Headbuts

Human beings are drawn to cats because they are all we are not - self contained, elegant in everything they do, relaxed, assured.

Welcome to Leigh's Space, a space for me to jot down my innermost thoughts, ramblings and personal experiences of FIV. When I adopted Alfie and in turn Frankie, I knew relatively little about FIV. I am more knowledgeable now but I am also very happy to say that I am blessed with three very happy healthy cats and most of this knowledge remains second-hand. I started alfie-cat.co.uk to help raise awareness and understanding of FIV and to show how loving and fun-lovingly normal FIV cats can be. Although a lot of the contents of this web site focus on the light-hearted side of life portrayed through pictures and anecdotes of my cats as I firmly believe that humour is a very valuable tool in life's toolbox, I wanted a more serious space where I could share my thoughts on FIV.

Firstly I'd like to say that FIV isn't in any way a humourous subject, it is an illness just like many others. The way I care to think about it is that any illness or injury can be life-threatening given the wrong circumstances. One could cut oneself and develop blood-poisoning if not careful and FIV is , to me, just the same, a cat with FIV could catch some other infection which their compromised immune system cannot protect them against and it is this that one has to be constantly on guard against. Keeping FIV cats indoors and free from the risk of infection and transmission to other cats is no different or less sensible than putting a sticky plaster on a cut.

I think the most important questions I asked myself when I was thinking of adopting an FIV cat were "How long do FIV cats live?", "What should I do to protect my cat from catching a further illness?", "Could I afford to look after my cat(s) if and when they became sick?", "Could I stand the heartache of loosing my cat to an FIV-related illness?". These are the answers that I have found from my experience, "Keep the cat/s free from infection by keeping them indoors and importantly provide them with lots of opportunities for physical exercise and mental stimulus", "I wouldn't have even thought about adopting a pet, with or without FIV, if I couldn't afford to provide for their every need healthcare-wise or otherwise an important consideration as one cannot get pet health insurance for FIV cats ", "Loosing any loved one is a very painful experience and so often FIV cats are put to sleep because of the ignorance and misunderstanding surrounding the disease, that fact causes me much heartache and however long my cats live, and they could live as long as any other cat, they would have been dearly loved and provided for and the joy they bring me every day more than outweighs the risk of future heartache". As the old saying goes "far better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".

Concerning health matters I haven't experienced many causes for concern as the boys are still young. Alfie did have a few bouts of conjunctivitis caused I'm told when the charity's vet gave him the "live" version of the cat-flu injection rather than the "dead" variety. I took him to the vets and they administered eye drops and it is now many months since his last episode. He has once had a cold which cleared up after he had an extended treatment of anti-biotics and his appetite never disappeared throughout. Frankie has been absolutely fine and never had anything wrong with him and the same is true of Suzie my non-FIV cat. On the subject of mixing FIV and non-FIV cats and the associated risk I think this largely depends on the cat's temperament and has to be assessed on an individual basis. In my case Suzie is an elderly cat and the boys largely leave her alone and none of my cats are aggressive therefore the only slight risk is the sharing of water bowls which isn't really an issue as they tend to use their own bowls in different rooms. The only preparation that I am currently using is a product called "Plaque-Off" a little of which I add to their wet food once a day as FIV cats can suffer from "pongy" breath and teeth and gum problems, this substance is very economical and a pot of it lasts me a long time.

I said to Alfie yesterday evening whilst he was sprawled out on my lap purring loudly, "Isn't the internet an incredible thing?, someone, somewhere in the world, might at this very moment be looking at this website, reading about you and Frankie and considering adopting an FIV cat", and he looked at me with his big green eyes and he said "you aint seen nothing yet, bbbb...baby you just aint seen nothing yet, here's something, that your never gonna forget". He then headbutted me with such gusto that it nearly dislocated my jaw. I didn't see that one coming.

Finally, for the time being, I'll leave it there and I urge you to find out for yourself about FIV, weigh up all the facts and hopefully decide to give a loving home to an FIV cat.

Recently I've been devoting my time and labours to developing my Letterbox animation. This really started as a small idea to promote FIV cats through an imaginary Heavy Rock Band called "Letterbox". Like most projects I have been involved in the animation grew and grew in length and content and I hope that it helps to draw attention to FIV cats. As far as I'm concerned it is a legitimate and fun "vehicle" to raise the profile of FIV. I have recently further developed the idea by designing a range of T.Shirts featuring scenes from the animation and artwork from the band's new (imaginary) album "Tabby Road" and single "Suzie in the Sky with Diamonds".The idea behind this is a serious one to help raise money for chosen UK cat charities and is a 100% non-profit making project where £8.50 goes to charity for ever T.Shirt sold. I am trying to turn my dubious design talents and vivid imagination to good effect in the interests of a cause that is close to my heart.

On the morning of Saturday the 9th of August 2008 I took Suzie to the vets as she has been having bouts of vomiting and they diagnosed that she has a "growth" in her intestine, by "growth" they of course mean a cancer. As they assured me that she is in no pain at present and is otherwise in good health I agreed that the best course of action considering her age would be to give her a steriod injection every four to six weeks and I have changed her food to a soft pate variety. I know that we cannot cure her illness but at present she does have a good "quality of life" and I shall constantly review the situation as her illness progresses. I am greatly encouraged by the fact that the steroid injection has really perked up her appetite, she is thoroughly enjoying her new food and the sickness has ceased. None of us knows how long we've got in this life but Suzie will have the best care that is possible and I shall help her to enjoy her remaining time with the dignity that she so richly deserves. We'll keep fighting this insidious disease as long as we can.

I am delighted to inform you that Suzie is continuing to respond extremely well to her cancer treatment. I spoke to the vet a while back and we agreed, so as to reduce the stress of visits to the vet, that I could continue her steroid treatment by giving her one steroid tablet a day which I have been crushing up into a fine powder and adding to her wet food. Recently she has gone off of the Petit Pate food in favour of regular cat food. I discovered a while back that the trick was to mash it up thoroughly with a fork into a sort of paste-like consistency so that it would pass through her easily and, along with the steroid tablet which reduces inflammation around the growth and helps to stimulate her appetite, this works very well and she hasn't been sick once since I started her on this new regime. Her appetite is great and she is currently enjoying two pouches of cat food a day, one of a night with the tablet added and one of a daytime without medication added and she seems very contented. I am absolutely thrilled at how well she has responded, what a little fighter she is.

We will scatter Suzie's ashes in the garden of my mother's nursing home on the morning of Saturday the 8th of November 2008. I wrote a short poem for the occasion to celebrate her rich and long life. I have just taken delivery of a nice engraved stake which contains a few verses from the poem which we shall place in the ground at the spot where we shall sprinkle Suzie's ashes. The company that supplied it http://www.keepstakes.co.uk/ provided excellent service and did it for me within 24 hours.

and another Alfie picture taken hand-held with macro setting in available light.

Why should you consider adopting an FIV+ Cat?.

From my perspective I guess the question might be better phrased the other way around, why shouldn't you consider adopting an FIV+ cat?. Any pet lover would surely admit that they love their pets whatever their appearance, whatever their handycaps, whatever their state of health etc. and I don't feel in any way different. Frankie has a cauliflower ear and Alfie has lost one of his canine teeth and suffers occasionally from conjunctivitis and both contracted Feline Immunodeficiency Virus before I adopted them. Do I love them less because of these idiosyncrasies?, do I hell!. Both of them are happy, faithful companions and great fun. I'm far from being a prime specimen myself, I have had a broken nose since a childhood accident, I have lost a tooth later in life through another accident and, as the years advance, I neither have perfect hearing nor eyesight the latter not being aided by having scratched the corneas of both eyes in separate accidents. I like to think that my friends and acquaintances like me because of my personality and don't pay any heed to my physical flaws and so it is with my relationship with Alfie and Frankie. If I hadn't adopted Alfie and Frankie then, not only would they have most likely not found homes and quite probably been put to sleep but also we would have missed out on all the days of joy and fun that it has been my pleasure to enjoy with them for the last 2 1/2 years and, finally, have a look at the latest pictures of the boys shown above, do they look any different and less healthy that non-FIV cats?!.

Sincerely,

November 2008

New Pictures January 2009.

New year, new pics of Alfie and Frankie. I hope you all had a very happy Christmas and wishing you all a somewhat belated happy New Year. I've been a bit busy of late but finally managed to find some time to update the website with some new pictures of the boys taken recently. First up, a picture of Alfie with his cat grass, he just loves the stuff and can't get enough of it. Next a picture of Frankie asleep on his favourite cardboard scratch pad (note that it's extra wide) :), then a picture of Alfie looking his cutest, Alfie and Frankie together on the bed, they really love each others' company and Alfie inspecting the Letterbox charity T.Shirt artwork (with apologies to Spinal Tap) and lastly, the boys snuggled up on the bed together.

Now for some exciting news. My "Letterbox" feline rock band animation entry in the Marillion online video contest was awarded a prize for finishing in the top ten most viewed entries the proceeds of which going into the boy's veterinary contingency fund. A huge thank you to all of you who viewed the video and publicised it to friends and family.I am also thrilled to announce that I have written an article based on my experiences of my FIV cats, Alfie and Frankie, for publication in the March edition of Your Cat Magazine, on sale from mid-February.

Lastly, Frankie's very much an "I know what I like and I like what I know" kind of cat when it comes to routine. A while back, right out of the blue and to my great delight, he suddenly decided to use the large cardboard scratch pads after 18 months of scratching one of my rugs. Recently he's finally realised that it can be great fun to jump up on the bed for a stroke and then settle down on the bed for the night rather than retire to the settee as he'd been doing for more than two years, aren't they strange creatures?. I love Frankie, he's such a gentle soul, a little on the slow side when it comes to changing his ways but once he gets the plot there's no stopping him.

Sincerely,

January 2009

News February 2009.

Hi folks,

They say a picture is worth a thousand words well here's the picture that I've been waiting to take. Earlier today I received my copy of the March 2009 Your Cat magazine on sale in the shops from the 14th of February featuring our article on FIV. I really sincerely hope it helps to spread the word about FIV cats and my thanks go to Your Cat editor Sue Parslow for granting me this opportunity to draw further attention to FIV.

As I mentioned in the article, adopting Alfie and Frankie have had a very positive (and fun) impact on my life, they really have changed it for the better, adopting them has been one of the best things every to have happened to me. Recently I have been working hard to spruce up and update this website and I'd love to hear from you if you have, or are thinking of adopting an FIV cat. A big thank you to my friends on Purrs In Our Hearts and CatChat forums (links on my homepage), many of whom have FIV cats, for their support and encouragement. Another happy consequence of adopting the cats is that it has brought me into contact with a community of loving, compassionate and humane folk who care, as I care, about the welfare and happiness of animals. I think that I have reached a time in my life and become a bit of a "grumpy old man" where the news more often seems bad than good and there often seems so much wrong, unjust, cruel or downright daft out there in the world but, through my contact with animal lovers; and the work of animal rescue groups, such as those from whom I adopted Alfie and Frankie, I am constantly reminded that there is so much that is good in human nature but sometimes you just have to look for it.

Sincerely,

February 2009

News March 2009.

Hi folks,

Apologies for not posting over the last two weeks but I have just moved house and have been without an internet connection. I am happy and relieved that the boys are so enjoying their new home and are settling in brilliantly and it's been a tremendous fun watching their antics. Alfie has had such fun exploring every square inch of his new home, he's been under, on top of, inside and through everywhere, here's a few pictures of the boys in our new home. Alfie inside a laundry basket on top of a kitchen cabinet with his head touching an 8ft ceiling!, Frankie "chilling" by the bedroom windows, Alfie enjoying his new view out of the living room windows, the boys in the bedroom, Frankie "crashed out" on top of an armchair, Frankie looking more alert :), Alfie munching on cat grass with Frankie looking totally disinterested and lastly, Alfie in the kitchen with his "what mischief can I get into next" look written all over his face :).

A slightly belated but sincerely warm welcome to Your Cat Magazine readers. I hope that our article on Living With FIV cats in the current edition of the magazine has been of interest.

Sincerely,

March 2009

News April 2009.

Hi folks,

This month has been all about continuing to get our new home straight after last month's move. I am really delighted with the way that the boys have settled into their new home as can be seen below.

As you can see it didn't take them long to find all the choice spots for a nice comfy nap, "location, location, location!" :) and they love to sit a look out of the windows. Earlier this week we celebrated the second anniversary of Alfie's adoption as well as Frankie's sixth birthday, I just don't know where the last three years have gone, what I do know is that we've had so much fun. The boys both enjoyed their treats and had a really nice day, especially as I have been taking a short leave from work to further work on getting the new place together and rest my aching body after the rigors of the move.

Lately I've just finished reading a really funny and touching book, "Under the Paw - Confessions Of a Cat Man" by UK author Tom Cox. As another self-confessed "Cat Man" I can readily identify and empathize with much that he has written and I'd thoroughly recommend it as a thoroughly enjoyable read. I have added a link on the home page to Tom's "Little Cat Diaries" web blog and here's a link to the book on Amazon UK which contains a short passage from the book.

I am delighted with the interest in FIV that my recent article in Your Cat magazine has helped to generate and thank you all for your e-mails and guestbook entries. I am seeking permission to re-produce the article here on the website in the fullness of time.

Kind Regards,

April 2009

News May 2009.

Dear all,

Very very busy at the moment with a number of projects so I only have time for a quick update. The boys are very well and settled into their new home. Frankie has, after 2 1/2 years suddenly developed a taste for cat grass despite watching Alfie nibble away several times a day for the last couple of years. Frankie sometimes seems like he's "not the sharpest tool in the box" but he's so bumbly and loveable and he gets there in the end! :). Alfie is still finding ever more ingenious ways of waking me when it is breakfast time including nibbling my head/hair/beard, headbutting me, sitting/laying on my chest, running accross the bed atc. etc. Frankie gets my attention when i am using the PC and he wants a lap he stands in front of the monitor making it impossible to see anything :).

I love seeing where you all come from and it's great fun seeing how many overseas visitors there are to the website, hope you enjoyed your stay.

More news as soon as time permits,

Kind Regards,

May 2009

The "girl with the sun in her eyes" is back.

After loosing Suzie last year I commisioned a very talented artist friend of mine to paint a portrait to remember her by and to celebrate her long and loving life. I am so thrilled as it she has produced such a beautiful painting which I am proud to share with you. When I first saw the proof it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as it's so lifelike. Thank you Gillian you're a "Star".

Suzie Portrait

Gillian Harvey Pet Portraits Website - http://felineportraits.blogspot.com/

Kind Regards,

May 2009

News Update November 2009.

Dear Folks,

Where did Summer go?. I have had a very busy year settling into my new flat etc.. It has been a momentous year in which I celebrated my 50th Birthday, got engaged and sadly my mother passed away but not before she was present at my birthday celebrations and shared in the joy of my engagement. Alfie and Frankie are both very well and happy and have fully settled into their new home.

Your Cat March 2009 edition "Living With FIV" Article.
Reproduced with the kind permission of Your Cat Magazine.

Your Cat Article

Kind Regards,

November 2009

"As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human kind." - Cleveland Amory