Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Meet Baby Elliot and Osiris

Meet Baby Elliot and Osiris


Baby Elliot has been with us a few years.  He’s one BIG boy.  And with all that yak like fur you’d think he loves the outside world.  But NO, not Baby Elliot.  He despises the snow and doesn’t think much of the cold either.  He does however love to lay on straw and hay and was thrilled when Ivory the sheep was sick and had to come inside CUZ he got to sleep in the hay and in the warm!!!   

Baby Elliot tests positive for fiv.  Fiv is spread by un-neutered street males.  Most of our fiv kitties are middle aged and older former toms.  They live very healthy active lives and don’t seem to have any health problems negative kitties do.  The leading cause of death for fiv cats is being murdered in shelters cuz they test positive.  We’re working to educate folks that it’s fine to let the fiv kitties live.  After all they’re going to live a purrfectly normal natural life and likely live to be 15-20 years old - if you just let them!!

Osiris and siblings came to us in 2010.  Due to a genetic disease only Osiris and sister Mystique are still with us.  They seemed to have stopped growing and this just might be what’s saved them. 

We never know how long any of us have to live on this planet.  We all want to live for ever and we want our friends to live for ever too.  But sometimes that’s just not the way it is.  Some critters who were born to young mothers who were starving while pregnant and exposed to all kinds of diseases while tiny babies have a lot of problems and defects that will often make them small and make their life span short.  Maybe 1 or 3 or 5 years instead of 10 or 15 or 20.  It’s one of those things you can’t control.

But I’ll tell you how it is at Rikki’s Refuge - no matter how long your life span - we promise to love you and care for you the whole time !!!!   

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