We watched from the window as a little blur of grey and white fuzz scurried across the yard and into the old dairy barn. The next time we saw him he was climbing on top of the cat enclosure - his long, furry tail was securely attached to his back with a bouquet of burrs! The poor cat was trying his best to find a way into the enclosure.

Zane, as he was later named, started showing up around “feeding time”. The day finally came, as he was gobbling down some food, when we were able to reach out and gently stroke the grey cat’s fur.  Then came the rumble of purrs and Zane started doing the “kitty-cat worm” dance (weaving around our legs and head butting us). After a trip to the vet it was discovered that Zane tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). FIV is a condition in cats that compromises the immune system and can make cats more susceptible to infections and other diseases.  But Zane showed no signs of being sick, and he taught us and others that testing positive for FIV should not be a “death sentence” for cats. Soon after Zane settled in we rescued another FIV positive cat we named, Clover. A local man had driven up and told us he was going to shoot the cat if we didn’t take her. Well as you can imagine, that didn’t go over very well with us, and we proceeded to explain to the man just how we felt about his statement and then sent him on his way. We then took poor Clover to the vet where we discovered that she too was FIV positive. It took some time, but Clover and Zane eventually became good roommates.

Zane continued to thrive here at the sanctuary, and his lucky day came when Sue spotted him online.  Sue and Josh had been working on finding a feline friend for their newly adopted FIV cat, Rico. Zane looked like the perfect match – in fact, he looked just like Rico! Today Zane and Rico are both healthy, playful and the best of buddies. Thanks to Sue and Josh for opening their home to these special cats, and thanks to all of you for making it possible to help special needs animals like Zane and Clover! And in case you were wondering…sweet Clover is still looking for her forever home.