Questions about FIV

[catmandu]

We know that you willo your best to help that Poor Kitty.
You have to keep a special eye on her,but if you are careful,this Kitty could be your Friend for many years.
Wishing you All The Best,in what must be a very difficult decision.

[jenluckenbach]

FIV is not contagious in the same manner as a cold or feline leukemia would be. Cats cannot pass it to other cats through grooming or sharing water or a litter box. Just like if you knew a person with AIDS. And FIV is feline specific which means neither you nor the dog could get sick from the cat.

And FIV+ kitty is one who has been exposed to the virus. It does not mean they are sick. It does mean their immune system is comprommised so fighting off colds and such is a bit harder for them.

Our rescue group has several FIV+ kitties. One in particular I would like to mention as he is 12 years old and has always been one of the heathiest cats around.

You are not destined to be heartbroken by this kitty any more than if you adopted a cat who was not FIV+. After all, that FIV- cat could develop cancer at the age of 3 and leave this world. Nothing is ever for certain.

[smokey the elder]

We have several FIV+ cats in our rescue, and they are all healthy and robust. We just placed a litter of FIV+ kittens. A friend of mine had one show up on her doorstep last year. She's a big healthy brat. I think if they're kept indoors and you keep after their vet checks they should be just fine.

[Lizzie]

I will add my encouragement to that of other posters. As jenluckenbach said, there are no guarantees of long life with any pet, no matter how heartily healthy they are when you adopt them. When I was talking to the emergency vet last year about my 17 year old Artful Dodger, in tears because he was dying "so young", he said that he had to help people cope with losing their 6 or 7 year old cats to cancer every day.

As far as I know, and others can correct me here, an FIV+ cat, unlike an FLV+ cat, does not run the risk of getting cancer more easily. As others have said, you do need to be aware that if this cat appears unwell, you shouldn't wait a day or two to see if she get better by herself (as sometimes happens) but take her in right away. My Sesat had feline leukemia but lived for 7 very healthy and happy years from the simple recipe of copious amounts of love, no stress, and fast visits to the vet. FIV is far, far less debilitating and I wish that she had had that instead.

Can you offer to foster this cat to see if she and your dogs will get along? Or am I suggesting something too stressful for both you and the cat? I really hope you decide to scoop her up and take her home.

[doolittleky]

I would highly recommmend to you that you adopt an FIV+ cat. I have two and they are the loves of my life. Ivy has been with me since I trapped in in Oct 1999 and I just added Scooter a few months ago and him and Ivy get along great! They really love each other! Both of them if you didn't know it you would think they were just two "normal, heathly" cats. FIV+ cats can live a very long life as long as they are well taken care of. Plus the person that said you have no guarantees any cat living along life is right. I say go for it!
Melissa