Valentino arrived just after Christmas and what a gift he has proven to be! He loves to talk, adores attention and produces the most appealing purr-grunts when petted.

Trapped behind our sanctuary in January 2008, one-year-old Valentino was suffering from several infected wounds that ran up one entire leg and was so malnourished he devoured two cans of food his first night in isolation. Unfortunately, when we took him to the vet, we learned he was more than just injured and starved--he is also FeLV positive.

FeLV is Feline Leukemia Virus, a terminal illness. Any outdoor cat runs the risk of exposure and the effects are devastating. But with research underway, there is light at the end of the FeLV tunnel--the virus, it seems, is becoming smarter and has learned that the sooner it kills its host, the sooner it, too, shall die. As a result FeLV-positive cats are often living longer--sometimes up to several years with proper care.

Since FeLV is contagious to other cats, Valentino doesn't live at Heaven on Earth's sanctuary. Instead, he is spending his days in the FeLV room at a sister organization's shelter where he hangs out with other FeLV cats as he awaits a home of his own--or perhaps a cure.

Incidentally, we first called this medium-haired tuxedo boy Valentino because he's such a lover. But then we decided he deserved the good karma of something more hale and hearty, so we searched a name site for ‘healthy" and guess what topped the list? Yep, "Valentino!"

Some things are just meant to be--like your sponsorship of this sweet boy. Please help us help Valentino and sponsor him today!

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