Feral Okanagan cat lands in trap, now looking for new home

OLIVER – A trap set to by a feral cat welfare group didn't capture the intended target earlier this month, but it did give a half-starved cat new hope.

Brando, a half-starved stray cat, was caught in the trap instead of the group’s intended target, a feral mother cat and her babies, AlleyCATS Alliance spokesperson Theresa Nolet says.

Described by Nolet as 'a big, burly matted mess of a guy', Brando was taken to Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital in West Kelowna for a routine neuter when Dr. Moshe Oz discovered the cat was suffering from three broken and abscessed canine teeth.

Oz spent a night performing surgery on the cat.

Once back in the hands of the alliance, Brando appeared to be healing from his surgery slowly. He was subsequently transferred to Lindsey Veterinary Hospital in Penticton where Dr. David Kopp diagnosed the Brando with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Brando was treated for 10 days with painkillers and is now showing signs of improvement.

The alliance is now looking for a home for Brando. He’s described as a loving, 'super cool' cat by Dr. Oz.

He’s going to have to be an indoor cat for the rest of his days, however, because the virus is highly contagious to other cats and is transferred mainly by bite wounds.

The alliance is hoping for donations to help cover Brando’s medical issues. Donations can be made through PayPal to the Oreo fund, which has been set up to assist with the special needs of cats and kittens of the alliance.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit the AlleyCATS web page or call 250-462-8195.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.