the sad tale of henry

[notgoblin]

Henry is a black shorthaired neutered male cat currently residing in a box in the oilshed of my parents' house in Somerset. We think we first spotted him hanging around last winter but it only became evident a couple of months ago that he was homeless, so we started feeding him. He was so friendly that we knew he couldn't always have been a stray,

Comments

[necaris]

Sorry :-( I'm not really in any position to house or care for a cat :-(

[samstress]

awww - I have a cat called henry with cat AIDS too! :)

opinions differ on whether it's really a problem. The shelter we got him from didn't think he should have to be kept indoors, so we don't. Very little research seems to have been done, and it's not clear how much life expectancy is reduced - if at all. It may well be the case that a lot of cats have FIV and their owners never realise.

[notgoblin]

How weird! The name was completely random, he just seemed like a Henry. I don't suppose yours wants company?

Yeah, I read something similar online about FIV not being all that easy for cats to pass on, or even particularly life-limiting, but the vet seemed to think it was a massive deal and that he should be completely isolated from other cats unless they were also FIV+. Anyway he's neutered and very placid so the chances of him getting into a fight are slim, and he doesn't really seem the type for sharing needles or having risky sex...

[caravela]

Awww. That's so sad. I would love a friendly cat and really wish I could help, but until I've settled somewhere permanently I suspect taking on a cat probably isn't the most sensible idea. Plus I still have to work Bill round to the idea of a cat which I think will take a while. I'll think about whether I know anyone though.