Feline AIDS :(

[Freedom]

Liz, I know exactly how you are feeling!

Bobby went in for his blood test this afternoon. The good news: he does NOT have feline leukemia. The bad news: he MAY have feline aids. Bobby is the 8 month old with the tilted head that I kept from the TNR project.

For a postive on the test, there should be a bright spot. His test has a faint spot. So he has to go back in one month for a recheck. A negative would be no spot at all on the test strip. Sigh.

Sometimes kittens will test positive if the mom has aids; but as they grow, they fight it off and test negative. But he is 8 months old, and that usually clears up by 6 months old. I asked the vet the chances that he will test negative in a month. She replied, "it does happen sometimes." That doesn't sound good to me.

My vet said that if he does have aids, that would explain his head tilt, as kittens with the disease often have neurological damage.

The vet wanted me to keep him segregated from the rest of the cats for the month. Not sure if I will do that or not. The only way it can be spread is fighting - a bite, with salive to blood contact. So far, none of the other cats has any interest in bothering with him.

I'm going to post the info I received from our sponsor at PawsWatch in a moment.

[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

[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!!!!