Beautiful young mom cat Anya was an outside homeless girl until she wisely zipped into someone’s house while the door was open and hid under the bed until her 5 babies were born. She’s been a deeply loving, gentle, and nurturing mom but hasn’t had too much opportunity to be nurtured herself. She will let you pick her up, and she loves to be petted, but is still learning to stay for long or settle in your lap. Rubbing against your legs and sharing a bold and lovely purr are grateful signs of her sweet progress. A quiet, predictable environment where she will continue to trust gentle people will be best for this beautiful sweetheart.

FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) is a widely misunderstood condition. Many people think that it’s easily spread, makes cats very sick, and that they have a lower life expectancy, so they are not often adopted. This is far from the truth!

When a cat tests positive for FIV, it means they either carry the virus or have been vaccinated for it at some point (which causes them to test positive for the disease, which is why this vaccination isn’t recommended, among other reasons). FIV is not spread through casual contact such as shared food/water/litter, mutual grooming, or playing. It is most commonly spread through deep, vicious bite wounds typically inflicted by intact toms fighting on the streets over food, females, or territory. If a cat has been spayed or neutered, they are unlikely to fight in this manner, and if the population is stable (no serious fighting), FIV+ cats can live with non-infected cats. (It was previously thought that FIV+ pregnant queens could pass the virus to their kittens, but this has since been disproved according to one study.

FIV+ cats can live as long and healthy a life as non-infected cats. This doesn’t mean they will never become ill; they are, after all immunocompromised, so illnesses can be easier to catch and harder to fight off. They have the same needs as any other cat: high quality food, a clean, stress-free, strictly indoor environment, regular veterinary visits (two times per year), and lots of love!