# What lies ahead for a cat with HIV?



## Donna773 (Dec 12, 2010)

Do any other Forum members own cats with FIV (the feline equivalent of HIV)? My young tabby Henry, a very affectionate stray who adopted me a few months ago, has just been diagnosed with it and I'd like to know more about what lies ahead. I know he has a reduced immune system but how much is it likely to shorten his life? The vet has told me a few things but the best advice would surely come from those with direct experience of coping with FIV. This is the man himself (well, he's thankfully half a man since I had him neutered so at least he can't pass is FIV on).


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## Reliant Robin (Aug 25, 2010)

Hi Donna 773

We had a lovely male cat, Robin, who was 16 years old. He was diagnosed with FIV. The reason behind having him tested was he kept having problems with sneezing and coughing. This was eventually diagnosed as rhinitis. Antibiotics worked for a while then they didn't and he started to lose weight. The rhinitis went on for some six months. Towards the end the sparkle went out of his eyes and moving around became hard work. He wouldn't eat much either. Despite having Henry "done" he can pass FIV on. It is passed on like humans in bodily fluids. He could pass it on to other cats by fighting. Some cats, we were told, can be born with it and it remains dormant for years. Cats can have it for years but it doesn't appear until it becomes full blown with some other medical condition or you have them tested like you have done with Henry. With Robin it was diagnosed as it became full blown FIV. Enjoy your time with Henry and keep an eye out for any medical condition that persists. Good luck.

From Fellow Cat Lovers


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

If there is any risk of him infecting other cats and you can´t keep him permanently indoors the best thing is to have him put to sleep. Is that what the vet is advising?


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

One of my cats is FIV positive--he is fine.I do keep a special eye on him-but he's 10 now-and no problems.I do accept he may have a shorter life span than a non-FIV cat- but hewill have lived a good full catty life out here in the campo! He has remained well for his life despite the FIV.In theory he could infect my other cats with his saliva-but it is impossible to separate feeding bowls however hard I try!
Henry is a beautiful cat-very handsome- !!I'm sure he will have a great life with you!


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## Donna773 (Dec 12, 2010)

Many thanks for the advice. Alcalaina, I am afraid that putting him to sleep at this stage is the last thing I would do! He is a lovely, affectionate cat (over-affectionate at times) and the vet certainly did not suggest such drastic action. He is also anything but a fighter - incredibly docile, in fact. However, he has had an abcess on his chest which has resulted in him losing a lot of fur and which the vet has been treating with various injections. The abcess has now more or less gone, but he still has a big bald patch and looks a bit like ET in places! What I will have to watch is his contact with my two other cats. The vet did not say he could still spread the FIV - I will check with him further when I take Henry back for his final injection on Wednesday.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Donna773 said:


> Many thanks for the advice. Alcalaina, I am afraid that putting him to sleep at this stage is the last thing I would do! He is a lovely, affectionate cat (over-affectionate at times) and the vet certainly did not suggest such drastic action. He is also anything but a fighter - incredibly docile, in fact. However, he has had an abcess on his chest which has resulted in him losing a lot of fur and which the vet has been treating with various injections. The abcess has now more or less gone, but he still has a big bald patch and looks a bit like ET in places! What I will have to watch is his contact with my two other cats. The vet did not say he could still spread the FIV - I will check with him further when I take Henry back for his final injection on Wednesday.


Well I can see he is lovely, and obviously it´s your decision but personally I would not put my other cats at risk if I were in your situation. Just one little spat between them and they could get infected - check out Feline Leukemia and AIDS

Vets will usually say what they think you want to hear, epecially if it involves taking money off you.

Sorry to sound callous and cynical but when all is said and done it is a cat, not a child.


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## Seb* (Mar 22, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Vets will usually say what they think you want to hear, epecially if it involves taking money off you.
> 
> Sorry to sound callous and cynical but when all is said and done it is a cat, not a child.


The infection risk is low. Not every cat is fighting other cats all day, you know? It's like HIV in humans. Are you keeping save distance from someone who is infected? You might run the risk that you both hurt yourself at the same time and then mingle your (infectious - for most blood) body fluids! To generalise and tell someone to put his/her pet to sleep isn´t very helpful.

It's how FIV works. If you have several cats living together the infection risk is minimal. They can eat and drink out of the same bowl without infecting eachother. It's a different matter if your cat is out all night constantly fighting other cats, this is totally in the owner's hand to decide (and even then it needs to be a good and bloody fight to cause an infection). Especially in this case (young cat) I would guess, the infection happened in the mother's uterus / during the birth. Actually it's common to *not* put an infected cat to sleep until the symptoms and inevitable follow up diseases lower the life quality of the animal. FIV can be dormant for years without affecting your cat in the slightest.

To the OP: enjoy the time with your cat. When and if the disease breaks out nobody can tell you. It might never and you have lovely 10 or 15 years ahead of you. Just keep it in mind, and watch out for symptoms of a lowered immune system.

EDIT: I had my first contact with FIV, while it was still rather unknown in the 1980s. Our cat died of end stadium FIV (or rather the conditions followed the low immune system) - It wasn't pretty and the vets were rather clueless about the whole thing. Since then the ongoing research made the whole disease less frightening - vaccinations are available and reliable tests take the horror out of it.


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

I totally agree with Seb-what a grim suggestion to put your cat to sleep if it has FIV--bit like saying if you have AIDS then you ought to be euthenased! Henry looks a glorious cat-and my FIV cat is definately not going to sleep until the time is right.
Outrageous suggestion in my opinion!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

zilly said:


> I totally agree with Seb-what a grim suggestion to put your cat to sleep if it has FIV--bit like saying if you have AIDS then you ought to be euthenased! Henry looks a glorious cat-and my FIV cat is definately not going to sleep until the time is right.
> Outrageous suggestion in my opinion!


It's NOT the same as human euthanasia. There is a lot of sentimentality about cats and dogs which can sometimes stand in the way of common sense. Spain is crawling with feral animals spreading all sorts of infection and disease; if we take them into our homes we have a responsibility not only for their lives but also for their deaths. Keeping an infected animal alive because it is cute and cuddly could be regarded as irresponsible if there is a risk that it will spread the infection to other animals and shorten their lives by destroying their immune systems.

Fortunately it appears that FIV is not as infectious as first thought so hopefully Henry and Donna's other cats can all live long and happy lives.

BTW I'm not a cat-hater. My three cats all lived to be 18, two died of old age last year and the third appears determined to outlive me - she will be 19 in May.


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## Donna773 (Dec 12, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> It's NOT the same as human euthanasia. There is a lot of sentimentality about cats and dogs which can sometimes stand in the way of common sense. Spain is crawling with feral animals spreading all sorts of infection and disease; if we take them into our homes we have a responsibility not only for their lives but also for their deaths. Keeping an infected animal alive because it is cute and cuddly could be regarded as irresponsible if there is a risk that it will spread the infection to other animals and shorten their lives by destroying their immune systems.
> 
> Fortunately it appears that FIV is not as infectious as first thought so hopefully Henry and Donna's other cats can all live long and happy lives.
> 
> BTW I'm not a cat-hater. My three cats all lived to be 18, two died of old age last year and the third appears determined to outlive me - she will be 19 in May.


I'm sorry Alcalaina but I think you are heavily outnumbered on this one! Anyway, Henry won't be going to see the Great Whiskered One in the sky any time soon...and hopefully he'll be here for many years yet. He has a final injection in the morning after which I'll post any new observations from the vet for anyone who is interested.


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

Should I have had one of my dogs put to sleep when he had heartworm-in case a mosquito bit him and infected another dog??????
For sure my vet would never put a cat to sleep because it was FIV.
Long live Henry!


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## Donna773 (Dec 12, 2010)

Donna773 said:


> I'm sorry Alcalaina but I think you are heavily outnumbered on this one! Anyway, Henry won't be going to see the Great Whiskered One in the sky any time soon...and hopefully he'll be here for many years yet. He has a final injection in the morning after which I'll post any new observations from the vet for anyone who is interested.


I've just come from the vet's with Henry, who has been given a (relatively) clean bill of health. The vet said that it is highly unlikely he will transmit his FIV to other cats and that he may well live as long as any unaffected cat. He said that whilst it is possible to transmit FIV through saliva, blood etc, almost all the transmission comes through sexual contact which was not relevant in this instance since Henry is neutered, docile and essentially a house cat. The other big plus is that my four visits to the vet, complete with the blood test which revealed the FIV and at least eight injections, cost me a grand total of 45 euros. That's half what I would have paid in the UK - if I was lucky!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Donna773 said:


> I've just come from the vet's with Henry, who has been given a (relatively) clean bill of health. The vet said that it is highly unlikely he will transmit his FIV to other cats and that he may well live as long as any unaffected cat. He said that whilst it is possible to transmit FIV through saliva, blood etc, almost all the transmission comes through sexual contact which was not relevant in this instance since Henry is neutered, docile and essentially a house cat. The other big plus is that my four visits to the vet, complete with the blood test which revealed the FIV and at least eight injections, cost me a grand total of 45 euros. That's half what I would have paid in the UK - if I was lucky!


That´s very good news! I´m sorry if I overreacted before but I had been reading some articles about FIV which painted a very different picture.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Donna773 said:


> I've just come from the vet's with Henry, who has been given a (relatively) clean bill of health. The vet said that it is highly unlikely he will transmit his FIV to other cats and that he may well live as long as any unaffected cat. He said that whilst it is possible to transmit FIV through saliva, blood etc, almost all the transmission comes through sexual contact which was not relevant in this instance since Henry is neutered, docile and essentially a house cat. The other big plus is that my four visits to the vet, complete with the blood test which revealed the FIV and at least eight injections, cost me a grand total of 45 euros. That's half what I would have paid in the UK - if I was lucky!


That´s very good news! I´m sorry if I overreacted before but I had been reading some articles about FIV which painted a very different picture. 

It´s also good to know that there are some honest vets around.


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

Good for Henry and yourself!


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