat household and, although a relative youngster – 2 or 3 years of age – he blood-tested positive for FIV. The good news was that he could well live as long, happy and healthy a life as any other cat, but the worry was the homing team might not find him the right adopter, willing to take on board a cat with an impaired immune system – and lots of long grey fluffy fur to brush every day! Plus his idea of a kiss and a greeting was more of a hiss and a scowl!
But he was popped on the website under his CP name of Silver, and amazingly the purr-fect adopter – Angela – came forward. And his Erdington fosterer Jenny could not have been more delighted. Says Jenny: “Angela had researched FIV, spoken with Petplan about him and negotiated a policy, bought CP-recommended cat care books from the Internet, found herself a vet with an interest in FIV, and has now kitted her flat out with all manner of enriching items. And in the fullness of time she plans to take him out on a harness to enjoy the communal gardens of the sheltered housing unit where she lives. I’ve visited him in his new abode several times and I can report that ‘Mum and boy George’ are doing just fine.”
Angela, of course, feels that really she is the lucky one. Residents in the complex are allowed a pet – in fact two – and she had been wondering whether to go for a Jack Russell or a cat – when she saw ‘Silver’ on the North Birmingham Branch website.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at Cats Protection North Birmingham from the lovely Anne who came to do a home visit and to Jenny-the-gem who fostered him so well and entrusted him to my care. He was known as Silver and is slowly getting used to George. He is such an affectionate boy – a bit wary but when he does come out from behind the sofa he demands constant fuss and attention. I hope we will have many happy years together.
“It’s a sheer delight to watch him getting more adventurous every day especially with him being FIV positive. Many cat rescues would perhaps not have put so much love, effort and money into giving him a chance in life with his condition. I wouldn’t be without him for the world. He is the silver-lining to my life.”
Volunteers Richard Brown and Sheila Pennell visited Angela on her 60th birthday to take some photos of the happy pair, and have to admit George ‘wasn’t quite as co-operative as they’d have liked!”
“But, says Sheila, “once we knew his hiss was really a kiss, and he’d ‘killed off’ three of his toys in succession – a cheetah, a tiger and a giraffe – we managed to snap him for posterity. It was lovely to see a council-run sheltered housing scheme that welcomes pets. We wish there were more and are sure there will be when it’s fully understood how good pets are for human happiness."