Tommy At Home

This is a fantastic picture of Tommy with his new Dad. AND to think this lovely old cat was outside on the rocks for years. I really don’t now believe that Tommy started out life as a street cat, so it is SO brilliant that he now has a loving home and can continue to catch up on his cuddles!

Lovely Old Tommy

Tommy is definitely my save, or mine and Kerstin, Nicola & Erika’s, although he does also have to thank Pam, Jean and George for feeding him for years on the rocks.

When we found out that he had FIV (cat HIV), I was unwilling to have him put down, because I had fallen for this beautiful old bruiser and believed SO strongly that he deserved a life. I actually met Nicola and Erika for the first time when I knocked on their door to cheekily ask if they would foster him for me, because I was desperate to save him and had run out of options. Chris had, to be fair, paved the way by explaining what I am doing here with the strays, and I knew they loved animals and wanted to help.

I researched his illness and took advice. I found out that FIV (similar to human HIV) is not easy to transfer, and requires a deep penetrating bite, so as long as Tommy was kept away from other non-FIV cats he could potentially have a long, healthy life, as FIV is actually less likely to develop into aids than HIV. He was also no risk to Nicola’s little dog Joey.

We did eventually let Tommy mix with some of the other cats, including our rather nervous siamese, Keba (whom he made feel safe), as it became quickly obvious that this loving old boy wasn’t going to bite anybody, and he was very happy to have the company.

Nicola and Erika looked after him brilliantly for 6 months, I visited him most days, and Begona our vet helped us with his minor ailments. Kerstin in Germany then, after lots of effort, found him a new home, with a new friend, big Socks another FIV positive cat, and found him a flight partner to Germany so that he didn’t have to suffer the stress of the 24 hour van transport.

For now this new home is still officially a ‘foster’ one, but as Socks apparently likes him, his new Mum wanted to just adopt him in the first place, AND these are pictures of him having a man nap with his Dad, I await news soon that this will be a forever home for Tommy.

This is everything he would want. A quiet home, without too many cats, and the love and affection I think he was missing for years. At Nicola and Erika’s it was too risky for him to mix with all the baby kittens, so he didn’t get the chance to snuggle with them on the sofa. This looks just perfect for him.

I know that there are more stunning looking cats, but if we hadn’t already had my feisty cats, Mori and Saidi, and little Oscar, then I think Tommy would be our cat now. He is such a charming, lovely old boy, and I SO wish a long and happy life for him now. He is definitely one of the special ones.