FIV+ cats - a terrible mistake?

[jenluckenbach]

First off, don't panic! You are just feeling (understandably) overwhelmed right now. ANY home with multiple cats faces this type of possible problem. If you would have adopted only 1 cat and only FIV- cats, this could have still happened.

Just for clarification, is this calcivirus a form of URI? If so, it is just a COLD.

Hang in there, things will get back to normal.

[CultureJunky]

Lizzie, myself and Jack & Sunny are all praying for you and your cats.
I don't think you need to be so hard on yourself, you are doing a wonderful thing by adopting the five fiv cats in the first place, you are opening your heart to give them a home. I'm sure that Ginger and Nougat will be fine and even if they have caught the virus then I'm sure you will nurse them well and they will recover and be fine. If the other cats are living a good life there is not reason why Ginger and Nougat can too.
I really hope everything turns out fine, you are a saint for being so kind to the cats, not many people would adopt a cat with FIV, and even if you may have to return them to the shelter, it will be of no fault of your own. It may be the situation wasn't meant to be but you gave it a try and that's the most important thing that you were willing to help these cats.

[Lizzie]

First off, don't panic! You are just feeling (understandably) overwhelmed right now. ANY home with multiple cats faces this type of possible problem. If you would have adopted only 1 cat and only FIV- cats, this could have still happened.

Just for clarification, is this calcivirus a form of URI? If so, it is just a COLD.

Hang in there, things will get back to normal.

Thank you all for making me feel a little better.

I was rather bouncing off the walls yesterday after going back to work on about 30 minutes of sleep and then coming home to find Nougat sick. Yes, it's a form of URI, but unfortunately it's the one that includes mouth sores which can lead to forced feedings. I'm not so very concerned about any cat getting one cold. My concern is that one of the FIV+ cats, very probably Dude who has to have steriod shots to keep his stomatitis in check, is a carrier and will continue to be a carrier. I started calling him Typhoid Mary this morning - which means my sense of humor is coming back.

Thumper appears fine, eating really well, no sign of mouth sores and his nose is dry again. He hasn't been playing as much as when I adopted him a month ago and I've been wondering why. Perhaps a cold is not the reason.

Ginger still looks okay and is eating, though not a lot. It was pretty insane this morning going into four isolation rooms as well as dealing with the main areas - talk about a home shelter!

[K & L]

You should commend yourself instead of hating. You have taken what is considered unadoptable cats and tried to give them a chance in life. Hopefully all this will get better for you soon. I know that overwhelming feeling and you just want to give up. I go through this myself, but like Jen said, it gets better. Hang in there and please keep us updated.

[catmandu]

We Are Praying That The White Coats Can Help You.
Its Just Dumb Luck That My Cats Have Not Contracted Anything Fromthe Porchies.
We Are Praying For You, And Your Companions.

[Lizzie]

Again, thank you all for your support and encouragement.

The good news is that Nougat's temperature is down and she is eating wet food by herself. She's even got a very rusty and small meow back, nothing like her usual Siamese yowl but better than the gasp she gave yesterday. She loves the room where she's in isolation since it gets lots of morning sun and two very cosy beds, so she's okay. Thumper continues to eat quite well but his nose looked a little dirty so I'll try to get him in to the vet tomorrow afternoon.

The bad news is that Ginger has stopped eating. She will be seeing the vet tomorrow and I'm about to give her sub-q fluids. The weather has turned warm and I noticed that she didn't even want to drink water after going over to her bowl, so she needs help. She is yelling at me for attention right now, but nothing like her usual SHOUT. She would be much happier if I let her out of her room so she could sleep with me (I can't sleep on her sofa because she makes really stinky poops) but I don't want to run the risk of more exposure.

I've made plans on paper on how to separate out my "Typhoid Mary" and his pal Raven from the rest by putting them in the main downstairs room, but which group will Macduff join? If he goes downstairs with them, the place where he's lived for 14 years and where he is used to going out and in, he won't be able to cuddle with me very much. If I keep him upstairs, he won't understand how to get back inside and will spray by the front door if I don't allow him outside.

Time to go to bed. My best ideas always come to me first thing in the morning.

[AbbyMom]

I've been thinking about your concern about Dude being a carrier. Isn't it true that once you get a cold, you become immune to it, which would be probably why he's not sick now, right?

Anyway, once you get through this, shouldn't all your kitties be immune just like Dude? Something to ask your vet.

[Lizzie]

I'm updating this because I don't want others to be afraid to adopt FIV+ cats and keep them with their negative cats. Neither Ginger nor Thumper have cat flu. Thumper spent his time at the vet hospital struggling vigorously with the vet and myself and snorting (he snorts like a pig) as I told a pathetic tale of him not playing any more. After flying out of the carrying case once we got home, he attacked a flannel sheet draped over a chair, chased one of the other cats, and batted around one of his old toys. I guess he was just being a cat. Sigh! Ginger looks great and her lack of appetite may be age-related, she shows no signs of a virus. All the others appear fine.

This means that Nougat could have picked up the virus on her walks in the garden with me at the end of last week, and not from the new cats. Don't blame me for pointing the finger at those poor guys, it was my vet!

Poor Dude, I must give him some extra hugs and apologise for calling him Typhoid Mary.

AbbyMom - I do still need to ask the vet your question, and also how Nougat could have got a very common cat flu virus when she had her booster in March. I would have thought that shot would have covered the calici virus.