Churro is a friendly, buff-orange Maine coon mix, about two and a half years old, who lost his home when the person who meant the world to him went into assisted living. Shortly after he arrived in his foster home, he showed himself to be a friendly, affectionate boy ready to respond to a kind touch with a warm purr. He has a history of peacefully coexisting with dogs, but not always with other cats-- sometimes yes, sometimes no. The surest way to his heart seems to be through brushing. Churro would do best in an interactive home where he isn’t left alone for long hours. Whoever is fortunate enough to adopt this boy will gain a best friend who will be a devoted companion for life. He has been neutered, is current on vaccinations, treated for worms and fleas, and tested negative for FeLV but positive for FIV (more information about that will be below). His adopter will receive his medical records. He’s being fostered in Allston. Adoptions are facilitated by video meet-and-greets, as well as in-person visits. There is a simple adoption process and an adoption fee, which helps us continue rescuing cats in need. In Churro's case, it's a mere $195-- a bargain for a new best friend who will love you for the rest of his life. Cats can live up to 20 years, so please consider whether you can commit to providing a safe, loving home for life before adopting. Please email Safercats11@gmail.com with your phone number and a little about yourself and the home you would provide. Doing so helps rescuers match cats with the right adopters. FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. It's the cat version of HIV in humans, but cats' immune systems handle it far more successfully than the human immune system handles HIV. There is no treatment necessary, nor does one exist. There is no difference in indoor FIV-positive cats' day-to-day lives. A Canadian veterinary study shows that the life expectancy of indoor FIV-positive cats is roughly the same as cats who don't have it (see for yourself: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2822370) as long as they are kept inside because their greatest vulnerability is to infections that they are likely to encounter only outside. (Allowing ANY cat outside decreases life-expectancy by about 70%.) It is non-contagious to animals other than cats-- even then, it can be transmitted under a very limited set of scenarios: 1) Sexual intercourse (which can't happen in this case) 2) From mother to kitten (which also can't happen in this case) 3) Ingestion of blood of an FIV-positive cat into an FIV-negative cat (highly unlikely!) A shelter study of FIV-positive cats kept in free-roaming areas with FIV-negative cats showed a transmission rate of zero, to the surprise of absolutely no one in the rescue community. Thus, another cat would be only slightly more likely to get FIV from Churro than to get struck by lightning. In short, FIV is a big nothing. .