Cat with AIDs

[silver bullet]

Hi,
My 12 year old neutered tom, Taggart has just been found to carry feline AIDs. He is reasonably healthy at the moment, he has a lost a bit of weight and generally looks a bit shaggy but otherwise he is great. He still eats like a horse, runs around the garden and plays with my dog.
I know that one day he will get some kind of infection or illness and he will not be able to fight it properly. I was wondering if anyone else has been through this experience and can give me some advice on what to expect.
I think that I will be making some hard decisions on his behalf one day. I am not looking forward to that at all.

[smokey the elder]

Have you had the cat all his life? If so, he was probably born with FIV. FIV cats can live a normal life span; just aggressively manage any infections since he doesn't have much of an immune system.

BTW, welcome to Pet Talk!

[slick]

My good friend had a beautiful Tuxie named Mojo who carried the aids virus for the last 5 yrs of his life. He lived to be 15 when kidney failure finally took it's toll.

BTW, welcome to Pet Talk.:)

[silver bullet]

Thanks for the welcomes.
I got Taggart from a cat's home when was 2 or so - maybe a bit younger. My vet says that he most probably contracted AIDs through fighting. Apparently it is transferred through saliva when they bite each other.
Taggart has always been fond of defending his territory fiercely. I have another cat too, they are not very fond of each other and occassionally get into fights. I had her tested for the virus but thankfully she came back negative. Then I had to get her vaccinated of course. No wonder my vet drives a nice car!
Thanks for the feedback.

[smokey the elder]

If you have Taggart in with an FIV- cat make sure they don't fight.