Meet the Mama. I'm not sure why I ever give my mama cats first names because the only thing that I ever call them is "Mama". Clarice is the extraordinarily patient mama cat of our fifth litter here at Teeny Tiny Tabby Town, and she not only needs a extraordinarily special forever home but she deserves one too.
Mama Madison is a silvery-gray, long-haired tabby. I always hesitate to assign breeds to my fosters because you never know where they truly came from, but I would hazard a guess that she is at least a mix of a special breed... Maine Coon, perhaps?
She is 8.5 pounds, which makes her sound like a bigger girl (at least the biggest that I've had here in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town thus far) but when you look at her from above she seems a bit skinny. Mama has gained a full pound since her arrival and looks like she should gain another pound or two easily now that her babies are no longer nursing.
Mama has a gorgeous coat with a giant plume of a tail, fluffy britches, and very large feet with tufts of fur growing from between her toes. Her curly whiskers are to DIE for. But beyond a beautiful outside, our sweet Mama Clarice has an even more beautiful inside.
She quietly raised her rambunctious brood with barely more than a peep. She lived in our house for more than two weeks before I heard her voice. I have never seen or felt one of her claws. She has yet to hiss, growl, or spit... even with a menagerie of permanent residents outside the glass French doors to her room watching her every move with her four precious babies.
She is, in a single word, remarkable.
Photos of Mama are hard to get because she is truly only concerned with two things... getting enough to eat and loving you (but mostly the second one). She greets me immediately at the door looking for love and affection. Mama performs the most complicated of figure 8 maneuvers by rubbing my legs as I walk. She purrs unreservedly and showers every visitor with attention.
It only takes a chin rub to make our Mama Madison the happiest of clams.
"Hey... Why did you stop?"
If you have room for a deserving Mama cat in your life, if you can provide the kind of home we're looking for (requirements listed below), if you are willing to give our girl the life of pampered luxury that she so richly deserves, please contact me for more information. You can reach me through several avenues...
1. Stop by the Whiskers in the Window Facebook page and leave me a private message (using the button directly below the cover photo).
2. Send me an e-mail to teenytinytabbies (at) gmail (dot) com.
3. Leave me a message in the comments below and let me know how to contact you.
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A Special Home for Our Mama Cat
Last week, in the aftermath of our joy from all of the Madison babies testing negative for the FIV antibodies, we had Mama retested in hopes that she too would test negative. Unfortunately, she did not.
Our Mama will require a special home, one that takes the time to understand her FIV diagnosis and is willing to provide the proper environment for her.
Mama's ideal home would be one where she is the one and only cat. She would get along well with any other animals, but for her safety it would probably best if she was a singleton. This is NOT because of a danger to other cats. On the contrary, this is to protect the health of our Mama Clarice.
FIV is not easily spread from one cat to another. It is usually spread either through biting, some other violent act, or through birth. There is much anecdotal evidence that FIV+ cats can live for years with other cats without spreading the virus. FIV+ cats, though, because of the suppression of their natural immune systems are more susceptible to the germs and illnesses of other cats... meaning they catch colds and other diseases more easily than others and, once caught, they have a much more difficult time fighting off the disease and returning to health.
Our mama has already successfully, and rather easily and quickly, fought off an upper respiratory infection while in our care. She is strong. FIV+ cats, when living in their own little protected bubble, can conceivably live a normal lifespan... well over ten years. The key is protection, a clean environment, and good nutrition. There is no reason to believe that she cannot live happily and without health crises for many years to come.
For more information about FIV in cats, please consult the following resources:
Crash's Landing & Big Sid's Sanctuary, a rescue in Grand Rapids, Michigan dedicated to rescuing and placing FIV and Feline Leukemia cats http://www.crashslanding.org/FivAndFelv.html
Veterinary Partner, an online pet health library http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1313&S=2&SourceID=42
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fiv.html
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It should be noted that cats who have been vaccinated for FIV will test positive for the FIV antibodies afterward. Given the fact that we know nothing about her history prior to being dumped at the shelter with her babies, it is entirely possible that Mama is simply a vaccinated kitty. But we must be careful in her placement regardless.
Mama is up-to-date on her vaccinations and has been spayed. She is recovering from her spay surgery and will be available to go to her own forever home very soon.
awwww - she is adorable!!! We know her family is out there looking for her.
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