I just took in my second stray yesterday. The vet we took her to said she tested positive for FIV using the ELISA test (I am taking her to my regular vet later this week for a Western blot test). My first stray cat does not have FIV. I have been researching FIV and have decided that FIV is not an immediate death sentence as most people seem to believe. I refuse to euthanize this sweet little furry angel. I do not want to give her up, either, though. I think the 2 cats will get along fine once they are properly introduced (they are both female and less than 2 years old). Does anybody have a multi-cat household with both FIV+ and FIV- cats? Would you please share your experience with me?
2006-07-23 06:58:00 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
She doesn't have FeLV, which I know is highly contagious. FIV is not spread through casual contact like FeLV is. She's also quarantined in a separate room for now.
2006-07-23 09:15:01 · update #1
mine doesn't have FIV.
but i knew someone who had two cats one pretty old and another younger with FIV.
they lived great together, but i do know the one with FIV was sick alot and had alot of problems.
i advice you check on yahoo groups there might be a group for people with cats that has FIV.
2006-07-23 07:40:15 · answer #1 · answered by hot_for_georgeclooney 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
FELV is highly infectious. HIGHLY able to be spread just by breathing the same air, your healthy cat can become infected. By using the same litter box, drinking out of the same water dish. You could infect the healthy cat just by petting it then petting your other cat.
The odds of keeping the sick with the healthy one without spreading the disease is highly against you. You just dont know what you are dealing with. A vet once told me that it takes a minimum of six months to rid your home of the virus AFTER the infected cat is gone. Cats with this disease costs a lot and often they suffer a lot when the virus begins its fatal stage...
It is probably too late to stop the transmission of the disease now.. I know your heart is in the right place, but the cost of your love is likely to be very high and I am not talking about medical bills as they too will be high. I lost 18 siamese and manx cats to FELV just because I took in a stray... I"ll never do that again.
2006-07-23 07:57:39 · answer #2 · answered by Birdkeeper 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
KEEP THEM APART! The good news is that cats that test positive for Feline AIDS and Leukemia can live very long and healthy lives. The bad news is that they CANNOT live with FIV- cats. The best thing to do would be to give your FIV+ cat away to a good home that does not have any other cats. This is NO reason to euthanize... as I said, they can live very happily and healthfully.
2006-07-23 07:27:09 · answer #3 · answered by Robyn F. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont but know someone who did. The cats were great together until they vaccinated the one without the virus for FELV/FIV. One that happen the cat that wasnt infected died. When you introduce this vaccine to a cat without it they can usually result in the virus. Its a live vaccine...this is why
2006-07-23 07:04:59 · answer #4 · answered by Wolf woman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋