The 45-year-old nurse has turned her two-story, eight-room apartment into a hospice for cats with feline leukemia, scattering it with scores of feeding dishes and at least two dozen boxes litter boxes. For five years, Torero has ministered to animals as they slowly succumb to the common, fatal retrovirus, which is not contagious to humans or other species. Nearly all of the street cats turn out to have the disease, as well as fleas, parasites and malnutrition. The cat boxes and heavy use of deodorants don't quite mask the powerful odor of urine, but Torero said her neighbors haven't complained. Cats with leukemia can survive for several years, though their lifespan is usually much shorter than that of an unaffected cat.