Mr. Debonair                                                       January

"Mr. Debonair"

FIV Positive & Positively Wonderful!

Mr. Debonair, Mr. D, D Boy, My Little Man, Fuzz Butt. By what ever you name you call him, he’s the sweetest fur ball on 4 paws that you would ever want to meet. And he is FIV Positive.

Mr. Debonair was a stray who limped in to our yard one day and planted himself under a shrub. He had made our yard part of his daily route through the neighborhood for quite some time, but had never stopped before. I had made many attempts at friendship with no success.

That day was different. He stopped for a reason. I think that he stopped at our place because he knew he needed help and he knew he would find with us. And, of course, he was correct.

His paw was twice the size it was suppose to be. He allowed me to scoop him up without any fuss and we headed for the vet’s office. While treating his infected paw we also ran all of the usual tests you would give a stray. The results came back FIV+.

I was  concerned  about  an  FIV+  cat  joining  our family. I had 3 Senior  lady  meows  and  didn’t  want  to put them at risk. Also, 3 cats  and a  dog  was  more  than  enough  for  me  to take  care of! 

I’m a full-time, professional pet sitter with hundreds of customers. You  would  think it  would  have been easy for me to find a home for one sweet, little man. Not so. I discovered that no one wants an FIV+ cat. After several months I had to acknowledge that if  Mr. D was to have a home it was going to have to be with us. 

And  boy  do  we feel lucky! D Boy  is one  of  the  sweetest, most relaxed cats I’ve ever known. And he is definitely the most respectful. He  doesn’t try to take what isn’t his. He waits his turn, which is #5 out of 5, for treats and love. It was these qualities that allowed him to stay with us.

When he gets a cut or scrape it does take longer for him to heal, but other than that he a healthy, low maintenance cat. I know he isn’t going to live as long as my senior ladies (15-20 yrs.), but he can expect to be around for a good 10 years. And we are grateful for every minute! 

So the next time you hear of an FIV positive cat in need of a home, give it some thought. I promise you won’t regret it!

Susan McIntyre

PlayTime Pet Sitters