Shaggy was a beautiful, sweet, forgiving kitty that FCCR humanely euthanized on Wed., Aug. 20th.
Here is Shaggy's story:

Shaggy was brought to FCCR in April of 2007 by a kind woman.
He had been left behind by his previous owner's when they moved.
Left to fend for himself for 6 months before coming to FCCR, Shaggy was a mess.
The woman that brought him in lived in the same neighborhood as the cruel people that left him behind. This woman saw him
scrounge for food, fight with other cats, and be abused by other neighbors.

Shaggy was terrified when he came to FCCR. He was matted to the skin & very thin. I was worried that he had arrived too late and we wouldn't be able to rehabilitate him.

However, shortly after arriving at FCCR, Shaggy began to trust humans again. Instead of cowering in the back of the cage,
he began to come up to the front and allow us to pet him.

Shaggy was also neutered and tested soon after arriving, and to our dismay he tested positive for FIV (Feline
Immunodeficiency Virus).

Of course FIV is not a death sentence at FCCR, and as long as Shaggy got along with the other kitties he would be fine to
stay in the shelter. (FIV is transmitted through breeding and bite wounds.)

Before long everyone had fallen in love with this big, affectionate kitty. However, due to the FIV, we couldn't find
anyone willing to adopt him.

After about 5 months in the shelter, Shaggy started having behavioral and medical problems. He no longer wanted to
tolerate the other kitties, and got into a couple of fights. Luckily nobody got bit, but we knew we couldn't take
the risk of him biting another cat the next time he got riled up. Shaggy also started having problems with his
mouth. He developed severe stomatitis of the gums, and his mouth became very painful.

I knew that if I wanted to continue to help Shaggy that I needed to find him a foster home where there were no other cats.

Luckily, at the time we had a wonderful volunteer named Claudia that shared her home with 2 big shepherd mix dogs, but
no cats. I asked Claudia if she would foster Shaggy until we could find him a permanent home and she accepted.

Shaggy also had to get medical attention in regards to his mouth, and almost all of his teeth were pulled.

The last year of Shaggy's life was blessed. We never found anyone to adopt him, so he spent the year with Claudia.
Although Shaggy continued to have health problems due to his FIV & stomatitis, he got to be in a home and be loved.
Shaggy spent his days lounging on the dog bed, visiting the garden in the backyard, and soaking up love from Claudia and
her visitors.

I am deeply grateful to Shaggy for reminding me to forgive and move on, and to Claudia for giving Shaggy a wonderful
last year.

I am also grateful to Claudia's mother, Ursula, who made a generous donation to FCCR in memory of Shaggy.

Shaggy will never be forgotten.

- Sarah Swanty