07/12/2022
In December 2016, Sora was being prepared to leave his homeland in Japan to come to Charleston. Several long flights later, he arrived to live a nice and happy life as a foster cat followed by adoption by his super Meowmy and Cat Dad. Sora and Roux (a foster kitten he bonded with) went to their parents together and now live in Tennessee.
Below you will be able to read the original post from Sora's rescuer (and the photo she included) who resided in Japan at the time. I saw this in October 2016 and immediately knew we would be his foster home, if at all possible.
"Greetings from Okinawa!
I take great pleasure in introducing Sora. This poor stray was found limping around Okinawa, Japan. Upon taking him to the vet, it was discovered that the limp was caused by an infected cat bite. Additionally, he came up FIV positive, but has not shown any adverse signs or symptoms due to this illness. Since this vet visit, Sora’s infection has been fully resolved.
Regarding personality, Sora was initially timid around humans. After two months of trust building, he now allows me to pet him and is proving to be a very loving cat. He has gone from the mentality that he needs to hide to being much more social. He will come out and eat right besides me with little to no hesitation. I feel he can live well in a home with dogs; provided that the owner gives him space to adjust to the new surroundings.
I want to give Sora the best life possible; A TNR program is not best suited for him. Furthermore, there are no shelters here in Okinawa that will accept FIV positive cats. I’ve talked with a few other volunteers that have had success in finding sanctuaries in the U.S. that would take animals in. There is a HUGE population of stray cats in Okinawa. If Sora is released, it’s frankly only a matter of time before he dies. Road Kill is horrendous here and Typhoons come through on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, since the Island is so small, the government cannot “house” all the strays. When picked up by animal control, the animals have only a few days to be claimed before they are gassed.
I have hit a dead-end in finding a promising future for Sora. I would hate to see anything but the best to happen for this cat. Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions."
