TEXAS – There is a new, special program out of Austin, Texas that is saving cats that otherwise would be euthanized if they were some place else, according to Austin (KXAN).
Usually, cats that are diagnosed with the Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), they are euthanized, however, the Austin Pets Alive! FeLV Adoption Center is keeping cats that have been diagnosed with this disease and they are truly helping to place them in loving, caring homes.
Austin is claiming that about 2% of the cat population have the virus and this sizable amount of cats are being killed all over the country, and it’s a needless act. This simply doesn’t happen at Austin Pets Alive! They are able to save almost 100% of their cats with the virus, and they go above and beyond that, even. They also accept in cats from around the country who have FeLV, including Mexico.
The organization has an extremely unique set of data compared to most other places in the country. They have developed a partnership with the Austin non-profit along with the University of Florida, and are currently studying the group of cats that they have with them in Austin, with the hopes that one day, they will find a cure for FeLV.
Until that hopeful day comes, however, their primary purpose to help give cats a life that they deserve; a life that does not differ from the life they would have, if not for the terrible virus.
When the organization watches one of these felines get adopted and go home to live the quality of life they deserve, it absolutely makes them all so happy and makes everything they do, all worth while. They also attempt to make the process of adopting a cat with this virus, as easy of a process as possible. For one, they aren’t charging an adoption fee. They also provide lifelong, free medical care for anything that is related to the virus.
There are actually two locations for this organization, Town Lake and Tarrytown, and cats are available for adoption at both locations. Potential adopters should know that the cats who have the virus, cannot be mixed with cats that do not have it.
Austin Pets Alive! does accept donations for the FeLV Adoption Center. The center is currently home to about 100 cats with the virus at any given time. And this year alone, almost 100 cats diagnosed with the virus have been adopted. The program is setting a brand new precedent for other cat rescue organizations and they are proud to be saving cats with this virus, all over the country.
The cat program manager, whose name is Monica Frenden, was quoted as saying, “One of the most common things we hear about feline leukemia is, ‘oh these cats are sick and suffering, they should be euthanized.’”
According to her, that is actually a misconception because although the virus does weaken the cats’ immune system, there are still many cats that, with good care, can actually go on to live many more years. Better still, there are even some cats that go on to beat the virus and test negative for it, later down the road. It’s for these very reasons, these cats need to be given a chance to live some kind of life, and so make it a happy one for them.
