Are you looking for a sweet friend? Rudy, born in April 2010, is a shorthaired domestic adult male feline currently located at the North Toronto Cat Rescue in Ontario, Canada. Rudy does have special needs, so he is looking for the right human to go home with.
Rudy was found - abandoned - in the Richmond Hill area. "He was in poor shape, was very beat up, tattered and worn," the shelter wrote on Petfinder. "He was taken to the vet and received (medical) attention for the usual issues a cat faces when living on the streets. On his road to recovery, Rudy was found to be front declawed and tested positive for F.I.V. - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. He is now otherwise healthy - a friendly, happy go lucky guy who is just happy to safe! Rudy has a heart of gold with a gentle, sweet and loving nature (and) just wants to be loved! He is excellent with other cats and (he) would make a wonderful companion to anyone who willing to show him love."
While it is sometimes recommended to re-home a cat with F.I.V. to a home with no other cats, North Toronto Cat Shelter noted on their website that F.I.V. is difficult to transmit between cats and said that 85 percent of cats develop their own immunity to F.I.V. as they get older. Kittens between the ages of six weeks and 16 weeks are the most at risk. "It should be remembered that the virus is actually very difficult to be passed on to other adult cats if simple precautions are followed e.g. separate feeding dishes, regular cleaning of litter, etc.," wrote the shelter.
F.I.V. is not transmittable to humans. Cats become infected during fetal development, while nursing from an F.I.V.-infected mother or from the saliva of an infected cat (for example, during grooming or through shared water bowls), according to VetStreet. F.I.V.-infected cats can live out a normal life span, but due to their compromised immunity, they should be indoor cats as their wounds will not heal quickly and could become infected, facing further complications.
If you are interested in giving a home to Rudy, but have other cats at home, talk to your veterinarian first. Your vet could run a blood test to check your cat's immunity to F.I.V.
If you adopt Rudy, or another HNGN featured rescue pet, be sure to tell us your story! Send photos and anecdotes to k.aquilina@hngn.com. We love happy endings and you and your pet could be featured on Headlines and Global News' Pets Happy Zone!
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