by David Crews, Fitzhugh B. Crews FIV Cat Sanctuary
The Fitzhugh B. Crews FIV Cat Sanctuary is a relatively unknown cat sanctuary located in the Memphis, TN area. The sanctuary is named in honor of Fitzhugh B. Crews, who blessed our lives for 14 years.
While volunteering with another rescue organization, we were asked if we would foster two FIV+ cats. One of them passed away a short time after we got her, however the other one lived with us for four years before he died leaving Fitzhugh all alone.
When we decided to find Fitzhugh another companion cat, we looked and phoned around to various rescues searching for another FIV+ cat. However, it seemed all we heard from these organizations was that FIV+ cats are usually euthanized.
Finally, we found a rescue who said they had six FIV+ cats and we were welcome to come down and take a look at them. We went down there and proceeded to adopt three of the six FIV+ cats. After ten days of anguishing about the other three remaining cats, we went back down there and adopted them too.
Shortly thereafter, Fitzhugh crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We decided that the best way to truly honor our "Fitty Boy" was to provide a place where FIV+ cats could come live out the remaining years of their life in a loving and caring home.
The sanctuary was created with two main purposes in mind: to provide a loving and caring home for FIV+ cats and to try and clarify the many misconceptions about FIV+ cats. Since the doors to the sanctuary opened, over 75 cats have passed through always touching our hearts as they did.
We currently have a sanctuary population of 54 FIV+ cats. As people with FIV+ cats around the United States searched on the Internet for a place to rehome a FIV+ cat, they were directed to the sanctuary's website (www.fivcatsanctuary.com). Shortly thereafter, we started receiving phone calls and e-mails from all over the United States.
The Fitzhugh B. Crews FIV Cat Sanctuary has received cats from Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, New Mexico and of course, Tennessee. Also, we have assisted individuals & rescue groups by providing valuable FIV+ information and counseling from locales such as Kansas, Illinois, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
The sanctuary includes a 12x16 outdoor play area with an 8x8 climate controlled building which houses a feral cat and a few others that are not particulary "human friendly". Managing and taking care of 50+ cats can be extremely difficult, time consuming, and costly.
One of the biggest drawbacks to being a special needs rescue is the low rate of adoptions. This is due mainly to the misconceptions that people have about what it means to be FIV positive. The transmission rate of the virus is very low for cats that are non-aggressive and are spayed /neutered making the risk to FIV- cats living in the same household negligible. FIV+ cats do have a compromised immune system and tend to be more prone to medical problems such as mouth ulcers, eye infections and upper respiratory infections.
However, as long as you provide proper veterinary care these problems are easily treatable. FIV+ cats (all cats!) should be indoor pets. There is a vaccination available to protect against FIV but it is only about 85% effective against some strains. Sadly, a vaccinated cat will continue to test positive just by having been vaccinated and runs the risk of being killed if picked up as a stray because of the false positive test caused by a vaccination intended to keep him healthy.
Please see sweet Thor, pictured at top and Brando and Lucy in the center.
What you can do:1. Please help us to stop the spread of FIV by having your cat spayed or neutered and making him/her an indoor only pet!
Fitzhugh B. Crews FIV Cat Sanctuary
P.O. Box 395
Cordova, TN 38088
*All donations are tax deductible and tax deduction receipts will be mailed by request.
Visit
http://www.fivcatsanctuary.com2. Learn more about FIV:
http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/cats_fiv.cfm3. Please adopt a cat (or two!) especially during June which is
Adopt a Cat Month. posted by Michelle Buckalew, Best Friends Animal Society