For your next birthday, you might want a big party, a new pair of shoes, some gadgets or just a nice meal out. But this adorable cat, Twizzle, just wants a new home.
Gorgeous Twizzle, who turned eight in March, has spent 125 days at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, more than five times longer than the average cat.
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The Domestic short-hair has now been waiting so long that he's turned another year older while living at the charity's London cattery, so staff decided to throw Twizzle a birthday bash to cheer him up, as well as to try to capture the attention of potential new owners.
Twizzle enjoyed a full-on party with banners and even a cat-friendly cake.
Staff at the charity believe that the reason for Twizzle's unusually long stay is because he suffers from the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV+), a slow-acting contagious virus specific to cats that affects between 2 and 5 per cent of the UK's 11.1 million cats.
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Although many FIV-positive cats enjoy long, happy and healthy lives, it does happen occasionally that cats do become unwell as a result of the infection, so potential owners are often less keen to take them on.
Because the infection is contagious, Battersea rehomes FIV-positive cats to homes with enclosed gardens to prevent cats from mixing with one another.
"Twizzle is such a lovely cat and it's a huge shame that he has been waiting for so long to find a home," says Battersea's Cattery Team Leader, Rosa Steele. "He is an intelligent, playful cat and has a lot to offer as a pet. We hope that anyone considering adopting a cat will get in touch to see if Twizzle could be their perfect match. What better birthday gift could you give one of our cats than a loving new home?"
Let's hope Twizzle's birthday wish comes true this year, and that he can spend his ninth birthday with a lovely new family.
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To find out more about Battersea's cats, please visit www.battersea.org.uk. Further information about FIV can be found on the Battersea website.
Featured Image Credit: Battersea Dogs & Cats HomeTopics: Life News, Cat, Real, Animals, Cats