FIV

Hi, everyone
I'm hoping someone can help me answer some questions...my kitty, Charlie, tested positive for FIV last week. They decided to retest, and today I got another positive result back. As you can imagine, I am devastated. This cat has been my sunshine for the two months that I have had him. The Vet said that we should wait 6-8 weeks, then retest. I'm very confused, though, because the person who gave Charlie to me has his mother, his brother and another cat-and all of them just tested negative. These are the only cats with whom Charlie has ever had contact. He has never been outdoors, and he lived with these cats for the first 6 months of his life. He lived briefly with another friend, who never allowed him out and has a dog. Then, he came to live with me. I have also never let him out. Charlie's mom and brother were both tested at the same clinic that Charlie goes to, and I have passed this information on to the vet, who also found this strange. Isn't it odd that his mother is negative and he's positive? Even if the virus came from his dad, wouldn't his mom also be infected? I haven't been able to find clear answers to these questions anywhere, and I'm hoping someone out there can shed some light. Maybe I should go for a second opinion? Even if Charlie is positive, he will have the best care possible, all my love, everything I can give him, but I am just so confused because this seems very strange. I would really appreciate any information or advice...
Thanks.

SpencerTheLion is correct in stating that FIV is not a death sentence. I adopted a kitty who was in a shelter full of free-roaming kitties and he tested positive. Now he only lived about 6 or so years but he was old when he adopted him. The vet said he was about 12 years old when we adopted him so who knows how long he was positive. He only lasted about 8 months or so after he got kitty AIDS but he may have lasted 10 or so years with being FIV positive. He was close to 18 years old when he died of kitty AIDS.

He had to go to the kitty doctor a bit more then most other kitties but he had a long and happy life, regardless of his illness. The vet advised us to put him to sleep when he was tested positive but we chose to keep him and not get any other cats until he has gone to kitty heaven. It was the only decision for us.

Best of luck to you, may your sweet kitty have many, many years of health.

Thank you for your replies...you have definitely made me feel better. It's comforting to know that a safe environment, good diet and lots of love can make all the difference! Also, I don't have other cats, just a turtle (although I was considering getting Charlie a playmate, but I guess not...), so there won't be any danger of spreading. Charlie's mom and brother live in another home.
Spencer, I agree with you that this is a terrific forum. People always have a kind word for one another and are always willing to offer their advice and support. It is very refreshing to me, as I have come across people who have never had pets, don't like animals(?!?) and can't understand the special bond that exists between people and their pets. They don't know what they're missing!!

This may be a little off the topic of FIV but the subject of cats getting along with other animals made me remember something. A few years ago my son had an iguana. He lived in the basement in a really nice heated cage and the cats often sat on the edge of the old sofa down there and watched him through the glass.

One day I went down in the basement and somehow (we can't figure this out) the iguana had gotten out of his cage. He was walking across the basement floor and my rather large tabby, Trevor, was just sitting there mesmerized. Didn't law a paw on him. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

Yes, that's pretty much how Charlie reacts to Yertle, my turtle. In fact, on the day I introduced them, Charlie was more freaked out than Yertle was! He still has to watch when Yertle eats and when he walks around (he's not in a cage), but he never tried to hurt him. He even tried to play with Yertle once-he "kicked" his little ball of yarn to Yertle and kept waiting for Yertle to kick it back. It was the funniest thing! Yertle just sat there like, "what am I supposed to do now??" My little sweethearts crack me up!

ThelmaLu..
This is totally off subject, but I LOVE the name Yertle!!! For your turtle!
We are big Dr. Seuss fans in this house and Yertle, The Turtle is one of our favorites!!
http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

Thanks!
The name really suits him, too...he loves to try and "climb to the top" of things like piles of laundry, cushions, and even stacks of CDs! He's quite a character!
When I got Charlie, one of my friends begged me to name him Yat. Yertle the Turtle and Yat the Cat, but I decided I was getting enough funny looks with the name Yertle!

All that has already been said on this subject is true - it's not a death sentence, it's species specific and the only KNOWN source of infection is through bite wounds.
As Spencer said food and water bowls should be treated as tough they could be infective and flea control should be a priority.

A few things that may help your cat include the obvious - prompt veterinary treatment for any secondary infections. Treatment may take longer to show results.
FIV cats should not be given raw meat as there is a greater risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection.
Evening Primrose oil may give some increases in blood counts and body weight ( one 55pmg capsule each day).

The mother of your kitten should be tested again as this seems the most likely source of your kittens infection. The vet is asking for retesting because if the source is the mother then it may be the antibodies she passed on to the kitten that are showing positive in the test rather than your kittens own infection. Although, if your kitten is over six months this is highly unlikely.
Other than this the only source of infection has to be a stray cat entering the house where the kitten was at some stage. Or possibly food or water contaminated from an infected cat.

I'm having trouble understanding feline leukemia. Our baby Wilbur was diagnosed on 9/19/00 and is still with us. He's had a few ups and downs & is now fighting an infection as of a couple days ago. He's always rallied, but I'm not so sure about this time. We've ALWAYS had our pets vaccinated for everything. The leukemia he has is cancer in the blood cells. Is this the same as the feline leukemia that he was vaccinated for or a different FL? I know this is like human leukemia, but are the feline leukemia's all the same? The way we found it was that he had a dramatic weight loss. At his peak weight he was 21 lbs, and is now down to 11. Our vet explains his disease to us in layman terms, but I always wonder if he has the dreaded FL that you always hear about or if it is indeed the cancer leukemia similar to what human's get. I don't want our vet to think I'm nuts because I don't fully understand the disease. If anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it. Wilbur is 13 years old, and has always been overweight. Thank you.

Thank you so much Spencer - I was hoping that you would repond as you are so very knowledgable in so many areas of cat care. I guess I should be sure whether Wil's leukemia is more like a human leukemia (not contagious) or if it is comparable to Aids (very contagious). Is that pretty much the difference between the cat leukemias? Our vet hasn't said to isolate Wil, or to use different dishes with him. He did say that if the leukemia moved from the blood cells to the bone marrow, then there may be a chance of the other cats contracting it. Would that be connected to the Aids version or the other leukemia? Thank you again for your concern.

Uh oh, I sense a little confusion here...

FIV - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - also called "cat AIDS" because it is the feline version of the Human Immunodefiency Virus and as such the symptoms, outcomes, and modes of transmission are very similar.

FeLV - Feline Leukemia Virus - another disease that is caused by a virus and also manifests itself by causing a suppressed immune system, but is not the same as the FIV virus and although can have some of the same symptoms as FIV, and can have a different outcome than FIV, is usually transmitted in other ways than FIV.

Many cats with FIV will live many years beyond original diagnosis. Many cats with FeLV live only a few months after original diagnosis. Many cats with FIV will exhibit no symptoms at all, or will have opportunistic infections showing varying symptoms. Most cats with FeLV will have upper respiratory symptoms. FIV is not highly contagious as the mode of transmission is believed to be only through bodily fluids. FeLV is very contagious as the mode of transmission can be through saliva as well as nasal, eye, urinary and fecal secretions. Also, like HIV, the FIV virus is not believed to live long outside its host because it is easily killed in dry, cool environments. But the FeLV virus can survive outside its host for an undetrmined time.

It has not been determined (at least last I heard) if the human leukemia virus causes cancer of the blood, although it has been suspected for a long time in some types of leukemias. HLV causes such diseases as mononucleosis and Eppstein-Barre. It has been suspected in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, since its symptoms can be similar to mono and EBV. So in that sense FeLV is much like HLV. If your cat has an FeLV infection, he does not have cancer, he has an infectious disease.

So, FIV = HIV
and
FeLV = HLV but is not cancer

I hope this clears up some of the confusion.