At Wayward Whiskers, we believe that EVERY cat deserves a chance at a happy life, even if they may have special needs. We have a special place in our hearts for the cats that are FIV positive. This page is dedicated to those wonderful, special kitties that may need a little bit of extra care and attention, but provide a lot of love. We are fierce advocates for FIV cats and our goal is to stop the unnecessary euthanization of cats just because they are positive for FIV. FIV is not the death sentence it was once thought to be. FIV positive cats can live with FIV negative cats as long as they get along and don't fight with each other. FIV cats can live long and happy lives.
At the end of October 2018 we remodeled our FIV+ sanctuary. We painted the walls and ceiling, added new shelves and cat towers, and sealed the concrete floor with a polyurethane seal to make cleaning much easier. The cats love all the space and enjoy the new cat towers! Check out the photos of them below. Thank you to all of the volunteers and donors that helped make this happen!
Read the article the founder of Wayward Whiskers wrote about special needs cats.
Wicket was the first kitty in the WWCR FIV ward, before we even really knew what FIV was! We rescued him in December of 2012. He was dumped in a shopping center and had been surviving on his own for quite some time. His face was full of scar tissue from being in so many fights and trying to take care of himself. This gave him an independent streak, but he still loved to be around people.
Wicket found an absolutely perfect home for him and lived with a wonderful family and a small dog that he loved to intimidate, since he was almost as big as the dog! Sadly in 2017, Wicket succumbed to his FIV surrounded by his loving family.
Our hope for Wicket's legacy is that the other FIV positive kitties with Wayward Whiskers can also find their perfect forever home and be as loved as Wicket was. Rest well, Wicket.
Lionheart lived up to his name. He must have suffered greatly when he was roaming the streets, because not only was he FIV positive, but he had so many ear infections that his ears were permanently deformed. Despite all he went through, Lionheart was a sweet teddy bear who loved to lay on the warm clothes dryer or curl up on my chest. He ruled the FIV ward with a gentle paw. He found his forever home at Wayward Whiskers, and passed away from cancer at the age of 13 in 2017.
Lionheart was so special that Catster Magazine did an article on him! A Cat Called Lionheart: Hear This Rescue Kitty Roar.
We miss Lionheart, he truly had the heart of a lion.
Buddy was found by our board chair near the Missions in San Antonio. He had a severe injury to his ear, some chipped teeth, a tear or two on his good ear, goopy eyes and raging hormones. The abcess was repaired and he was neutered. During surgery it was found that he had a non-descending testicle, so that had to be removed. He has a nice big scar to show for it. He's about 8 pounds and looks like a typical Garfield Tom Cat. He was estimated to be about 10 years old.
Buddy tested positive for FIV, which could have been a false positive if he had been vaccinated before. FIV is not a death sentence. Buddy was adopted by his finder and sadly passed away from cancer in 2015. He was truly an ambassador for Wayward's FIV cats and we miss him all the time.