FIV Positive, no sickness

My cat Ted has tested positive for FIV. He's a tomcat-stray who adopted my friend's mom before she died of cancer and I took him in. Ted unfortunately has had a few run-ins with a neighbor bully cat. I am not sure if I adopted Ted as FIV positive or if he picked it up from the neighbor cat. (I had wanted to make him an indoor cat, but he refused--as in, does not use the litter pan to poop; it's a rare occassion he uses the pan to pee.) Ted and the neighbor cat have been in fights, and I know they catch FIV from bites.

What else do I need to know/do? The vet said if he has no symptoms, it could take 7 years for them to start, if at all.

 

you absolutely CANNOT let an FIV positive cat go outside! he will just continue to spread the disease, which is a horrible way for a cat to die. while some cats may live for years after they test positive, some only live for a few months. when they do finally become sick with the disease, it's a painful, awful way to die.

this cat needs to be an indoor-only cat in an only-cat household -- or with other indoor-only FIV positive kitties. if you absolutely cannot get this to work out because of litter box issues or whatnot, the only humane and fair thing to do for the safety of other cats is to have him put to sleep.

 

Hi Hazelnut. You and your poor kitties sure are going through a lot right now. First you find out about the sarcoma and now your other kitty has FIV. I'm so sorry to hear this. I have a lot to say about this whole thing, so bear with me. First of all most cats can live for a long time with FIV. Yes, there are exceptions and some don't, but the majority do. Secondly, FIV cats do need to stay inside. It's not just to prevent other cats from getting it, but also to keep your kitty as healthy as possible. FIV in cats is a lot like HIV/AIDS in people (no we can not catch it from cats). Meaning that their immune system gets weak and they are more prone to infections and so on (that's why it's better to keep them safe inside).

Regarding your cat giving the other kitty FIV: The only way this could happen is if your kitty bites the other one. They get along pretty well don't they? Also, I'm sorry to bring this up, but let's just say that your FIV cat did bite your other cat. Now this other kitty already has pretty severe health issues and the likelyhood of this cat living a very long life is slim considering his condition. So by the time he were to test positive for FIV and get to the point of having complications from it, that could be years from now. Do you kind of understand what I'm trying to say? The reality is that all cats will eventually catch something and die. That's just the way it is. My point is that if your cats get along everything should be fine. I do not believe in putting an FIV cat to sleep, just because there is another non FIV cat in the house. Once any cat starts to show signs of suffering from FIV, that's when you do the kind thing and put them to sleep. Many cats with FIV are perfectly fine for years and years and have no signs of being miserable (weight loss is often the first sign of deterioration).

Also vaccines to help protect against FIV infection are now available. However, not all vaccinated cats will be protected by the vaccine. You can talk about this for your other kitty with your vet.

Here are a few things that are important regarding FIV cats:
1) Vet visits every six months.

2) Feed your kitty quality food (hard and soft) and stay away from:
uncooked foods, such as eggs and raw meat. Also unpasteurized dairy products are bad because the risk of food-borne bacterial and parasitic infections is much higher in immunosuppressed cats.

3) Call your veterinarian if there are any changes in your cat's health.

 

Ted

Thanks, Chessmind. Ted and Daisy did get along fine...Ted was extremely respectful of Daisy, who was here first, and who was "the Queen!" Ted is a fairly passive cat...that is, he likes to THINK he's a tuffy--he'll chase after something you, yourself, just chased off--but he isn't a fighter at all. It's why the neighbor cat, Blackie, has beat the crap out of him on too many occassions. Blackie has bit Ted--deep bites--too many times, but Ted has healed from them each time, with antibiotics and a trip to the vet. I told Blackie's owner about Ted's testing, and suggested, since they "fight," she may want to get Blackie tested too. (I didn't imply Blackie gave FIV to Ted, even tho I wouldn't be surprised if he did--Blackie is not neutered either.) Unfortunately, my neighbor seemed more concerned just about watching to see if he gets sick, rather than testing him--or their other cat, Mooch.

Ted and Blackie's fighting stopped when I ensured the pet door was closed at dark--at the vet's advisement that most cats fight at night anyway. There have been a few "standoffs" in daylight hours, where Blackie howls at Ted and Ted doesn't move, cuz he knows what will happen if he does. Those times, my dog Violet quickly alerts me to any comotion. Upon closing the pet door at night, I kept Ted in a kennel with a litter pan. He never used it. He's now accustomed to "holding it" til morning.

I am going to try to convert Ted to be an indoor cat. I have already tried when I adopted him, but efforts were unsuccessful. I tried different litters, separate boxes for Daisy and Ted (tho Daisy seemed to decide she should be able to use both anyway). I have confined him to the garage, but I live in Florida and it's getting too warm here for that to be safe for him. He has peed in it on rare occassion, but he seems to prefer my carpet, the guest bed that HE sleeps on many a time, and plastic bags (with something in them!) if going out is not an option. I have also tried putting outdoor sand, dirt and wood chips that he uses outside into his litter pan. But it turned out he was the whole reason I got the pet door in the first place, and I never had an outdoor cat before--believe me, it was very hard on ME to allow him out.

For an outdoor cat, I am fortunate he spends a lot of time indoors. He usually goes out, does his thing and comes back in, or, hangs out on the back patio or front porch. He's been out since his test results, but under complete supervision, like a mother with a 4-year-old! It's been "easy enough" to let him do his thing and escort him back in--or sit with him on the pation for a bit.

He was born "in the wild"--I've heard it's hard to convert these kinds of cats to the indoors full time. I do know I need to try harder--after already trying very hard--so any additional help would be appreciated. I will NOT put him down just because I can't get him to use a pan. If I need to let him out on a leash, I'll do that first.

I am glad he is not sick now...he will be going to the vet for a checkup May 10, sadly in place of an appointment I'd made for Daisy (who died Friday) to have her thyroid checked...

It is good to know there is finally a vaccine for FIV. I have read holstic meds and supplements can help keep him healthy as well. It certainly can't hurt. He is FELV negative--and he had his vaccine for that in October.

Maybe since Ted is an only cat now (I will miss Daisy very much), it will me a little easier to get him to use a pan.

 

Hi Hazelnut. First let me say how sorry I am about Daisy. It's so tough to lose one of our fur animals. I was so sad to hear this news. You did everything you could and she's no longer suffering. I'm sure Ted is wondering where she is. I just feel so bad for you and Ted right now.

Well, regarding Ted going outside, you could try one of those outdoor enclosures (only for the day/not at night) so that you don't have to keep an eye on him 24/7. I posted a link below as an example. You can either build them from scratch or purchase the kits. Basically, these enclosures keep all other animals out and Ted in. You could also enclose your pateo in the meantime. If you did enclose your yard or part of an outdoor area (that has an access to a cat door to get back into the house when he wants) you may also want to place sheets of wood/boards along the perimeters so that cats on the outside and him could not swat/bite each other through the fence. Another solution would be to get fence wire that is closely meshed together.

When you take Ted to the vet on the 10th have the vet check him for a UTI/other medical reasons for why he is urinating outside of the litter box. It may be due to behavioral issues, but just mention it to your vet to make sure he doesn't have a medical reason for doing it. Right now, clean all the urine areas with a product called Nature's Miracle. Cats are more inclined to urinate in areas that still smell like urine.

Here is an example link of outdoor enclosures. Again you can build these yourself.
http://www.friendlyfence.com/ff/prod_fe ... oudini.asp

 

Hi Hazelnut,

I'm sorry to hear about your kitty. :cry: I lost my baby to FIV last fall, I had him for 9 years and he was strictly indoors so he must have had it the whole time since he couldn't have got it when I had him. He only was sick in the last 2 months which is when we had him tested after everything else was ruled out. My vet told us that with FIV positive cats, you have to be on the look out for ANY illnesses and she recommends antibiotics asap as their immune systems are comprimised. Unfortunately my Spooky had a cold that didn't go away and eventually lead to him deteriorating due to a secondary infection. If I had known that he was FIV+ then we would have given him the antibiotics sooner. As usual Chessmind has given some excellent advice on the subject.

 

Hi Hazelnut, I just wanted to check up and see how you and Ted are holding up. You probably don't feel like posting, but I just wanted to let you know that you and Ted are in my thoughts. Hang in there.