u/averagecanine69

hey all! brand spankin' new here. i just put down my senior FIV+ cat, Moonpie on Sunday. he was strictly indoors, no outside time under any circumstances due to a multitude of conditions on top of his compromised immune system. well, the cat distribution system came for me literally the next day and dropped off Tiramisu. She came from a pretty rough background, so I want to approach her training with care (and lots of treats and positive reinforcement, of course).

But...how does one train and motivate their kitten into an adventure cat?

I want to clarify something strictly before continuing: She will ONLY be outside when I am riding my single speed bike with her. I live downtown in a mid-sized city, but I could take her to a few different places to train. When I imagine it in my head, she would be riding in a backpack, but I have read a few posts on here suggesting she ride first on shoulders.

I am taking her for a full vet exam in about a week, and once she has been on parasite preventative/been cleared in regards to physical health, I will be buying a harness, leash, and eventually a backpack.

My family, while loving animals, were not very smart with them. They also primarily owned dogs, and Moonpie was my first non-family/adult pet. So any articles, videos, links, WHATEVER YOU GOT that will help me make her ride-ready would be greatly appreciated. step-by-step guides, where to start, product recs, all of it. General cat info is also greatly appreciated!

First pic is Tiramisu, second pic is her predecessor Moonpie who taught me the love of cats.

hey all! FIV+ cat parent here! meet moonpie. he's my 12 y/o FIV+ long haired tuxedo. he has inflammatory bowel disease, a heart murmur, a leaky eye, arthritis, and only seven teeth left. when I adopted moonpie from the rescue I volunteered at, I was told "he will get sick as he gets older". Well, he got sick immediately. it started off with diarrhea, and that was always the main concern. every vet i took him to chalked it up to 'well, he just has FIV+'. I adopted him when he was 4, and I didn't get the referral to an internal specialist vet for another five years.

fast forward that amount of time and about $3k later (not including boarding and grooming for when it was safe for him to be boarded), he is an old, aging man. he is on a steroid to manage his bowels, an anti nausea to keep his Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein down, and a fiber/probiotic supplement. I blend his food in a bullet blender morning and night so he can have fresh, easy to chew food. he likes to eat plastic bags and lay in the sun. First pic is from a few years ago, second pic is Moonpie snoozing with my girlfriend. he got incredibly matted recently so we opted for a lion cut hence his goofy looking appearance.

all this to say this cat has been my heart animal like no other. i have always touted myself as a dog person, but Moonpie proved otherwise. he is so sweet, he has such a big personality, and he is a grade A cuddler.

having a sick, special needs cat is hard. it is expensive. it is very stressful at times. but he has been worth every moment, every penny, all the blood sweat and tears. we're not quite sure what his outlook is with his current health, but his vets are currently only worried about his white blood cell count. I've made it clear that, at his age, I need more symptom management and quality of life care than I do a proper diagnosis of anything else. They have been understanding and gracious about my wishes.

i just wanted to share a quick blurb about the sickest little man whose changed my life for the better. i know i've got him for awhile longer, thank god.