URGENT: Help needed for FIV+ cats.

[Liz]

Ferals can and will adapt in fact all our wild ones use the grit box and have their own space - yes I have a large house but had 37 in a smaller house so the extra's really don't show up in this house

I have ferals who have lived outside all their lives in grim conditions who have since coming to us last May 08 have blossomed and have never looked to go back out in fact the sight of them all curled up on fluffy beds is worth the wait - we gave Blue the option to leave instead he went on top of the wardrobe next to the open window and wouldn't come down till we shut the window - he is now on month 15 of being in and is a happy soul, Indie and sammy both indoors for 3 months do not look to go out in fact Master Sammy is currently curled up on the cat room bed with the electric blanket on looking so snug and warm - Indie is next to him with Jet and Turbo the kittens

If you have time and a lot of love even the wildest feal will adapt to their new location - we moved some of our nasty mob 3 years ago - all went in the mass breakout and let themselves be trapped to come back in - this included Ace who is totally unhandlable but came back in once his charges were trapped and his Mum was on the inside so he let himself be trapped - haven't beent hat close since but he loves the laser pen and is food orientated and has best friends in Blue and Luna

I also have ferals who have indoor/outdoor access but all are in a night takes a bit of rounding up and they have their little quirks - one door or window - light on/off, nobody looking at them when they come in etc but all have earned their privilages - next to join the other side of the door crew will be Lynx he is so sweet now - he is 4 and we have worked with him and he adores Bailey the domestic hooligan!

We also have a domestic with every age of ferals which has helped or the ferals latch on to one of us and change can be rapid or very slow - we work hard to keep our ferals active and give them all sorts to do - in fact currently the newest toys are Maya and Aztec who now leave the bathroom in the evening for playtime  and meeting the rest of the others - all my ferals are outcold as we chucked in an extra hours playtime before Aztec and Maya went back to their quraters for food and they are sleeping to!

[moira]

How terribly sad. 8 weeks is far too young for any test to be reliable and it needs to be done at Glasgow for definitive result anyway. Hopefully Robina will be able to help, she has a lot of experience rehoming FIVs (I have one of hers). I know many people will disagree with me, but I feel strongly that the answer with ferals is TNR and not PTS. The kittens would surely be young enough to socialise and rehome.

[Hippykitty]

Hi, Milly's Mum, she was thinking more in terms of them being only cats, rather than confined in a room away from other cats. Fred and Vic, true ex-ferals,  hardly ever go out as they have a tendency to wander; even Sam, an ex-stray who's been with me for a long time, went walkies for 24hrs - I suspect she was looking for Polly, who has passed on - so I keep them in more than I usually would. It doesn't seem to bother them at all. They have the run of the house.

The only other option, which she is considering, is to leave them as feral, to TNR the kits when old enough and mum as soon as kits are weaned.

[Millys Mum]

Im not sure i think keeping a truely feral cat indoors in a normal home situation fair  im sure liz will post but not many people are fortunate enough to have lots of rooms and a wing of a house for cats alone. I wish!
The kits are young enough to socialise but would mum actually be happy if that was her lot, its a hard situation.

[Hippykitty]

I just called that number and enquired about their policy. The woman on the phone said that they couldn't rehome an fiv feral cat, so I asked if they'd pts. She said she didn't know as they'd not been in that position before and it would be up to the manager. She waffled on about the 'unhomability' of feral cats (!!) - I have two, one was really vicious originally, he's a big baby now, I've also successfully rehomed several - and said that if it was also fiv+ no one would take it on, especially as it's difficult to rehome domestic healthy cats at the moment.

Just thought I'd bring you up to speed. It was worth a try.

I gave Rebekah, the friend who has the ferals near her, Robina's number last night. Keeping fingers crossed. She feels so guilty about what happened to the other kitten, as though she killed it. 

[Hippykitty]

MooCat, thanks for the help, but I've had contact with South B'ham CP before and know that the pts FIV feral cats. They may have changed their policy. I was last in touch with them about a year ago. I know that there policy varies throughout the UK.

Will give them a ring and ask.

Thanks.

[Janeyk]

Hope that someone can help you  xx

[Desley (booktigger)]

Fingers crossed you can find somewhere for them

[MooCat]

 Cats Protection South Birmingham home Fiv cats , ive had my last 2 from them , phone number is 01564 822020

[Hippykitty]

Thanks, I'll pass that number on. It's sad that the kitten was pts, especially as in-house tests are so unreliable; unfortunately not everyone realises this, and it's hard to convince them that "the vet" is wrong.

Please keep the suggestions flowing, in case Robina is unable to help. Thank you so much.

[bonnielass]

Hi if you contact Robina  from Animal Accident Rescue Unit in nottingham  she may possibly be able to help as she has several places that are suitable for FIV+ cats
The no is  01159 321555, fingers crossed she can help

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

That is so sad as chances are the kitten only tested positive for the antibodies rather than the virus 

Hopefully someone on here can come up trumps for this mummy and her little ones xxxx

[Millys Mum]

Hi HK

The kittens may well not have FIV but testing them so young would lead to positive tests, 16 wks minimum for inhouse testing but preferably an external lab test would be better.
Is mum feral or domestic?

I hope you can find a true no kill rescue to help these guys out

[clarenmax]

I wish I had some advice to pass on, but I don't know any rescues in that area.

I hope you find a shelter to take them, the in house tests can provide so many false positives, particularly in kittens, so I pray they will be safe 

[Hippykitty]

Sorry I've not been on purrs for a while, but have been very busy.

A situation has arisen which I'm hoping someone could help or advise about.

A close friend of mine has some very young - approx 8wks - feral kittens and mother living close to her. I lent her my feral trap and she was intending to take them to a homing centre with a no-kill policy. However, she took one of the kittens to the vet at the hospital which deals with the centre. They discoved a hernia and did a snap test for FIV and the kit was positive. To my friend's dismay they put the kitten to sleep, partly because of the hernia and partly because of FIV.

She's now concerned about what to do with the other kittens and mother. She doesn't want them pts. Does anyone know of a homing centre in the midlands which is prepared to take probable FIV+ cats and rehome them as indoor only? Is there any kind Purrs rescuer who is prepared to do this please?

She's also worried that the young kittens may not survive the cold weather which is coming.

Any help or advice would be most welcome.

I have already suggested that the in-house test may not be reliable, but they are certain that it is correct.

If you can help, please contact me at catinherden@hotmail.co.uk