Help - Stray Cat tested positive for FIV

MAYFLOWERS

Hi

I don/t know if anyone can help or has any ideas but we are in a awful dilemma. There has been a little black and white cat roaming around where my parents live - he has a really sore eye and generally just looked like he needed a good home! My Mum and Dad already have a cat but last week even though they were not really looking for another cat they started to feed him and they let him into the Conservatory.

As soon as she starting letting him into the Conservatory he hasn/t been further than the patio so we took him to the vet to get him checked over with a view to adopting him. The vet suggested testing him for Lukemia and FIV - unfortunately he has tested positive for FIV. We are all distraught as he is a lovely little cat. Mum and Dad are very nervous to keep him as he could pass the Virus on if they were to fight. The Vet is suggesting putting him to sleep but we can/t bear to do that until we have exhausted any other options.

This morning we have tried a few animal sancturies but they are all full.

I have done as much research as possible on the internet and release he would would have to be kept indoors as he is a risk to other cats.

I just wondered if anyone had any experience of cats with FIV and if anyone had any suggestions!

Many Thanks

Mayflowers x

taxi97w

I think you mean HIV don't you. If you can get your other cat innoculated against HIV, the stray won't be able to pass it on and therefore you can keep both.

tanith

Feline Imunodeficiency Virus... is what the cat has... I have read that FIV positive cats really should only be kept with other positive cats and it can indeed pass on the virus to your cat.. It is usually passed on by scratching or biting.....what a dilemma for you ... seems unfair to put your own cat at risk but not sure how you will deal with this...

coolio_2

I would keep calling shelters, the cats protection league, RSPCA, as many shelters and as far awide as is practical for u

matto

I'm very much a cat lover but it would seem putting him to sleep is the best option. You could look to replace him with a cat from the one of the full rescue centres.

Iain_L

Hi,

We have a 4 cat household, and the oldest one (who we took on when we moved into the property 6 months ago) is FIV positive. We did a fair bit of research into it as well, and the figure that kept leaping out at us was that the infection rate is about 2%. Fudge has always been an outdoor cat and because of the rural area that we live in, all our cats have access to outside, they could just as likely contract FIV from another cat in the neighbourhood. We do take some precautions such as feeding the FIV+ cat from her own bowl to avoid a mix of saliva. We decided that there was no way we would kill Fudge because of her condition. There is a cat forum called CatChat that has a large section used by owners of FIV+ cats - this may help you make up your mind. You'll notice on that forum that the vets test does seem to produce a lot of false positive readings, and a lot of people have had the cat retested. Do you know whether your parents existing cat is FIV+? We don't know how long Fudge will last (she's 12 now) but we are determined to give her as good a life as possible.

sparklybug

hi

we had to put one of our cats to sleep last year when she developed complications from FIV. The advice from the vet was to test our other cat who was positive but showing no symptoms. She told us that for outdoors cats there is no way of protecting them as so many cats have FIV and its easily passed if they fight or get jiggy so not much you can do. The most interesting thing she told us was that there was not much more chance of a cat dying with FIV than a cat who didn't have it if it was an outdoor cat as they usually die of the complications and that some cats never develop any complications.

We got another cat from a rescue centre becuase we felt that as she would be an outside cat there was very little extra risk anyway....and as they hate each other less risk from our other cat. he is twelve now and very well except for a touch of athritis which is nothing ot do with the FIV. I am surprised that the vet suggested putting the cat down unless it was showing signs of illness. I wouldn't overreact but as someone else suggested look at some of the pet sites about it. You wouldn't suggest euthenasia for someone with HIV would you?

Eels100

I think the vet's suggestion of euthanasia was probably in light of your situation - many cat charities have a test-and-euthanase policy for all new stray cats so would be unlikely to rehome this one for you.

Transmission to your other cat is not a high risk, but as they presumably do not know each other well there is a reasonable chance that they will fight. I can understand your dilemma.

My advice would be to have your original cat tested too - it's senseless rehoming or euthanasing this stray if your own cat has FIV anyway - and very many cats do carry this virus with no obvious symptoms. A retest of the stray would be an option but I think with its history unfortunately the odds are the result will be genuine.

pboae

If you do need to rehome him try the cat boards on

http://www.rykat.org/forums/

http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/

Both boards have a few people that take in FIV cats.

Murtle

I had a cat who had FIV. She was the most loving cat ever. I would never have dreamed of putting her to sleep because of it and the VET never suggested it. He advised seperate eating bowls of possible, they both shared. The other cat never became infected.

((hugs)) to the poor kitty

x x

pboae - I have just looked at those links and am now sobbing - how can people be so cruel to animals :mad: now all I need to a bigger house with more space and some people to help look after them.

Agutka

taxi97w wrote:

I think you mean HIV don't you. If you can get your other cat innoculated against HIV, the stray won't be able to pass it on and therefore you can keep both.

I'm really sorry to ask, but... are you serious?