On April 4, 2021, I met The-Cat-Then-Known-As-Mister-Marbles at the home of one of the caretakers of a cat colony at the top of Aiea Heights, loaded the cat and carrier into our car, and drove him home. It was Easter Sunday, and Mr. Marbles was about to start a whole new life. If you’re a new reader of this blog, Mr. Marbles is the big orange tabby now known as Kinikini, a Hawaiian word which, in one of its meanings, refers to the game of marbles, and harkens back to his origins living outdoors in Aiea.

But back on that morning four years ago, hours before the scheduled pick-up, I blogged the latest news. Marbles had tested negative for feline leukemia virus, but positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, or FIV.

“This was news that we didn’t expect. And it wasn’t good.”

Feline immunodeficiency virus, or cat FIV, is a retrovirus infection first discovered in cats in the U.S. The virus is often referred to as cat HIV or cat AIDS because it has a similar effect on felines. FIV-positive cats may have the virus in their system for years before showing signs of illness.

The virus works by killing or damaging cells in a cat’s immune system, often targeting white blood cells. The ongoing damage of FIV in cats eventually leads to a weakening of the immune system. Once that happens, cats with FIV can become vulnerable to secondary infections.Little was previously known about how FIV was transmitted, and so the traditional advice was to avoid bringing an FIV-positive cat into a home to live with other FIV-negative cats.

But lots had been learned about FIV, indicating that many cats can expect to live a normal life despite being FIV-positive. Research has also shown that it isn’t transmitted through casual contact between cats, so the other members of our feline household were most likely not being put at risk.

My last blog post before the pick-up described our mixed feelings.

Marbles’ vet visit wasn’t all bad news. The vet pronounced him otherwise quite healthy, with no indication that his FIV status has any current impact on his health. As you can imagine, this put us in a bind and we spent the rest of the afternoon struggling with what we should do. We had, after all, already made a commitment to Mr. Marbles, leading to his removal from the colony where he had been living. And, of course, we already have an obligation to Romeo and Kali….

Of the things I read yesterday about FIV, one stands out. It was advice aimed at other vets. It went something like this: “Treat the cat in front of you. Don’t treat the test.”

And the cat in front of us, currently known as Mr. Marbles, appears to be a sweet, friendly, healthy cat.

So we’re in. I’ll pick him up in a few hours.

And we now feel so lucky to have accepted the risk and brought Kinikini into our home. He’s the only male living with three finicky females. He is a really, really good cat.

Anyway, please enjoy the week’s photos. I may have slipped in a couple extra of Kinikini pics to mark the occasion.