Before Jarrah came into the care of The Cat Protection of Society, he was what we call a community cat. Living a gypsy-style life, he wandered from house to house for food and a bed to sleep, and his friendly nature made him popular with many residents of the local community.
When a local resident became concerned about him wandering the streets because she could not find anyone in the area that owned him, she arranged for the Council Ranger to collect him and bring him to us.
While Jarrah was microchipped, he had not been in the care of his original owner since he was a kitten, well over a decade ago, and the microchip details had never been updated. We don’t know how many homes he may have had, nor do we know how he ended up living a nomadic lifestyle.
Despite being well known and cared for by many, no one person or family had ownership or responsibility for his medical needs. And, for Jarrah, his medical needs were costly and welfare needs were demanding.
Once in our care, our vets with a special interest in feline medicine identified a number of serious medical conditions Jarrah was living with, including Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), a viral disease which affects his immune system. As it can be transferred amongst cats through fighting, FIV+ cats should always be kept indoors to help stop the possible spread of the virus.
White-haired cats are prone to skin cancers, particularly of the ears and nose and it’s recommended that they remain as indoor cats. Jarrah’s life as a community cat meant he likely spent many hours outdoors in the sun and unfortunately, he was found with skin cancer on his ears and nose. As a result, he required a pinnectomy – surgical removal of his external ear flaps – due to the cancerous tumours he had.
Our expert care team quickly decided it was in Jarrah’s best interest that he would be adopted into our care, knowing if he ended back on the streets again his life would have ended slowly and painfully.
Jarrah now lives a safe and comfortable life as CPSV’s resident shelter cat, although currently during the COVID-19 pandemic he is being cared for by one of our dedicated and wonderful foster carers. Our volunteer foster carers are the back bone of our ability to care for kittens and cats, particularly the vulnerable ones like Jarrah, until they can be adopted into their forever homes.