HERO Tabby & Manx Mix Grand Rapids, MI

In June of 2013 I received a very nice email request from an employee at a Michigan shelter in regards to transferring over a Feline Leukemia positive boy who was stuck in a cage—with limited adoption opportunities. Since their shelter did not have a program for cats with FELV (most do not) and he was not able to roam much due to lack of space, he was primarily confined to one spot which was breaking Carol’s heart. She was able to house him temporarily with a positive kitten, so Hero (who was born in late 2013) had a buddy to snuggle and cuddle with. Since we focus on cats older than 6 months of age, I gladly accepted this striking, stunning tabby fella into our program at Big Sid’s; Carol was optimistic that she would be able to find a foster home for his pal Jude given his cuteness factor:) So on July 7th we welcomed this long and lanky, MARVELOUS manx into our free-roaming, two level facility after a work-up was performed at the clinic—and I got to bond and fall hopelessly in love with him! I mean those ear tips and tufts alone are enough to knock your socks off, but when you couple that with those piercing green eyes...it’s all over!

Hero is probably one of THE HAPPIEST CATS we currently have at our sanctuary! He could not wait to be released from our intake suite (we had to speed up the process a wee bit to accommodate his eagerness) so he could meet the rest of the residents and hang out with all of the volunteers. Instant-presto nice guy Hero impressed everyone with how cordial and outgoing he was from the moment he padded paw into our place! Our cat care director went so far as to say that he was one of the nicest cats we have EVER had at Sid’s—and that is saying A LOT! She says he thrives on chatting with you and following you around; no matter what you are doing or where you are, jubilant, overjoyed Hero is there with a smile plastered on his face (he sports a very winning grin)!

It is a crying shame that our handsome Hero contracted the virus because it does limit his chances realistically of being adopted. He is too social and has formed such a strong kinship with the other cats that he absolutely has to have another kitty to play with, and he needs a bustling household that can energize and entertain him. It can be a tall order to fill when asking someone to take a chance on a Feline Leukemia positive kitty, but Hero has SO MUCH TO OFFER—virus be damned! He is most definitely worth looking into what it requires to take on a positive kitty, so if you are interested in finding out more about Hero and FELV, please contact me @dr.jen@crashslanding.org.