THORFINN Domestic Short Hair Grand Rapids, MI

 
CRASH's LANDING and BIG SID's SANCTUARY are proud to announce this one-of-a-kind initiative, FOREVER FOSTER-A-FELEUK-KITTY! Our goal is placing our FABULOUS positive cats into permanent (or as we like to say, purrmanent) homes, and at the same time alleviating potential financial strain for prospective owners.

These cats are just as deserving, if not more, of all that a home life entails, and we are making it our goal to promote their value and worth at a time when too many virally infected cats never get the opportunity to make it to shelters like ours.

Here are the basics:
1. Any interested person will have to fill out our adoption application and be approved by our Adoption Team; once approved, an appointment will be set up to come meet our residents.
2. Once a connection has been made and hearts stolen, the adoption process will get underway. The adopter/foster will be responsible for the $100 adoption fee. Crash's Landing will be responsible for a thorough pre-placement medical workup by founder Dr. Jen Gillum at Feline Wellness Center (FWC). This will include lab work, radiographs, preventative flea treatment and internal parasite control, and vaccinations, if due.
3. Routine medical care will be the responsibility of the owner, with mandatory annual exams and vaccines in most cases.
4. All life-long medical costs that are non-routine, including annual lab work, radiographs, dentistry, medical treatments, and medications dispensed (other than monthly flea control) will be covered by Crash's Landing, with the caveat that ALL care is continued by Dr. Jen at FWC.

As you can see, there are many benefits to this program:
~ It is not only financially feasible for the human participants, but it gives these amazing cats a chance at a home life that they are missing with us. Sure, our rescue facility is top notch, but it isn't a cozy, quiet home - and it must be shared with many others vying for attention.
~Furthermore, placing one of our residents into a home allows us to take another off the streets, which is imperative as we work locally to get the spread of this virus under control.
~Finally, this takes the potential financial burden out of the equation, and with that comes the peace of mind in knowing you can take your cat somewhere where he/she is known, inside-out and backwards, and receive the high quality, in-depth care recommended, without having to make decisions based on monetary constraints.
~Anyone who knows Dr. Jen understands how deeply she is committed to the care and well-being of our special FELV+ kitties. It isn't their fault they ended up with the virus, that is purely due to human negligence. Although we can’t change the past, we can ensure that their future is bright and beautiful! Be assured she will spare no expense in diagnosing and treating any of our FELV+ kitties - past, present, and future. It's kind of her thing – just ask her soulmate, Magda?

So, this is our pioneer program in a nutshell. We hope the pictures of our residents and their stories will tug on your heartstrings, and prompt you to open your home to one of our beloved cats.

Now, it's time to read all about terrific Thorfinn...

For those of you who are fans of the TV show ‘Ghosts’, you totally understand and get where I am coming from with naming this big, lovable lug Thorfinn— and for those of you who don’t, I highly recommend you start watching the series:) I first met this hunky brown tabby fella on June 8th, 2023 when his rescuer Karen E. brought him in for admission into Big Sid’s, our sanctuary for Feline Leukemia positive cats. She had stumbled across him near the Kalamazoo and 44th St. intersection three weeks prior, took him home, and proceeded to get him the appropriate medical care (including neutering!) A week after his pick-up he developed a nasty fever due to puncture wounds and an upper respiratory infection, but after a visit to the animal ER and the appropriate medications, he was back to feeling good in no time. Then, on June 2nd, he was taken in to CSNIP for his neutering, and that is when Karen discovered that he was not only positive for FELV, but FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) as well. His castration was postponed and instead he was vaccinated and treated for roundworms, a very common internal parasite in stray cats.

When he arrived to me at Feline Wellness Center, he was tipping the scales at an impressive 14.5#! He also had two additional internal parasites (tapeworm and Giardia) so it wasn’t surprising that he broke with diarrhea. When I sedated him for his surgical procedure, I noted that both of his kidneys palpated larger than I would expect, and radiographs verified that bilateral renomegaly. Lab work showed a very mild anemia, which wasn’t surprising given his underlying issues, especially in his gastrointestinal system. I started him on the appropriate medications along with Vitamin B-12, and after a few days of hanging out with me at FWC, he was ready to head on over to our place.
At this four week recheck exam, his body had cleared ALL the internal parasites, but his anemia had worsened by 5%. Repeat x-rays also verified kidney, liver, and splenic enlargement, so taking those changes into consideration with his progressive red blood cell decrease, I had no choice but to consider renal lymphoma as a possible underlying cause. Leukemia positive kitties have a much higher prevalence of lymphoma at pretty much any age (sucks!), so I had to prepare all our volunteers for the likelihood that our sweet, good-natured guy may not be fortunate enough to be a resident if we would have hoped—or to be adopted, realistically. Steroids were given as he had been spiking intermittent fevers, and he was sent back with his travel bags packed with hope– and a whole lotta love.

Here is how we describe thunderous Thorfinn:
“I must admit, he was one of those cats that I was a little less trusting of when I first met him.  Just a few short weeks later, he has become such a gentle boy that I enjoy and can handle with no problem.   I couldn't be happier with his progress!  He still isn't crazy about being brushed or having his nails trimmed, but he's starting to relax and let his guard down a little.  He may be on borrowed time with us, but if there is anything we can do to make his life quality life its best, I'm there to spoil him.  He absolutely loves to be around people, and that makes me happy knowing that he is soaking up all the attention he deserves. He's a great cat that has fit right in with The Clubhouse gang and I don't think he's complaining! Thorfinn is a talker who is large in both size and personality. He certainly doesn't hold back in letting you know he doesn't like something! He has come out of his shell quite a bit. He's gone from spending most of his time in the cat check room to spending most of the day strutting around looking for attention...when he's not snoozing. He had a lot of fun playing in a cardboard box I put on the floor the other day and quickly claimed it for himself. I think it's interesting he has been a stinker for brushing because I brushed him when he first came in and he was super into it. I got A LOT of hair out and he never protested in any way. I guess with a cat you never know what they'll change their mind about!”

One last thing: Unlike his namesake, Thorfinn hasn’t nothing against Danes, and is a friend to all!

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