Austin Program Is Saving Cats with Leukemia that are Euthanized Elsewhere

Source: © Shutterstock

There is a special program in Austin, Texas that is saving hundreds of pets that otherwise would be euthanized if they were some place else, according to Austin (KXAN). Typically, cats that are diagnosed with the Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), they are euthanized, but the Austin Pets Alive! FeLV Adoption Center is keeping cats that have been diagnosed with this disease and they are helping to place them in loving, caring homes.

Austin says that about 2% of the cat population have the virus and this sizable amount of cats are being killed all over the country, and it’s a needless act. That doesn’t happen at Austin Pets Alive! They save nearly 100% of their cats with the virus, and they go above and beyond that, even. They also pull in cats from around the country who have FeLV, including Mexico.

The organization has a unique set of data compared to most other places in the country. They developed a partnership with the Austin non-profit along with the University of Florida, and are studying the group of cats that they have with them in Austin, with the hopes that one day, they will find a cure for FeLV.

Until that day comes, however, their main purpose to help give cats a life that they deserve; a life that does not differ from the life they would have, if not for the virus.

When the organization watches one of these felines get adopted and go home to live the quality of life they deserve, it makes them all so happy and makes everything they do, all worth while. They also try to make the process of adopting a cat with this virus, as easy of a process as possible. For one, they don’t charge an adoption fee. They also provide lifelong, free medical care for anything that is related to the virus.

There are two locations for this organization, Town Lake and Tarrytown, and cats are available for adoption at both locations. Potential adopters should know that cats with the virus, cannot be mixed with cats that do not have it.

Austin Pets Alive! accepts donations for the FeLV Adoption Center. The center is home to about 100 cats with the virus at any given time. And this year alone, nearly 100 cats diagnosed with the virus have been adopted. The program is setting a new precedent for other cat rescue organizations and they are proud to be saving cats with this virus, all over the country.

The cat program manager, Monica Frenden was quoted as saying, “One of the most common things we hear about feline leukemia is, ‘oh these cats are sick and suffering, they should be euthanized.’” According to her, that is a misconception because although the virus does weaken the cats’ immune system, there are still many cats that, with good care, can go on to live many more years. Better still, there are even some cats that go on to beat the virus and test negative for it, later down the road. For these reasons, these cats need to be given a chance to live some kind of life, and so make it a happy one for them.

Save