Friday, November 13, 2009

Herman Has a New Home!

Your purrs and pug snorts worked! The screener called me at 7:00 this morning and interviewed me over the phone. I passed with flying colors. Herman is now officially my kitty. The foster lady suggested that I give him his own room, at least to begin with, and I spent the rest of the morning working on getting it ready for him. I won't close him in, but he will have his own space to feel comfortable in. There's a nice hidey-hole for him under a corner table, an easy chair, a sofa and a spot on a shelf where he can look out the window. The foster lady and I agreed that I would pick up Herman on my next day off that I don't have any commitments, so he will be arriving early next week, possibly Tuesday. That way I can spend the whole day with him before I have to go back to work. I know what he eats and what kind of litter he likes, so I'll be picking that up for him tomorrow. I already bought some toys, a brush and some food dishes for him.

Speaking of what he eats, that leads me to a problem. Herman is currently eating Purina Kitten Chow (for the extra protein he needs), dry Friskies and Fancy Feast. Everything I read last night about FeLV and FIV says that a cat needs the best nutrition possible, high in both protein and fat, to live as long as possible. From what little I know about cat nutrition, this isn't the best diet for him. Can anyone point me to a book about caring for a cat with FeLV/FIV or a good one on cat nutrition? Herman cannot eat raw foods, because his doubly weakened immune system can't handle the bacteria that might be on it. I would be willing to cook for him, if that is the best route.

Thank all of you for your support in this and any help you can give me on tips for caring for Herman. I am thrilled that he is going to come live with me. I will be really busy until, and after, his arrival, but I will be checking in from time to time and posting updates. It may be Friday the 13th, but it is a very lucky day for both Herman and me.

25 comments:

One Cats Nip said...

Thats awesome we just knew you would get him. It's really great you researching his nutrition, I would love to help but don't know anything about it. I will google it though and if I find a good resource will link you to it!

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

KhonKhats!

I'd share my Khalifornia Naturals Lamb and Rice if woo were khloser ;-)

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Anonymous said...

Yay! Yay! Yay! We are so happy for you and Herman! And he is gray! We think gray cats are very lucky, especially on Friday the 13th!

We do not know the dietary requirements for FeLV and FIV, so we would recommend asking your Vet.

Congratulations to you and Herman. We can not wait to meet him! Purrs to you both!

SASS....Sammy Andy Shelly Sierra said...

YAY!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!
Herman will have such a wonderful furever home with you.

Mombean has had no experience with FeLV or FIV so unfortunately she is of no help on the feeding.

xxxxxxxx

Tuck said...

Yay! This is great news!! Herman is so lucky!!

Parker said...

Hooray!
I can't wait to meet him!

Daisy said...

Congratulations!

A great book on nutrition is "Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Cats and Dogs." I understand your not feeding a raw diet for Herman, so the best thing you can do is feed a really good quality grain-free canned food (EVO is one of several good brands). You will need to make the transition very slowly. Since he will still be adjusting to his new home, I wouldn't even start to make the switch until he is settled in and eating well on his current food.

Make sure you have a litterbox close by in his room at first. You can gradually move it to the permanent location after he is consistently using it.

I hope you can find a good vet nearby who you trust. A holistic vet will be able to give you good guidance on nutrition.

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

We are all so happy for both you and Herman.

The highest quality canned food that I've found (that the cats like) are Evo, Avoderm, and Wellness Core. I'm pretty sure I saw Kitten versions of each. Buy just a couple cans of all the different flavors to see which ones Herman likes.

You could ask your vet, too. But buy the stuff elsewhere (vets charge "extra").

BTW, it would actually be a GOOD idea to close him in his temporary room for at least a day or two so he can get used to the sounds and smells of the house. I do that with any new cat.

Jana said...

congrats! can't wait to see pictures of the precious guy!

The Monkeys said...

This is such wonderful news!!! We can't wait to meet Herman!

I am not very familiar with FeLV or FIV but I do know that most of the reputable grain-free brands (EVO, C.O.R.E, Orijen, etc) offer really good quality protein, so that is probably a good direction to go in.

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

Congratulations! This is awesome news. We can already tell that you are a great Cat Mom. You have a plan and are concerned about his feedings! WE have no experience in FeLV or FIV, but many out there do and will guide you. We cant wait to see pictures of Herman!

Anonymous said...

WE are so so very happy for you!!!!
.. and for Herman!!! :)))

Team Tabby said...

We are all very excited to hear that Herman is coming to live with you! We know you will take excellent care of him and feel certain he will thrive with your love and compassion. Congratulations! Of course like everyone else, we are anxious to see some pictures.

Mindy, Moe, Bono, Cookie & Mike

(angel) Grrreta and Fam said...

Yay!!! We are thrilled for you both. Herman is one very lucky kitty. We can't wait to see pictures of him.

Jans Funny Farm said...

We've missed something. We haven't a clue who Herman is. But we're thrilled for both of you! This is wonderful news. And we can't wait to hear all the updates.

Max said...

YAY! This is very good news!

Initially, just let him eat what he normally eats since the new forever home is going to be stressful enough. Changing food is stressful and he won't need extra stress for a while. Once you know he's settled, then you can do it slowly...but if he's like me he'll poop on your pillow until you give him back his Fancy Feast...

caspersmom said...

Congratulations Karen Jo. What a fantastic lucky Friday the 13th. I am so happy for you. Herman has gotten a great forever home. Can't wait to see pictures of him. In my book take all the time you want to get to know him.

Noll's Nip said...

Herman is lucky to have found you and his forever home. All the best to you both.

The Island Cats said...

Oh we just read the news about you adopting Herman! How wonderful!! We just know this is going to be purrfect for both of you! We don't know a lot about the FeLV/FIV, but you have gotten some good advice from others so far. We eat good quality, grain free foods ourselves. There are other FIV kitties in the blogosphere too...Mickey and Hendrix come to mind.

We can't wait to hear more about Herman and see pictures!

Kaz's Cats said...

Awesome news! We're so pleased for both of you. Mum doesn't know much about special foods for FeLV/FIV+ kitties, but it seems like some smart cats have already posted some good info. Looking forward to see photos of Herman in his new home,

Purrs

Gypsy & Tasha

Jans Funny Farm said...

Okay, now we're caught up and understand who Herman is. However did we miss your exciting news before yesterday's post? This is thrilling.

Everycat said...

What wonderful news! So pleased that Herman is coming to live with you. Great suggestions for food above - would add Hills AD as a high calorie food as a booster if he needs it ever.

We know that stress is the biggest enemy of all cats who are FiV/FeLv+, so plenty of peace and quiet and a Feliway diffuser or two around his new home will really help him settle. Cats have a really unique metabolism, so stress impacts physically very quickly in cats.

Best of luck, look forward to seeing some pictures of Herman!

Whicky Wuudler & Mum.

The Cat Realm said...

What a wonderful story, we are so happy for you and Herman!!! Our staff loves this book, the recipes are for raw meat but in a case where the cat can't or won't eat raw it can be cooked! Lots of info.

http://www.drpitcairn.com/books/pitcairn_book.html

Puss-in-Boots said...

Oh that's such fantastic news. I really felt for poor Herman...he's had a rough haul. As for food...probably cooked chicken, finely minced so as to be easily digestible...maybe fish without bones? I don't know for sure, but that makes sense to me.

Anyway, all the best for you and Herman and I look forward to seeing a photo when he's settled.

Tyler said...

My mom's all choked up and leaky reading about you adopting a special kitty. We can't wait to meet Herman.

There's a lady on about.com that writes about kitties. She writes about her favorite cat foods and why.