There are all sorts of pets that are looking for their forever home around southeast Minnesota, but these two cats are in a unique situation. Paws and Claws Humane Society in Rochester, Minnesota is taking care of these two right now and is hoping to find a perfect forever home for this mother/son duo.

I volunteer at Paws and Claws and it's so much fun getting to spend quality time with all of the cats. But we got an email recently about these two cats in particular who aren't able to officially be put up for adoption on their website.

Get our free mobile app

Scout and Jem's Story

The cats' names are Scout and Jem. Scout is 12 years old and she's the mother of Jem, who's 11 years old. They were found living under a trailer in Red Wing. They do have microchips and were able to be traced back to a woman who used to live on that property. She had gotten them spayed/neutered, microchipped, fed them, and brought them inside on cold days but otherwise, they were outdoor cats. Sadly, the woman moved away 10 years ago and she wasn't able to bring them with her. But Scout and Jem have stayed on the property.

They were brought to Paws and Claws and, unfortunately, Jem tested positive for FIV (Feline immunodeficiency virus). FIV is sometimes called cat HIV or cat AIDS. Pets WebMD says, "The virus works by killing or damaging cells in a cat's immune system, often targeting white blood cells." Cats are able to pass FIV on to other cats if the positive cat bites another cat.

Because Jem is FIV-positive, Board policy doesn't allow him to be adopted out from their website or Facebook page. They wanted to bring Scout and Jem to Home for Life (which I wrote about recently) but they won't accept the two of them together because Scout isn't FIV-positive. Since these two are such a bonded pair Paws and Claws will not separate them so now they're trying to find a good forever home for them in whatever way they're able.

In the email I received, Paws and Claws says "They are very sweet cats who like to be petted ... they are in good health considering how long they have been outdoor cats. ... FIV positive cats can live long lives if provided with a high quality diet, a healthy lifestyle, and good medical care."

If you or someone you know would be able to provide a loving home for these two, email catadoption@pawsandclaws.org. Their adoption fees will be waived.

Listen to the Get Up & Go Morning Show w/ Dunken & Carly On-Demand below, with the 106.9 KROC app, and on the following podcasting services:
Apple | Google | Spotify

Why do cats have whiskers? Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? And answers to 47 other kitty questions:

Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? Why do they have whiskers? Cats, and their undeniably adorable babies known as kittens, are mysterious creatures. Their larger relatives, after all, are some of the most mystical and lethal animals on the planet. Many questions related to domestic felines, however, have perfectly logical answers. Here’s a look at some of the most common questions related to kittens and cats, and the answers cat lovers are looking for.

More From Quick Country 96.5