Join us at Siips on April 29th from 5:30 pm to 7:30pm, when Executive Director, Susanne Kogut, will shift gears and put her talents to work serving wine to help the animals at the SPCA. You can bring your canine friends (which likely have been adopted from the SPCA, although not required) and sit out in Siips patio area. Join us at the Bar area and share your stories about the special animals in your life. Or just come out for an evening of fun and let's make a toast to the animals at the SPCA.

FIV kitty of the week!

The CASPCA recently started making FIV+ kitties available for adoption. What is FIV you might ask? Best Friends stated it nicely when they said,

"FIV falls into the same category as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). FIV is a lentivirus, meaning it's species-specific and can't be spread from one species to another. Lentiviruses progress slowly and may take years to produce symptoms.

FIV is a relatively hard virus to transmit because it can't exist for more than a few seconds in open air. The most common forms of transmission are through severe bite wounds and through an infected mother cat giving birth to kittens. The virus attacks the T-cells, the white blood cells specific to support of the immune system. Evidence of the virus may be detected within four to six weeks of infection through a blood test.

Common secondary infections associated with FIV include stomatitis, which is an inflammation of the mucous lining of the mouth; upper respiratory infections; and skin diseases. "None of these are life threatening," says Dix. "Non-FIV cats are susceptible to the same conditions, even with healthy immune systems." "

The biggest problem related to FIV? Stigma. Unfortunately many wonderful pet owners are not aware of the recent research and still consider FIV to be big, bad and scary. Which means that these wonderful kitties (and believe me, the ones the CASPCA has are beyond wonderful) sit in their cages waiting for their families. They told me all that waiting gets pretty boring and a little discouraging. In reality FIV cats can live long, happy healthy lives and make wonderful companions. They just need a few special people willing to look past the stigma and appreciate them for all of their kitty cat awesomeness. For those who can't adopt the FIV kitties please take the time to stop by the shelter to snuggle and play with them, the front desk staff can point you in the right direction.

Without any further ado, please meet the FIV kitty of the week, Bowzer. Bowzer has been at the shelter since November and has been very patiently waiting for just the right person to come along.

Everyone who has ever met Bowzer loves him, he is a gorgeous cat with the personality of a dog. Bowzer is far and away one of the sweetest, most affectionate cats in the shelter. He loves to be held, will put his paws on your shoulders to give you a kitty cat hug and rub his head under your chin. Bowzer also likes to be kissed on the top of his head. Bowzer is a happy, confident cat but nothing makes him as happy as being held. When he isn't snuggling, Bowzer loves to play with other cats and chase his toys. He has lots of playful energy and would be a great companion for another cat or an enthusiastic mouser. He'd also be great in a house with kids and dogs. If you're looking for an outgoing, affectionate cat who makes friends with everyone he meets please visit Bowzer at the main shelter.