A beloved community cat has found its furever home.
Leo, a friendly neighbourhood cat, spent the last two winters sitting in front of Gimli residents’ screen doors, begging for food and scratches. The entire neighbourhood fell in love with the fluffy feline, but they left it to its own devices. Leo was someone’s pet—it just didn’t really want to be.
Amanda Greenberg is one of the people who saw Leo frequently throughout the winter.
This year, she started bringing the cat in to eat in her kitchen, and she found out a few of her neighbours had been doing the same thing.
“Everyone’s just in love with him,” she said.
However, when the cat started spraying on everyone’s decks, the community quickly wanted Leo neutered to solve the problem.
Greenberg’s son took a liking to the cat, so she brought it inside one night and Leo cuddled with the child. She then decided to contact Leo’s owner to see if they could adopt it, and the old owner — knowing Leo was an escape artist who wanted to be elsewhere — said yes.
Greenberg took their new pet to the vet before fully adopting it, paying a few hundred dollars for medications to help its wounds from the cruel outside world. The community then pitched in to get the four-year-old cat neutered, but bigger issues arose before Greenberg could book the appointment.
Leo showed up to her house one day, beaten up and with an extremely full, oozing bladder. She quickly took Leo to Gimli Veterinary Services, and within a day of her neighbours finding out, they raised a collective $500 for related treatment.
That $500 went a long way — Leo got neutered, had the wounds cleaned and a bladder draining, and had blood tests done. Those tests found Leo positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
Before Leo gets treatment for FIV, the vet wants the wounds to heal. Once Leo is better, the cat will likely start taking medication to protect its immune system for as long as possible.
Cats with FIV typically live seven years after contracting the virus, though some have lived more than 15. Greenberg is hopeful they’ll have more than seven years with Leo.
Right now, the Norwegian king forest cat/Bengal/Savannah mix is living within two rooms in Greenberg’s house, being trained to live as a house cat since it’s not allowed outside anymore.
Though it is a struggle to adjust to life indoors, Leo is doing well, Greenberg said.
Greenberg has two other cats and three dogs, all of whom are kept separate from Leo right now. Once it’s better and he can roam the house, the family will keep an eye on Leo to make sure the other cats don’t contract FIV.
“He’s such a sweet cat,” said Greenberg. “He’s so loving.”
Leo waits for Greenberg’s son to get home from school every day, running to the door when he does. Leo loves playing with toys, jumping super high, and jumping into humans’ arms. Neighbours pop by every now and then to check on Leo, bringing gifts when they do.
