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My basic info
Breed
Abyssinian
Color
Gray, Blue or Silver Tabby
Age
Kitten
Sex
Male
Pet ID
–
Hair Length
short
My details
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Grayson
Born ~April 2016, Male, Blue and White Abyssinian Mix
You will notice all my photos of this boy are blurry. There is a reason for that. He may look like a movie star but he will win no awards for holding still and posing for the camera. He is a wonderful, happy, playful boy. And yes, he has all the Abys athleticism and energy. The world is his toy. He wants to explore it and climb on it and run and jump and be silly.
He was in the shelter with three other Aby kittens and a mom. Another foster took the other kittens. I have Grayson and his mom. Grayson has tested positive for FIV as has his mother. The other kittens were negative.
So we need to discuss this virus, the feline immunological virus, and its detection.
The main test for FIV detects antibodies which are the immune system’s response to the virus. Their presence indicates the presence of the virus. A FIV+ mother cat passes her antibodies in the blood she supplies her kitten. She may pass the virus thru her milk also but it is very unlikely that the virus is able to avoid the kitten’s defenses and cause the kitten to have the illness. (This is consistent with why FIV is spread thru “deep bites” only.) So when you test the kitten you are finding the mom’s antibodies, not the kitten’s, and that does not mean the kitten has FIV. You can retest the kitten when he is over 6 months and his mom’s antibodies are no longer in his blood supply. At that time all, or all but a tiny number of kittens (studies vary), will test negative.
The March 2016 issue of Catster magazine published an article spreading the news of a scientific study from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. It made two main points:
1. FIV cats could live together safely with non FIV+ cats and 2. FIV+ mothers did not pass the illness to their kittens.
It also mentioned that FIV + cats generally live long healthy lives given proper treatment – inside only homes, good vet care including dental, good quality food etc. just like other cats.
Here is the link and quotation: http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-health-vet-study-fiv-positive-cats-living-together
And here is the main quotation from the article: “Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine conducted a long-term study in cat shelters and drew two conclusions: FIV-positive cats can live with FIV-negative cats and not infect the FIV-negative cats during normal day-to-day interaction; and mother cats infected with FIV don’t pass the virus on to their kittens.”
Another good source of FIV info is from an organization called Catwork: http://www.fivcats.com/sanctuary/catwork_introduction.html
Cats are coming out of the dark ages and not only are more cat products being offered for sale, including medications, but real research is now being done on feline ailments. We are in a time of change everywhere and also in the cat world. Info about FIV on the web is quite varied as old ideas come up against new research. Someone interested in this wonderful boy, if concerned about FIV, should spend some time on the web learning about it and its likelihood in kittens to gain a better understanding than given by these few sentences here. Be careful of vets because they vary in their opinions and in their familiarity with this new research. Many shelters still automatically euthanize FIV cats. And also some shelters no longer test for FIV since they consider it misunderstood and not that important. It is not transmittable to humans or dogs. Estimates of the total cat population carrying the FIV virus run from 2 – 4%. I have read that most owners of FIV cats never know their kitties have it. The world is changing but the newer understanding of this not really dreadful disease is just taking hold.
Meanwhile this happy, play machine, Grayson, is looking for a wonderful home. Aby’s are known for their intelligence and great extroverted behaviors. They make good family cats. Grayson is cat friendly and would be fine with older gentle children. He needs to be carefully kept inside and like most kittens he is fast and will outrun any of us. I don’t know how he would be with dogs but with the proper introduction to a cat friendly dog he would probably be fine and want to play.
He eats wet and dry food and is litterbox perfect.
His foster mom is Harriet in Santa Cruz.
Contact Harriet at (831) 336-2983 or toharrietjane@comcast.net if you have questions, or send an Adoption Application. If you are unable to reach Harriet by phone or email, email us at Info@purebredsplus.org
NOTE: We prefer families with children bring them to the adoption appointment. Why? This allows interaction between the children and the cat. This helps ensure they will be a good fit for each other. A mismatch between a child and a cat is not in anyone’s best interest!
