Meow! My name is Buff Baby

Then last summer I noticed him on my back deck where I also have food dishes. He had been in some sort of fight. The right side of his face was ripped open and several wounds were present. I again set the trap in hopes of catching him but no luck. He did however begin to stay closer to my home. I would greet him mornings and evenings with greater regularity. He came to wait for me to bring him wet food! He never would allow me to get close and would hiss if I tried. Eventually, we came to an understanding. I could admire him from a distance but never allowed to get close.

As the cold winter days began I would leave my back door open with just he screen and he would come and visit my cats and exchange meows…still he would not come, but I was getting closer… one morning he let me touch him. This grew to where I could open the sliding door and he would lie down and allow me to pet him and he started rolling over for tummy rubs. On a particularly cold frosty evening I opened the door and kept the wet food bowl inside and we began the “now routine” of tummy rubbing and he walked into the house for the wet food…. I quietly slid the back door closed. He was inside. He didn’t notice at first… he was too hungry. But when he did he became very frightened and tried to escape by running back and forth and meowed…. I sat down and talked to him and he came over and laid down next to me. I carried him upstairs to my son’s room and made up the bed for him. Then got him a litter box along with food and water.

He did just fine. Within days I got an appointment with our vet and he was tested and vetted. To our amazement he was in very good health with the exception of an ear infection and his pads of his feet were worn and cracked and needed some care from being outdoors for so long but he was all muscle and very loving. Even the vet and technician remarked how solid he was and yet gave them no trouble at all. He was fixed and the test results came back to tell us that he had FIV. With proactive vet care, FIV does not necessarily shorten or reduce the quality of a cat's life.

As Mr. Buff Baby began to trust us and get used to having a “home” he has blossomed into a beautiful loving cat. He is still a bit shy when new people come in, but he warms up to them very quickly as he gets used to them being there. He loves to sleep with you and is forever looking for some attention. He rolls over for tummy rubs and drifts off into a blissful slumber until you move your hand and then he will try with his paws direct you to continue scratching and rubbing. He is such a wonderful loving companion I am sure that someone will be looking for an easy going mature adult who just wants your share his love with you!

Although Buff Baby has tested positive for FIV, it is possible for him to lead a perfectly normal life as long as he is not exposed to diseases that his immune system can't handle.