Cat Door

I did research about various cat doors and many of them were reviewed poorly for unwanted intruders, especially raccoons. I discovered a product called SureFlap that is controlled by a cat's microchip. You can put multiple cat's chip codes into the door, and it will only open for those animals. SureFlap is a British company that doesn't have an on-line shop, but I was able to order one on Amazon.

This was my first time installing a cat door. It wasn't easy, but I was able to do it in an afternoon. You will need a Jig Saw to cut an opening for the door. The SureFlap instructions are easy to follow. The hard part was getting Pale to use the door. After several weeks of propping in open until he went outside, he finally learned to go out on his own. He still hasn't learned how to let himself back in, so he sits and waits for me to let him in.

Test Results

Pale had recovered from the trauma of the vet visit and started to get more comfortable being close to me, he would lay next to me and rest his head on my leg, all the while purring loudly. I was quite sad when I got the test results back. Pale tested negative for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) but he did have Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV.) Pale had been tested with the ELISA which is not as accurate as the Western Blot, so Dr Leslie suggested I bring Pale in for the additional test to confirm the FIV. There is always a small chance that the FIV antibodies are present in a cat's blood as the result of an FIV immunization, though there is no way to distinguish the cause of the virus.

I had never dealt with FIV, so I started reading all I could about the condition. FIV is contagious to other cats, but can only be transmitted through a deep bite wound or sometimes from a mother to her kittens. It is a slow moving disease which may affect a cat's ability to fight off infection, though many cats live normal lifespans with little evidence of the disease until older age. I realized it may not be a good idea to bring Pale into the house with my other cats and began to brainstorm about how to give Pale a happy home. It's often recommended that FIV cats be kept as in door cats to reduce their exposure to potential disease and stress.

I have many friends who tend to feral cat populations and started asking for their input and advice for how to accommodate Pale. My research lead me to the site of Catwork a British FIV & FeLV cat sanctuary. I asked for their advice on how to handle Pale if I couldn't keep him inside and they shared that FIV cats should be given a stress free life, which isn't always indoor confinement. I realized Pale had already been living in our laundry room for a few weeks, so I decided I would turn the space into a bachelor pad for him. I found a cat door that was controlled via a pet chip, so he would have the freedom to go in or outdoors as he pleased.

I dithered on wether I should pay the extra $220 for the Western Blot, but decided I wanted to have an accurate health accessment for Pale. It was a real challenge to get him back into the cat carrier! He was wise to food enticements and eventually went in when he was distracted while chasing a feather toy. I decided to also get him microchipped to save an additional trip to the vet. The chip cost $55 and was administered in a split second. I believe many shelters and animal rescue groups provide low costs chips. A few days later I received word that Pale also tested positive on the Western Blot test. 

Vet Visit

Of course the first step in adopting a stray cat is a vet visit to screen for disease and to get him up to date on shots. We already have two indoor cats, Blue & Nico who are around 7-8 years old. They had lived with dogs, but I wasn't sure how a new cat would alter the balance of the household. 

I kept Pale in our laundry room basement for a few days to make it easier to catch him for the vet appointment. He did ok living inside, but it wasn't easy to get him into the cat carrier. He's not very food motivated, Trader Joe's Tuna for cats finally did the trick. I take the cats to Highland Park Animal Hospital which is right down the street from us. They are a small, but good place and offer half price vaccinations several times a week. Pale was pissed to be in the carrier and howled and hissed the entire time. Dr. Leslie slid him out of the carrier and it was obvious he would need some sedation to undergo a full exam and blood work.

Dr. Leslie determined Pale was 3-4 years old, was already neutered, had fleas and a bad case of kitty acne on his chin. We were sent home with an antibiotic ointment and the suggestion to keep him indoors over night until the sedation wore off. The blood test results would be available in two days.

Pale as quite groggy early evening, but made an escape when I went to check on him later in the evening. He was pissed at me and made a low growl any time I came near. I shadowed him for 2 hours until I lost him through a fence into a neighbor's back yard. I had to give in and hope he could survive the night in his some what compromised position. He did and was purring on my doorstep the next morning.

Pale Adopts Us

We live on top of a quiet hill in Los Angeles, and there is a healthy community of stray, feral and neighborhood cats. My neighbors and I look after them, feed them and whenever possible get them to the vet for shots & spay and neutering. It's been a while since there have been new kittens, so for now the group is fairly stable. The cats come and go, but one decided to stay for good!

Pale had been visiting our yard periodically, but it was't until the first day of summer in 2013, that he became a buddy. I was outdoors working on an art event in my yard, and Pale stayed by my side all day. He was sweet and friendly and wanted to be my sidekick. Growing up, we always had red cats and Pale reminded me of my Dad's best companion, a giant tomcat named Jaggers. After that day Pale came more and more regularly until he took up residence on our front steps. He slept curled in a ball on our door mat or sat pressed against the front door. He was always waiting for us and would purr and throw himself onto the ground for love and affection. After we lost our dog Osa in the fall of 2014, we decided to take Pale up on his adoption offer and make him a permanent part of our pack.