CASPIAN Siamese Grand Rapids, MI

On August 2, 2016 we had the infinite pleasure of welcoming this chubby-cheeked, squinty-eyed tom cat into our program at Big Sid’s, as he had tested positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency virus) and the Humane Society of SW Michigan could not keep him any longer. Although he had seen a veterinarian 3 days after his arrival in mid-July, the condition causing his lower eyelids to roll inward and rub on his corneas was not diagnosed, so the appropriate treatment was not undertaken; by the time I got my hands on this fabulous four year old ‘fat-head’ (born in the summer of 2012), his right eye had suffered scarring and both lids were incredibly swollen and painful. I discovered that he had also torn a toe nail back to the base and was sparse in the hair coat department due to a flea infestation he had initially. After letting him settle in for a few hours and treating him topically with an eye ointment to sooth the inflammation, I took Caspian to surgery to neuter him and to remove a wedge of skin below each eyelid so that I could properly evert, or turn out the tissue, that was rolling in to prevent further damage. Within hours my beautiful boy was more bright-eyed than he probably had been in ages and was soaking up the attention being showered on him!

Once at our sanctuary Caspian immediately took to wooing the ladies; his heavy-lidded, half-closed glance made it appear as if he was gazing longingly at those who stepped into his line of sight, so the gals couldn’t help but swoon, swoop in and scoop him up for some major cuddle time—and at 13# of muscle he is quite an armful! In fact, before he headed off to Sid's a friend of mine stopped by to meet him, and she asked if he bench-pressed small cars in his spare time as he was such a solid hunk of mass and magnificence! Not only is Caspian extremely handsome, but more importantly, he is a genuine sweetheart who loves to snuggle—and is very good at it!

At his recheck exam on September 6th I was dismayed to see that his FIV test was still a firm positive, but since he was having a blast in his new home I had no worries. I was also bummed out that I had to take him back to surgery once again, as even though I excised substantial sections of skin, his lids were still rolling inward (especially the right one) and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving things as they were. As he did before, Caspian bounced back with flying colors, sporting fancy purple sutures once again for the next week. He left the clinic with eyes wide open—something he hadn’t really done up to this point—weighing in at 14# and showing off his lustrous, almost luminous coat that good nutrition and parasite control had afforded him. He still has a tiny scar remaining on his right eye but his vision isn’t impaired in the least; he can look deep into your soul with those baby blues and you will absolutely, paws-itively MELT!