Meet a Tabby's Place Cat: Twix

Twix

Meet Twix. Is she not the most gorgeous little tuxedo kitty princess? Long black and white fur, little black spot on her nose, and the most purrfectly piercing pair of greenish-golden eyes I've ever seen!

Twix's reputation preceded her, and I was super excited to meet her on my recent visit to Tabby's Place. Not only is this girl a real stunner (and named after one of my favorite chocolate bars of all time), she also bares the distinction of being the lucky 1,000th resident of the cat sanctuary.

Twix is around two years old, and entered Tabby's Place in the Spring of 2011, after she was found wandering the streets. She was originally taken to a municipal shelter, where she tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus), a death sentence for many cats in the traditional system. However, as fate would have it, her shelter was next on the waiting list for the FIV+ suite at Tabby's Place, and after a spot opened up, Twixy was quickly on her way to the fairy tale ending she deserved.

Through the Tabby's Place Felis Catus blog (written by the wonderful Angela), I learned that while it sounds big and scary, FIV is not a death sentence for cats, and with the proper care (kitties with FIV have weakened immune systems), "Cats with FIV can live long, luscious lives, and they just so happen to be some of the nicest and smooshiest cats on the planet."

In a post titled "FIV World," Angela writes that contrary to popular belief, FIV is NOT Feline AIDS, it cannot be spread to humans or other species of animals, and it is not even easily transmitted to other cats. (She also links to this great post by Best Friends Animal Society, that clears up even more FIV rumors).

Mistletoe

In the first six years of operation, Tabby's Place only adopted out 6-7 FIV+ cats, but as people have become more educated about the virus, that number rose to an astounding TWELVE last year, and they are already up to eight FIV+ adoptions for 2011!

One of those lucky FIV+ kitties is Mistletoe, an affectionate lovebug who I'm happy report was whisked off to her forever home just last week! On the day I visited, she was eager to hop on my lap as soon as I entered the suite, much to Twix's chagrin. In the picture above, you can see me looking off to the side, because she was getting hissy over Mistletoe stealing the spotlight!

Click HERE if you would like to learn more about Twix, and find out how you can sponsor her, and please remember to keep voting Catsparella every day, twice a day through July 29th, for Best Social Integration Blog at http://www.dogtime.com/petties.

If we win, I'll donate the $1,000 prize to Tabby's Place, to help fund the care of Twix, and other special needs kitties just like her!