MALONEY Domestic Medium Hair Grand Rapids, MI

In February of 2016, we had the profound pleasure of accepting two TERRIFIC cats into our sanctuary, magnificent Maloney (born in August of 2012) and mesmerizing Mercedes (born in February of 2014); both kitties are FIV+. Focus on Ferals was their initial home, and although they have a room set up for cats carrying the immunodeficiency virus, Gina felt that the pair was much better suited to life at Big Sid’s.

Maloney was trapped during a TNR mission in a Hudsonville trailer park in December of 2015, as months before his ‘owner’ moved out and left her multitude cats behind; it took months of persistence before efforts paid off and he was recovered. Initially he was thought to be truly feral, but since he tested positive, Gina kept him in the hopes that he would turn around as he got accustomed to indoor life again. It took about two weeks of him cowering in his carrier before he suddenly walked out, leaned into her hand and asked for pets. After that point he never so much as hissed at another person or cat, blending in well with the roamers and perching up high to observe his stunning new surroundings.
Mercedes on the other hand was brought to FOF during a very cold spell in February of 2015, after having had kittens in a vacant house on the NW side of town. All of her tiny offspring survived, and eventually were placed into homes of their own, allowing mama to relax and settle in a bit more; at first she was very shy and fearful. She proved to bit a bit of a wallflower at adoption events, and due to her coloring and her viral status, she tended to get overlooked. I agree with Gina’s line of thought in that we have a much better chance of getting this gorgeous girls a home, since our sanctuary boasts the wonders and beauty that FIV (and FELV) cats possess!

Upon arrival, both kitties could not have been happier or more easygoing, but first I had to address some pretty serious medical issues with poor Maloney. Our beautiful boy suffers from an inflammatory condition known as pododermatitis, or pillow foot, a painful swelling of his foot pads. He also had ingrown nails that added to his problems, so not only were three of his foot pads split and inflated, but abscessation had complicated things. I was able to treat him with antibiotics and steroids (he had been treated with the latter when first rescued) and changed his litter to a newspaper based type that would not stick to his tootsies or become embedded in the ulcerations. To top things off, he needed several teeth removed and he was quite anemic, but within a few weeks he had healed completely and his red blood cell count normalized! He quickly became known around our facility as ‘noodle-cat’ or ‘slinky malinky’, sporting a laid-back, cool vibe that is quite endearing. He is a total doll that everyone is completely enamored with!

Marvelous Mercedes is as luxurious as the classy automobile she is named after, a reserved and refined yet approachable ‘lady’ in every sense of the word, She has this tendency to look you straight in the eye and lock her gaze, totally pulling you in so that you fall hopelessly in love! And her little face is pure inky perfection!

Since neither cat has a mean bone in their beautiful bodies, placing each of them into homes with non-FIV+ cats is a definite option, as the ONLY way the virus can be transmitted is through a deep bite wound. I guarantee you that opening your home– and your heart—to Maloney or Mercedes will be just about the best thing you will have ever done for yourself, as M-n-M are as sweet as they come and SO deserving of all of the perks and possibilities a home life has to offer. Please don’t miss out on either one of these amazing creatures!