Test Before Investing Love in Cats

by Joya DiStefano

One lunch hour, an elderly couple brought a lovely young cat to the County Shelter.  She had been dumped on their property and the woman had “been giving her a few scraps.”  When they realized the cat was pregnant, with heavy hearts they brought her in. The shelter was closed.

A FOTAS volunteer offered a county crate, intending to surrender the cat when staff reappeared. She lifted the delicate, pewter-gray cat, the cat purred, touched her heart, and went, instead, to the SPCA Albrecht Center clinic to be “combo-tested” for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). 

The test was negative; the cat charmed the SPCA staff, went home with the FOTAS volunteer and that night bore six kittens in a walk-in closet.  In a couple of weeks, six lovely, healthy kittens will be available for adoption to loving homes.

If the test were positive for either virus, the FOTAS volunteer would have had the cat euthanized. Why?  Because a cat carrying either virus will eventually (a few months or few years) have its immune system severely compromised, get deathly sick, likely run up huge vet bills and die a horrible death.  It will contaminate its offspring, and any other cat that it eats with, plays with, spits on, fights with, or shares a litter box or turf with.  FeLV one of the most commonly diagnosed causes of disease and death in domestic cats.  FIV’s ravages are usually felt later in life, but that does not make the financial or emotional damage any easier to bear.

All over Aiken County people are taking pity on cats that show up at their door and “giving them scraps,” or buying 20-pound bags of cat food.  Next they have a “community cat colony” out of control, and quite possibly some, or all, of those cats are carrying one of these lethal viruses.

Smart, independent, affectionate and entertaining, cats make fabulous additions to any household.  They are fairly easy to maintain, don’t eat a lot, don’t make much noise and do not need to be walked.

On the other hand, cats can react badly to overcrowding, sharing litter pans, or boredom.  Like all sentient beings, they need mental stimulation and physical exercise, or they may present avoidable behavior and health issues.

Unwanted litters are everywhere.  The lucky ones end up in a shelter, or a local vet’s office, where they are tested, the healthy ones vaccinated, adopted, spayed or neutered.  These are highly recommended as places to go to adopt a cat. For a nominal fee, you get a healthy animal that is not going to reproduce or spread illness to the community or other pets.

At times, like the gray mama cat, our next pet finds us unbidden.  Please, if you rescue cats, kittens, or support a cat colony, get them tested, spayed and neutered.  FOTAS can help.  Call the Lenny’s Brigade hotline (803) 507-6315, and we will help you find the best options and resources for our feline friends.  Please test before you invest your love.

Retired organizational problem-solver and radical educator, Joya is an artist, Servant Leader, and co-founder of FOTAS, Inc.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

August 12^th thru 18^th 2013

Received:       39 dogs and 34 cats

Adopted:         7 dogs and 5 cats

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

HERBERT

ALBERT

HERBERT and ALBERT -  Neutered, declawed and very best friends.  They would like to remain together, if possible. $70 for the pair. 

*All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.