Feline AIDS :(

[Freedom]

Here is the info I received back from our sponsor at PawsWatch when I notified her of Bobby's test results.


YES, it's good to know if your cats tests positive, which would mean that the cat had been EXPOSED to FIV (different from symptomatic, "has" FIV). You want to know this information, because you would want to provide the cat with enhanced supportive care if cat ever has a problem such as a secondary infection, because cat's immune system may need more assistance.

About contagiousness: OK -- I'm going to go on record with some equally important research results, from extensive work done in the last several years. Both Tufts Veterinary and Angel Memorial have endorsed this. Extensive testing was done to determine the likelihood of lateral transmission of FIV among adult cats - that means from one adult to another. Cats were put in constant contact of all types with each other, and did not transmit the disease. Then, to test the likelihood of contagion via bodily fluids, healthy cats were actually INJECTED WITH contaminated fluids -- and they still did not contract FIV. Both Angel and Tufts recommend that FIV positive cats can live with the rest of a household.

However, just as the nation is always in a total panic about the chances (about 1 in 7 million) of contracting rabies from a cat, vets and shelters largely jumped to taking the quick way out, which has become something of a witch hunt, in which anything that tests positive for FIV is isolated or killed.

So it would be worth your while to look into this further before deciding to isolate or kill your cats. Perhaps you should speak to one of our volunteers, xxxxx. When xxxxx adopted an FIV positive cat, she herself did extensive research on the subject. I have cc'd her here, in case anyone would like to talk to her.

Sandie, about Bobby specifically:
Since the caretaker said that Bobby was FINE until, at age 8 weeks or so, all of the kittens got a semi-diagnosed URI, and all were blanket treated together -- AFTER WHICH Bobby developed his equilibrium problem, this contraindicates the head tilt coming from neurological damage. It also points instead to a different diagnosis of inner ear infection damage. Did the vet know that when he gave his diagnosis?

Yes, I did. the vet only said this could be another expalnation, not that this would be conclusive.

Finally, about the test.
$50. for the test? That's very high. We buy them for about $8. EIGHT DOLLARS! Please can Bobby have his recheck through your group?

[kb2yjx]

I am so sorry to read that Maximus is + right now!! However, MANY prayers that when he is negative when he is retested....

[LuckyNumber7]

Ratchet, that is very encouraging, thank you so much for the info. I'm trying not to get my hopes up TOO much that it's a false positive, but it sound slike it really might be. He's only 4 months old, and from what I've read, and from what Freedom said, after 6 months is supposed to be fairly accurate, so we'll retest then and hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

We just went and got some Wellness cat food at the store that had immune system building ingredients, and also got some Wellness "Welltabs" that have all kinds of great vitamins and acids in them. Hopefully they will help!

Freedom, how awful that you're going through the same thing too. I don't see the point in segregating my 2 cats from each other - they do wrestle, but they are not vicious and do not bite each other, so I don't see the issue. I so hope that your test in a month comes back negative as well

It was REALLY expensive to have the test done at my vet as well - $60 I think. Crazy! Maybe I can find a place to have him tested that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for!

It seems there is a lot of misinformation out there about FIV, how it is spread, and what to do if you find out your cat is FIV positive. It's crazy how many places will just put a cat down, or advise that you do so if the diagnosis is made. I would never do that. If he has it, he has it, and we'll deal with it the best that we can, and hope that he lives a long, happy life with us.

Freedom ((HUGS)) - I'm so sorry you're dealing with this as well. Please keep us posted as to Bobby's next test.

[cassiesmom]

MORE prayers that little Max will be negative at the time of his retest! Do FIV tests use a Western blot to verify a positive ELISA, like human immunodeficiency virus tests do?

[LuckyNumber7]

Yes, they can do a blot test, and I'm going to request that they do one if the next test that they do also comes back positive. From what I've read, it's entirely possible to get a false positive OR a false negative with these tests, as they are not 100% reliable.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I just wanted to say that I hope that Maximus's results were just a false positive and that he'll eventually test negative. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way. He sure has a wonderful home and I know that you'll love him no matter what.

[smokey the elder]

We had some FIV+ kittens last year, and the volunteer who had them paid for the Western blot test (more expensive, but more specific). They were negative.

[ratchet22]

EXACTLY! Negitive is very commen, you just have to give it time. Id bet my dollar he is NEG. Just hang in there. I hate testing. I have had Feline Leukemia POS test, but if you do the IFA test, they are NEG, meaning your cat was exposed, but not truly POS. So I have had ALOT of learning on testing. I am in it over $10000.00 in testing. So I am first hand at testing, even my vets office has learned alot about testing and how it ALL works.
AGAIN FIV kittens are RARE and will typically test NEG at 6 months, sometimes even 8 months. I have not Seen 1 yet that came back testing POS later........Im sure he is NEG

[LuckyNumber7]

I hope you're all right and that he is negative.

Yesterday I was talking to my next door neighbor and I told her that he had tested positive, and I couldn't believe it - she said "How old is he?" I told her 4 months. She said "Well why don't you just put him to sleep and try again with another one?" I almost fell over! I wanted to yell at her and tell her that was the meanest thing I've heard in a while, but I bit my tongue and simply said that we're going to do the absolute best that we can for him, and would never put him, or any of our other animals for that matter, to sleep unless they were suffering needlessly.

Some people

[Freedom]

Oh Liz, that's all you needed to hear just now!

Make a note to start educating that person. It will be a slow process but hey, its a neighbor, she can't get away! evil

[LuckyNumber7]

I know, right?

She really is a weirdo. The other day, 2 women were coming to my house to adopt a dog that we were fostering here. They brought along their border collie, who is 4 years old, to make sure that she got along with the dog before adopting him.

They're walking up to my house, and the lady yells out "Well THAT'S an old dog, huh??" They're like "Uh, no, she's only 4 years old". As if that's not weird enough, on their way OUT, she starts ranting on and on to them about how there is a patch of yard which I neglected to rake, and how she was sick of having to do my yard work for me. All of this, to 2 women who she doesn't even know, who are GUESTS of mine! Psycho! Oh, and, I had just broken my foot - I couldn't be outside doing yard work, and she knew this!

[jennielynn1970]

Many of my fosters are FIV+, and one of my own guys, who I adopted from fostering, is FIV+. Honey, my guy, is about 12-14yrs old at the last guesstimate. He's low on teeth (typical for an FIV kitty)

Sorry 'bout that post! cat on laptop and laptop died or something in between there. I didn't think it had even gotten posted, lol.

Anyway, as I had been typing, my old guy has bad teeth, typical of a FIV guy, and he had very bad paw pads, which is also indicative of FIV. I've fostered a number of FIV guys, and they've all basically shared these traits, and the vet had gone over things with me when I had my first FIV fosters and was concerned about certain things.

Mac and Bear were the first boys I had with FIV. They were the sweetest guys in the world, and I loved them more than I can ever say. Mac was usually in good health, just had hyperthyroid and was on meds for that. Actually the longer he was with me, the better get became and his medication decreased until it was 1/8 of what it had been. He gained weight and his coat was gorgeous.

Bear was not so lucky with things. He always seemed to be suffering with an upper respiratory, and was off and on Baytril a lot. He also had entropian, where his eyelid and lashed rolled over and his eyelashes were growing into his eye. A vet associated with the shelter did surgery on him, but it wasn't super successful (he was her 1st patient for this...), he had some scarring left from the entropian, and his eyes were always crusty. Other than that he was a large and goofy cat and was such a love bug. He was my buddy and I loved him to pieces. He was missing a lot of teeth, and usually gummed my fingers when he was feeling spunky.

I took in two other FIV boys later in the summer. Woody is a Russian Blue mix and is quite skittish and is not fond of people, even today, 2yrs later. I can hold him and cuddle him, but not for an extended period. He's got rough paw pads, and is missing a few teeth as well.

Piglet came from a house that had been broken into and the he and his housemates had been left behind by the couple who rented it. Teens broke in, killed the one cat, the other disappeared, and only Piglet was left, hiding in the basement for about 2-3weeks. I took him in as soon as I heard about him. He was a gorgeous white cat with black spots like a cow (so why they called him Pig, I have no clue). he had tested positive when he was a kitten 2xs, and once about a year before I had him (he was about 1 1/2yrs old. I had Piglet for about 1yr and decided to test him and Woody again... I just had this odd feeling about Piglet. He was tested 2xs. Both times NEGATIVE, and by different vet clinics.

I was told by the vet, you can have a false positive, but you cannot have a false negative.

Frankie I took in back in Jan/Feb. and he is also the picture of health. He's almost like a little bowling ball cause he just eats everything in sight and is super playful. He's got the rough paw pads as well.

Bear and Mac passed away last year. Bear in July, and Mac in December. Mac was 15ish, and Bear was 5-7yrs old. Mac had been adopted, and Bear just had a broken heart, I'm still positive of this. He stopped eating and just gave up. Mac was returned about 3 months later, and Bear was absolutely beside himself and was all over Mac, but it was too much for his little body to recuperate, and he crossed the bridge from kidney failure on July 5th. Mac was re-adopted and was living very happily until a tumor formed in his chest and it just grew very quickly. He crossed the bridge around Christmas in the arms of his new meowmie who just adored him. He had 6 happy months with her.

Piglet was adopted and is doing great. Woody is still here with me and has never shown any signs of being ill at all. He gets a goopy eye once in a while, but that's so rare. He's a handsome boy, and I hope someone will see past the FIV stigma and grow to love him as I have. He's a wonderful cat.

This is Woody... he's so handsome!



Here's Frankie Baby.... he's as soft as a bunny!



This is my RB Bear..


Here he is with his buddy, Mac


And this is Piglet, who ended up NOT being FIV+ after testing + 3xs!!

[jennielynn1970]

Yes, they can do a blot test, and I'm going to request that they do one if the next test that they do also comes back positive. From what I've read, it's entirely possible to get a false positive OR a false negative with these tests, as they are not 100% reliable.

See if you can get into one of the shelter clinics and say you want him tested for FIV/FeLV. MUCH cheaper!!!!