As long as I’ve known my husband, he has always wanted a cat. I resisted as long as I could, but I finally started looking for a kitten to surprise him for his birthday. I casually searched through adoption sites and came across a chubby gray kitten named Titan. He was found all alone in a backyard and picked up by a local rescue shortly after. I read further through his story and learned that he had been diagnosed with Feline Leukemia (FeLV) at 7 weeks old. For those who don’t know, feline leukemia is a transmittable RNA retrovirus that severely weakens a cat’s immune system and predisposes cats to a variety of infections and diseases, including anemia, kidney disease and lymphosarcoma, a highly malignant and fatal cancer of the lymph system. Because FeLV is transmittable to other cats, Titan would need to be adopted as an only cat and kept indoors at all times, as to not compromise his immune system. I immediately showed Titan’s story to my husband and we both knew we needed him in our lives.
We educated ourselves on FeLV before meeting Titan for the first time. Although FeLV almost always means an extremely short lifespan, for us it was a no-brainer – for better or worse, Titan would always have the two of us in his corner. Of course, you would never know that Titan was FeLV+. He was the most energetic, curious, loving, devilish, playful, sweetheart of a kitten. We adopted little Titan in June 2015 and promised him that we would do everything in our power to give him the best life possible.
A second FeLV test a few weeks later confirmed that he was still positive for the virus. He likely got it from his mother at birth. We found a veterinarian who’d had prior successes in treating patients with FeLV and scheduled a consultation. She recommended a regimen of NAET, immune support supplements, goat’s milk, and LTCI injections in the hopes that we could restore Titan’s immune function. LTCI or Lymphocyte T Immunomodulator, is a new, USDA-approved treatment for FeLV and FIV in cats. LTCI is a naturally-occurring, immune-modulating protein that helps restore a cat’s ability to fight infection. It is administered at regular intervals, based on the cat’s individual response. Although it is not labeled as a cure, it does assist in the treatment of FeLV and FIV by restoring a cat’s normal immune system function. Just three months after his first visit, Titan was retested for FeLV and the results were negative! He continues to be monitored and retested and is still testing negative.
We had been back and forth with the idea of adopting a second cat after Titan was cleared. It felt as though he could never get enough playtime from us alone. We took Titan back to the rescue he came from so that he could pick out his own sibling. While a few of the kittens Titan met were afraid of him, one little black kitten was very curious and couldn’t get enough of him. The two had an undeniable connection, so we adopted the little black kitten and named him Midas.
Midas came home with us in February 2016 and his energy was a perfect pairing with Titan’s. Midas made himself at home from day 1 – I think he purred for an entire night. He gets along perfectly with Titan and the two of them can often be found snuggling with each other at nap time or chasing each other at playtime – they feed off of each other’s energy but also balance each other out. While Titan is often more calm and reserved, Midas is usually playful and fearless.
Since we had already been harness training Titan since Christmastime and began training Midas right after we adopted him. They both adjusted to their harnesses and leashes quickly and we’ve been able to take them on walks and hikes with us regularly.
We never thought it would be possible for Titan to have a sibling, let alone go outside but now they are both getting ready to go backpacking through South America with us at the beginning of 2017. They live for adventure and we are very lucky that we can always take them with us. I can’t imagine it any other way!