Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/rescue-story-nigel/

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!

Our local cats home has a policy of not putting down cats with FIV or FELV, instead they rehome them in flats as indoor cats. When we heard this, we knew we had to get an indoor cat. Our first cat had FELV and only lived for 18 months. Our home didn’t seem right without a cat, so we went to the cats home and asked what indoor cats they had.

They only had one, a 5-year-old FIV+ tabby called Nigel. He’d been with them about seven months. He was underweight, he’d had digestive problems and was on a prescription diet, he’d had to have half his teeth removed, he suffered from gingivitis, and he drooled a lot, but as long as he was kept indoor and didn’t catch anything, he could live to 10-years-old. He had a big fluffy face and really soft fur, but he was petrified of people.

We took him home, and he spent the first six months under our bed. Then he started sleeping in his bed but would run away if we went near him. Then he stayed in his bed. Then he allowed us to stroke his head. He would stop eating when his mouth got too sore and was diagnosed with calicivirus; he had all but four of his teeth removed but his gums were still inflamed, so he was put on anti-inflammatory medication.

After 18 months, he started coming into the living room, and then one day, he jumped up next to us and snuggled into my husband. We were so happy. This was a major milestone, he came so far. Sadly, he developed kidney failure and deteriorated quickly. We always said we would give him the best life possible, and being given tablets daily was distressing for him and he wasn’t enjoying life anymore, so we decided we should end his suffering. He was an amazing cat and we still miss him every day.

Story submitted by an anonymous user from Bristol, United Kingdom.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog