Old Friends

Chairman of the Board

These old street bosses have settled their differences - and chosen the good life! Call him Tony Soprano, the Godfather, Al Capone, or anything else you like. Just don't call him late for dinner!

This is Grey Wolf (at right), chairman of the board at Number Six, WildCats Village, home to a delightful bunch of former rough-and-tumble feline thugs, now turned lover boys!

Grey Wolf (or G.W.) and his pals all have FIV - the feline immunodeficiency virus - which they wear somewhat proudly as a badge of honor as former street cats.

What's FIV?

FIV is generally passed from one cat to another through bite wounds, which is why you find it mostly in big male alley cats.

But for G.W. and his pals, those fighting days are over. Five years ago, a rescue group in Naperville, Illinois, took him off the streets for good when he tested positive for FIV. It's one of those viruses that play havoc with the immune system, so once you've got it, you're vulnerable to any other infections that might come your way.

The rescue group couldn't find him a permanent home. And they couldn't give him the long-term care he needs themselves. So he came to the sanctuary and began a new life with others of his kind.

No Fighting, No Biting!

Now 11 years old, G.W. is described by his favorite staff person, Shannon Riddle, as "a big, laidback mush."

"He crawls very purposefully into your lap, and refuses to leave," explains Shannon. "And he has a huge fan club among Best Friends members who have visited him here. Some of them even mail him packages on a regular basis!"

So, having declared peace on the world at large, Grey Wolf enjoys playing Dad to the other FIV kitties. Pay him a visit, and you'll likely find him curled up in a basket with a whole group of his juniors.

And while this one-eyed, broken-eared, somewhat scabby old fellow would never win an award at a chi-chi cat show, he's a hands-down winner here at the TLC Cat Club.

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