[Vision2020] Caturday (April 3, 2021.)

[Tom Hansen]

 "I think he knew that he was home and was just so happy." Welcome to Caturday.

Courtesy of the York Daily Register at:

https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2021/04/01/after-six-years-shelter-cat-fiv-forever-home-krause-animal-foundation-york-county/7060697002/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

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After six years in shelter, Pennsylvania cat with special needs finds his forever home

A ginger cat named Tyson had been waiting for his forever home for six years at a northern York County animal shelter. A Fawn Grove couple fell in love with their new child after seeing his post on Petfinder.

The red tabby, with a white bib and matching white mittens, tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) when he first arrived at the The Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation, Inc. animal shelter in Franklin Township. 

“FIV cats are often overlooked because of the stigma attached to their disease,” said Alex Holden, the shelter manager. She goes on to say that over the past 10 years there has become a better understanding of what the virus means for adopting a pet and that cats that test positive can live “pretty long, healthy lives.” 

Tyson began his stay at the foundation when he was 2 years old after he was picked up as a stray in Dillsburg. His new home was a no-kill shelter. Animals that are not adopted can live out their lives in an area designated for resident cats, Holden said.

Tyson wasn't the longest stay at the shelter. A gray tabby named Brianne stayed there for 10 years and died when she was 19. The cat was diabetic and had Feline Leukemia virus and was never adopted. The shelter is dedicated to the whole life of a cat and even offers lifetime return. "Unfortunately, we have had cats adopted as kittens and returned in their old age," Holden said.

One click led to another, “and then I saw Tyson’s picture and read his profile….and I thought maybe we do want a cat,” James said. So she sent a picture of Tyson to her husband, and they decided that as long as they could get Tyson they would get a cat. 

Tyson was the only one out of scores of furry faces on the website that the couple wanted to adopt. The orange and white tabby, who had spent most of his eight years in a shelter, was on the way to his forever home.

James said that she was really nervous when Tyson first came home. The couple was warned by a shelter manager that the orange boy might need time to adjust after living in a shelter for six years. She did internet research about setting up a special room and giving him time to adjust, but Tyson had been ready to go home for quite awhile.
 
We let him out of the carrier, and he is just all over us. He was just a purring machine, rubbing up against us, and we laughed because he was even purring while he was using his litter box and drinking water. I think he knew that he was home and was just so happy,” James said.  

Back at the shelter, Holden said Tyson was “the sweetest thing, he was always the sweetest cat, definitely a shelter favorite. He was just one of the best cats and we will miss him dearly, but we are all glad he found a home and they gave him such a good home.”

“It’s sad that a lot of FIV cats are not looked at by people because they can be some of the sweetest cats,” Holden said.

“They say he is asymptomatic. He is perfectly healthy.” James said, adding that if he does get sick, owners of FlV cats need to be proactive with taking their pet to the vet. The couple plans on taking Tyson twice a year for a check-up.

The shelter, founded by the late Helen Opperman Krause, is currently home to 65 cats and four dogs. The foundation depends entirely on the private sector for funding through donations, membership dues, grants and fundraising activities, according to its website.

Potential adopters are encouraged to call first to set up a meeting after they see a pet on the foundation's website or through Petfinder.


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Photos . . .

http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_040321_01.jpg

http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_040321_02.jpg

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“Caturday” by Linus Petit
http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_by_Linus_Petit.mp3

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.moscowcares.com/

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”
- Roy E. Stolworthy
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