Bosco lived peacefully with 15-18 other cats at Leuk's Landing, a shelter for FeLuk+ cats in Ann Arbor.

Photo by Leona Foster

One Saturday morning in early 2009, my husband and I crossed over the border to Windsor to pick up a 5-year-old tabby cat, along with his medical records, international health certificate and a card from the people who had cared for him since he was a kitten.

Bosco lived at Jazzpurr Society for Animal Protection, a no-kill cat shelter. He had arrived there as a kitten, along with his three sisters and brothers. All of them were tested and all were found to be feline leukemia positive.

Feline leukemia is an incurable viral disease that threatens (and takes) the lives of many cats. An estimated 2-3 percent of cats in the U.S. are infected. Once infected, most cats succumb within 2-3 years. Because it is contagious to other cats, feline leukemia positive kitties must be kept separated.

One by one during that first year, the other kittens died and only Bosco was left. To avoid infecting other Jazzpurr cats, Bosco lived in a separate room at the shelter, where he quickly became the favorite of staff and volunteers. Knowing that it was not the optimum life for him, they made a concerted effort to find a home where he would be the only cat. By the fall of 2008, however, Bosco was still at Jazzpurr House.

Hope came in the form of Leuk's Landing, a wonderful Ann Arbor-based organization. A shelter for feline leukemia positive cats, it was started in 2007 by Leona Foster. Leona has always loved cats, and several years ago began thinking of a way to help those who needed it most. She initially considered a shelter for older cats, but Dr. Kaufeld and Dr. Racey at Country Cat Clinic convinced her that the greatest need was a home for feline leukemia positive cats. Even in no-kill shelters, cats who have this disease often face death because of the impracticality of keeping them separated from other cats and the incurable nature of the disease.

When she learned about Bosco, Leona agreed that he should come to Leuk’s Landing. His caretakers at JSAP bid him farewell (sending his special pillow and signing a card of remembrances about him so that his new people would know how loved he was) and he crossed the border to begin his new life. Although he spent a fair amount of the first few months in hiding, he always got along with the other cats. But gradually, and especially as warm weather came in 2009, he came out of his shell. There’s a fenced area that the kitties have access to during warmer weather, and Bosco loved being outdoors.

He was one of the oldest cats at The Landings, and celebrated his 6th birthday this spring. Then, last month, the disease began its inevitable progression. During the hot weather in early July, he experienced trouble breathing and his lungs filled with fluid. A sad, but necessary decision was made, and he was euthanized in mid-July.

Julia, who had cared for him at JSAP said: “Bosco, you were greatly loved on both sides of the border! May you rest in peace.”

Leona paid tribute to him: “He was a gentle soul who really enjoyed going outside and sleeping in the shade. His sweet disposition and perpetual smile on his face will be missed by all of us all.”

Barely able to keep his eyes open, Bosco enjoyed relaxing at Leuk's Landing.

Photo by Leona Foster

Bee Friedlander is Managing Director (and one of the bloggers) at the Animals and Society Institute, and can be reached at bee.friedlander@animalsandsociety.org. She spends her spare time taking care of her three cats at home and a multitude of others at several shelters where she volunteers.