* Morris, sweet cat rescued from pier in Brooklyn - FIV+ - Needs Loving Home *

I'm in the process of TNR'ing (trap, neuter, return) a feral cat colony at a pier in Brooklyn. One of the cats, (I call him) Morris, is NOT feral. He was obviously dumped by some heartless human. The past few months, since I've met him and started feeding him, I watched as looked progressively more depressed and unwell, with a flea infestation (which I treated with Revolution) and chronic eye infections, (which I tried to treat, whenever he would allow me to).

It was clear this cat needed a home. I was overjoyed when one of my co-workers expressed an interest in adopting him. Last Friday, I picked him up, and we tried - unsuccessfully - to get him into a cat carrier.
The plan was that the co-worker (who has another cat at home) would call me on the weekend to help me trap him and bring him to the vet. He never called and his cell phone has been disconnected.

I trapped and brought him to my vet, had him examined and neutered, and tested for feline leukemia and AIDS. Sadly, he is FIV+, so I must keep him separated from my 10 cats, until I get him a home.
Right now, he is in my basement. He has soft blankets to sleep on, a clean litter box, and plenty of fresh food and water. He's on Zithromax and L-Lysine, and I'm treating his eyes with antibiotic ointment. I go down there as much as possible to give him the affection he craves and loves. While this is not ideal, it's far better, safer, and more comfortable for him, than being down by the pier, amongst garbage, barbed wire, broken glass, and cruel teenagers who torment the animals and do terrible things to them (like catching them to use as bait for dogfighting or "trunking" - putting a small animal in a trunk with two fighting dogs to see who comes out the "winner.").

I am in the process of looking for a very compassionate human to adopt him.
He can only be in a home with other FIV+ cats or no cats.
Please pass the word around.

Thanks so much,
Rina Deych

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• cat
• rescue
• FIV+
• Feline
• Immunodeficiency
• Virus
• compassion

[nakedcowgirl]

i really admire and appreciate what you do. my 2 cats are both rescues. i was unsure of whether i would be able to take in the 2nd and i think i watched your video on constructing a shelter. after i took him in i discovered his previous 'human' had him DECLAWED. not only that, he doesn't have any upper teeth at all so he had pretty much no defense. at least he was neutered.

i see you are in Bklyn. so am i. i wondered how morris is doing, you posted this video a while ago now.

[rrrina]

@nakedcowgirl, thanks so much for your kind words. Since I took Morris in (over a year ago), I've done some research and found out that FIV is very difficult to spread, and that it's not imperative that FIV+ cats be separated from negative ones (unless they fight). Months ago, I decided to see if Morris could adapt to my household of 10 cats, a dog, an iguana, and two parrots. He is now living upstairs, with everyone else, and doing amazing well! I think he's the happiest cat on the planet!

[nakedcowgirl]

@rrrina oh how wonderful! for sure he could not have wished for a better mama. i was so relieved when Big Boy's results last wk came FIV and leukemia neg. his legal name is henry haha. he just had his last dose of eye ointment and is separated until i'm sure of fleas. i am amazed at how you manage it all. you are making a lasting difference in this overwhelmingly uncaring world.

[rrrina]

@nakedcowgirl , thank you so much. Morris is so sweet, and he gets along with everyone, except sometimes he charges at the dog because he's still afraid of her... she just retreats to her bed. Also, when the dog is playing with one of the cats, Morris sometimes jumps in to "protect" him because he (erroneously) thinks she's hurting him! And, if two cats get into a disagreement, he jumps in the middle to break it up! He's an ambassador of peace! I'm so glad your Big Boy tested negative!

[rrrina]

@nakedcowgirl , Kudos to you for taking such wonderful care of your little angels. They are very lucky to have you!

[cheesestr4wz]

Looks like he now has a very good home!

May The Lord bring many many Blessing for your powerfully kind & overflowing heart. ***** 5 STARS !

[rrrina]

He needs reverse-isolation, much like a human AIDS patient. The problem is, the cellar is no place for him. I spend as much time with him as possible, but I don't feel it's enough. He needs a really special human to treat him like a king and lavish him with affection (and be willing to treat any infection he gets aggressively, so it doesn't spiral out of control and kill him). Thank you for caring! You sound like a very loving person!

[cornerstonepets]

Thanks for the wonderful caring work that you do!

[rrrina]

Thank you for your kind words, cheesestr, but right now he's living in my cellar because I can't let him mingle with my 10 cats upstairs - not so much because of the FIV, which is difficult to contract, but because of the infections he is prone to.

[busafwine]

you are great!