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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

To take on a cat with FIV

69 replies

SamBeckett · 14/10/2019 12:47

A good friend has been feeding a stray ( yes def a stray ) for a while , with the help of a local cat rescue place they managed to trap it and get it to the vets .
It has FIV , my friend has a cat already so he can not take it .
I have been thinking of getting a cat for a few months but the ' right one ' has not come my way.
Should I adopt this one ? It will be a house cat , lone pet , no kids.
What do I need to know ?

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Original poster
SamBeckett · 01/11/2019 20:43

I honestly dont know how I feel , I had only had him since last Saturday and He had spent most of the time keeping out of my way so I did not get to know him very well.

But I wanted a cat so much

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Vinorosso74 · 01/11/2019 20:48

Sorry to ask as it's all still raw but what happened?

YesItsMeIDontCare · 01/11/2019 20:52

Oh Sam 💐. I'm so sorry. At least he knew love and warmth.

SgtFredColon · 01/11/2019 21:13

Oh no! How awful. Flowers

Original poster
SamBeckett · 02/11/2019 12:58

@Vinorosso74
I dont know what killed him , He was still trying to settle in so I dont know if his behaviour was normal or not .
He was aloof and not that interested in affection , I could stroke him for a short while but then he just walk off .

The lat time I saw him alive was before I went to work , it was 4.30 am and he was half asleep so I just put fresh food down for him and left him alone .
When I came home from work he was dead.

I still have his body and I dont know what to do with it , I can not bury him ( no garden ) he was not registered at my own vets , I was going to do that today .
the place I got him from dont want his body back ( I thought they may want to do a autopsy )

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Original poster
SamBeckett · 02/11/2019 13:01

I have had a look on my local council website and although they do collect found dead animals I can not find out if they will pick up pets from the house they live in ( does that statement make sense ? )

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Toddlerteaplease · 02/11/2019 13:06

So sorry. Take him to the vet and explain the situation. They will be able to deal with it.

Original poster
SamBeckett · 02/11/2019 17:20

@Toddlerteaplease , thank you for your advice .
I took him to the local vets , they are going to cremate him and scatter his ashes at a pet cemetery.

Sad
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Toddlerteaplease · 02/11/2019 17:35

I had some of my girls ashes turned into a paper weight. The rest of her is still in a box in my cupboard. I'm sure he knew he was loved OP.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 02/11/2019 17:40

I'm so very sorry.

I agree with Toddler, I'm sure he knew he was loved. I was adopted by a stray cat a few years ago and he moved in with my Mum. He went downhill very quickly and sadly died and I think it was because he knew he was loved and safe.

Vinorosso74 · 02/11/2019 22:05

That must have been quite a shock. I agree at least he had a home and love albeit for a short time.

Original poster
SamBeckett · 03/11/2019 16:23

Thank you all for your kind words.
@Toddlerteaplease , I have the ashes of my beloved dog and polecat sat side by side on my mantle piece along with a painting of my first Ddog I had all three of them pets for many years , both dogs were between 17 and 18 when I had to have them PTS .
It is nice to still have them around isnt it .

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Deathraystare · 03/11/2019 19:31

You can make your garden safe for FIV cats (to stop others getting in and yours getting out) any good shelter would be able to advise you on that.

Original poster
SamBeckett · 03/11/2019 20:04

@deathraystare ,
Please read the full thread Sad

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Aloe6 · 03/11/2019 23:30

So sorry and what a shock for you. I think the aloofness was probably symptomatic that something else was going on but you weren’t to know. It’s obvious you have a lot of love to give, would you consider rescuing another cat? There’s so many of them stuck in rescue needing the home and love you have to offer.

EachandEveryone · 04/11/2019 19:01

Oh, Im really sorry to read this 😟

Original poster
SamBeckett · 05/11/2019 05:38

@Aloe6 you are probably right , I wish the rescue place ( only a small place so enough time to spend with each cat and get to know it ) had paid a bit more attention to him they have had him for 2 months so I would of thought they would notice the aloofness and realised there was something wrong.

I probably will get another cat but not just yet but I realise if I leave it to close to christmas they may not want me to rehome one "as a christmas present " though obviously that is not the case.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 05/11/2019 19:03

Oh Sad I've just read through this thread then got to the post on Friday .

Poor Larry . Maybe his health had deteriorated from being stray and it was too much for him? Cats can hide illness well.

I know you didn't have him long but he died with food in his belly and a comfy place to sleep.
Much nicer end for him than being a stray in a garden.
But it still hurts Flowers

Original poster
SamBeckett · 05/11/2019 21:12

@70isaLimitNotaTarget ,
I never will know what caused his death , but I know it must of been a underlying problem ( rather than the FIV ) as it took hold so quickly .

I feel sorry for all animals tonight but strays of any kind and wild animals must be particularly scared so at least he did not have to go through that

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