Sanctuary cat story: Jinji's Departure

When Jinji arrived at NFS, she was already an older cat.
According to Rachel, the founder of NFS, Jinji’s teeth were in very poor condition, and he could no longer eat properly. Hoping to treat his teeth, Rachel asked me to take him in temporarily so he could have his teeth removed by a veterinarian.

It was clear that his teeth was the problem, with odor coming from his mouth

When he has arrived, Jinji could only manage a few ships of wet food. I thought, “Once his teeth are fixed, he’ll be able to eat well again.”
But when the blood test results came back—Jinji was diagnosed with FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), commonly known as “Feline AIDS.” This meant he could not undergo anesthesia for dental surgery. The only thing we could do for him was to give pain relief and anti-inflammatory injections to make him more comfortable.

Jinji weighed less than 2 kilograms (4.4 lbs). He was nothing but skin and bones. But with emergency care, he regained his appetite a little and gained a few hundred grams.
Despite his frail body, Jinji was remarkably bright and affectionate. He could only come out of his cage when there were no other cats around, but whenever I called his name, he would run to me and curl up on my lap—such a loving soul, hard to believe he had spent so many years in a shelter.

With a few shots, he could eat some days and gain weight

Still, there was a limit to how long painkillers could sustain his. Some days he could not eat at all; other days, he would make an effort to eat. His health gradually declined, and I knew his time was running short.
I wanted him to spend the final days where he had lived for so many years—with Rachel. So I brought him back to the shelter.

He prefered chicken and small fish over dry cat food. 

Two days later, Rachel called to tell me that Jinji had passed away peacefully in his sleep. The night before, he had eaten three pieces of chicken.

Jinji was healthy cat untill his symptom started to show. 

Perhaps if NFS had noticed his condition earlier, treatment might have been possible. But with hundreds of cats at NFS, it is not easy for Rachel and her staff to find every health issue of these cats in time. Still, from the day Jinji was rescued, he never have to face hunger again, and he lived the rest of his life in safety and comfort—until in his last breath. He was buried with another long term cat, Trever, who passed away a few weeks ahead with kidney failure. 

Trever, a long time famous cat of NSF also passed on with kidney issue. 

His gentle eyes on the photos still makes me in tears.

Sadly, not many cats in Nairobi are as fortunate as Jinji, spending their lives in peace and safety. Countless cats here lose their lives to hunger, traffic accidents, or even human cruelty.

Most of the cats that arrive at NFS come from such harsh conditions. We want to give as many of them as possible a safe, loving place to live. To do that, we need to build another shelter.

Your support can help us make this a reality—and give more cats the chance to live, and leave this world, with dignity. Please support our shelter project.