MARCH 6/2018

We lost our sweet Clarence today.
Back in August, we took in Clarence and ‘sister’ Alabama with the knowledge that they were both Feline Leukemia positive. With FeLV, one can never know whether the cat will stay happy and healthy for a long time (like our very first rescue, Oliver) or if they’ll get sick often and not live very long. Sadly, the latter was the case with Clarence. We want to thank Clarence’s foster mom for caring for him and loving him right to the end.
Rest In Peace Clarence. We will never forget your sweet face.
…
A note from Clarence’s foster mom:

My Clarence crossed the rainbow bridge this morning.

He had an amazing day yesterday and it was the best I have seen him in a long time.
This morning he woke me up at 5am and right away I knew something was not right. I got him a vet appointment and by the time we arrived it was clear Clarence was not doing well at all. After reviewing all the symptoms that had presented themselves in such a short time and discussing all options with the vet I made the very hard decision to say goodbye. My heart told me it was the right thing to do. I did not want his suffering to go on any longer.
After yesterday I wanted Clarence to leave this world with good memories of a great day with lots of kisses and cuddles.

I want to thank the amazing team at The Cat Clinic, especially Dr Matt Kornya who has been so amazing through this whole journey with Clarence.

Thank you to Lisa and the rest of the @ladybirdanimalsanctuary team for bringing Clarence into my life and giving me the opportunity to love this little guy and for your support through all of this.

Clarence buddy I am going to miss your bathroom visits and your cuddles so much. The way you ran for your meals and treats like a crazy kitty always made me laugh. You had the sweetest soul and the most expressive and loving eyes. I promise to take care of Alabama and help her get through all of this.
I love you so very much my booboo

We rescued Clarence and Alabama from Oakville Humane Society.

Clarence was 3 weeks old and had a severe bite wound when he came into Oakville Humane Society, and Alabama was a skinny orphaned kitten who came into the shelter alone. Shelter staff decided to put them together, because a single kitten is a lonely kitten! They became the best of friends in their foster home.
Clarence’s bite wound healed with treatment. Later xrays showed that Clarence is missing the head of his femur on his left leg, but the vet didn’t think he would need any surgery or treatment because he can get around perfectly…albeit with a bit of a limp.
Unfortunately, while they were still with OHS, both Clarence and Alabama tested positive for Feline leukemia virus (FeLV).
Contrary to what its name implies, feline leukemia is not just a type of blood cancer (although feline leukemia infection is associated with blood cancer and other types of cancers). Feline leukemia is a viral infection in cats that is spread through the secretions of infected cats and can set up shop in almost any organ in a cat’s body. No medication can eliminate FeLV, so most treatments are aimed at managing the symptoms and complications as the disease progresses. Some infected cats ultimately die from the disease, but many others can live long, comfortable lives with it, as Clarence and Alabama are doing so far. Without the results from the blood tests, you’d never know anything was wrong with them at all!

Sadly, this FeLV diagnosis meant they could not return to the shelter from their foster home to be put up for adoption because FeLV is contagious from cat to cat. With as many cats as OHS cares for, they just couldn’t take the risk having two FeLV kittens in their shelter.
OHS staff reached out to us for help, and we just happened to have a foster home who has a resident cat who also has FeLV, and they agreed to foster Clarence and Alabama!

Here’s a note from their foster home:
“Clarence and Alabama are the best of friends who are never far apart from one another.
Clarence is the quieter of the pair. He is such a sweet boy. He is not a lap cat but does appreciate head scratches and being pet after he winds down from the day. He is not a big fan of dogs (Alabama is great with dogs!) but would do ok with a dog who is indifferent to cats. He will sit close to them and sniff them but as soon as they pay any attention to him he will hiss.
Clarence is missing the head of his femur on the left side but it does not seem to slow him down. He plays and explores and never shows any signs that it bothers him.
Alabama is such a funny girl. She loves to play and is not afraid of anything but she is a total sweetheart at the same time. When Alabama is ready to relax she loves to jump into your lap to cuddle. She will sit in your lap and take as many pets as she can get and in return she will kiss your fingers.
Alabama and Clarence are FeLV positive which means they have to be the only cats in the house or go to a home with other FeLV positive kitties.
They do not show any signs of FeLV right now. They are both normal and happy kittens with a lot of love to give. Please consider giving Clarence and Alabama the loving forever home they deserve.”

Please adopt Clarence and Alabama!