We want to adopt a stray cat and she tested FIV+ w/no symptoms. How likely is she to infect our other two?

Question

My other two cats have been vaccinated against FIV. I'm told she has been a stray for about 2 years. I read that the vaccine for FIV will cause a cat to test positive. How do they know if it's a true positive? Also the vet said that it can be transferred thru a shared water bowl but all the websites I've looked at said FIV can only be transferred thru deep bites. The vet told me to keep her in my garage and bring her back for retesting in two weeks, that it's possible that the cat was just recently exposed to FIV and won't actually contract it, but I want to be prepared in case it comes back positive again.

Answer 1

Jennifer's answer is excellent, and I can only fill it out some.

I agree that the chances of your new kitty transmitting FIV to your others is very slim, virtually nil if they don't get into serious fighting. Deep bite wounds are the most common and perhaps the only way to transmit the FIV virus. (I don't think sex can be ruled out completely, but it's nowhere near as common a means of transmission as it is with HIV in humans. Practically speaking, deep bite wounds are all you really have to worry about.)

There is no way to tell the difference between a real FIV positive test result and a false positive due to the cat having been vaccinated. The odds are that the cat hasn't been vaccinated, for two reasons. One is that the FIV vaccine hasn't been on the market very long, and the other is that few vets use it.

Most vets don't use it for two reasons, one being that it will cause the cat to test positive for the rest of its life, endangering its life if it ever gets lost and winds up in a shelter. The other is that it doesn't work worth swat. I think Jennifer was being generous when she said it works with 70% effectiveness. Maybe it's 70% for the one strain of the virus it passed its USDA certification for, but for the other four strains the effectiveness is closer to zero. And the strain it passed for is not prevalent in most parts of North America; it's primarily a European strain. In the words of the ASPCA's current fact sheet on FIV: "There is no *effective* vaccine for FIV."

Why am I not surprised that the vet who said FIV can be transmitted through a shared water bowl also uses the FIV vaccine...??? I think you ought to consider shopping for a new vet, one who keeps up on developments in feline health issues!

The best thing you can do for your FIV kitty is try to keep her healthy and avoid challenges and stresses to her immune system. Feed her right ( http://www.catinfo.org ) and maybe start slipping some dietary supplements into her food, immune system boosters, that sort of thing.

My dearly departed Scooter was FIV+ since at least his young adulthood, probably adolescence and possibly kittenhood. He lived to be almost sixteen and his death had nothing to do with his FIV. For eleven years he lived with my late great Rusty and they shared litter boxes, food bowls and food that they both slobbered on, played together, groomed each other, had the occasional spat, and Rusty never caught FIV.

I know a woman who works with a feline feral rescue group. She told me she's run into doxens and dozens of FIV+ cats and only knows of four cases that developed into AIDS.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be concerned at all, but you probably don't have too much to worry about with your new kitty. If your established kitties will accept the newcomer without serious fighting, you won't have to worry about them at all.

Good luck with your new FIV+ kitty! I hope her FIV will be a complete non-issue for her, as it was for my Scooter.

Answer 2

FIV is only transmittable through bites. A lot of people will disagree... but they're basing their assumptions on old information. We know a lot more about FIV now than we did a few years ago. It doesn't help that a lot of people confuse FIV with FeLV (Feline Leukemia). FeLV IS highly transmittable and can be transfered via shared food, litter, water, even mutual grooming. This is NOT true of FIV.

An FIV kitty CAN live a full, normal life, just like a person with HIV can. They can safely live with other cats as long as they do not fight.

FIV vaccines are not 100% effective (in fact I think they're only about 70%) and they do make a cat test positive. It's possible that your stray has been vaccinated, hence the positive reading... but it's unlikely. The FIV vaccine is not very commonly done, due to the fact that it will cause them to test positive and to the fact that it's not all that effective.

I volunteer with a no-kill cat shelter and now that we know more about FIV, even they will adopt out an FIV cat to live with non-FIV cats.

You just have to make sure they do not fight. Your cats should be inside only because if a local cat fights with your FIV one, they could become infected. Plus, going outside exposes your other cats to various viruses, etc. which could cause problems with your FIV kitty. FIV causes a weakened immune system, so you need to keep your cats ALL as healthy as possible.

Feel free to email me if you want any more info. Good luck!

Answer 3

Most cats are not vaccinated. She probably is positive. We have a positive boy that has been positive for 8 years. No symptoms. He has been on interferon for all 8 years...do not know if it is helping, but can't hurt. They only are a risk if they bite other cats. Our boy attacked our other cat when he first came, and the other cat, when tested, was negative a year later. The risk is there, but it is not great. They can live very long lives. You kkep a close eye on the mouth, because you often see the first symptoms there.
It cannot be transmitted through sharing a water bowl. Usually, retesting in 90 days is advised. Your vet seems to have old information. It depends on what test they are using also.

Here is Cornell's info.......

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fiv.html

Answer 4

It is possible it will come back positive, and I would say it is highly likely she will infect the other kitties but you should ask the vet and let us know because I am not sure since your other cats are vaccinated.

I read they do get the virus from bowls and in general saliva, it doesn't have to be a wound or deep bites, I actually read in vet books it is likely the trasmition is easier trhough shared bowls since it is a constant thing, you know what I mean?, they do it often so it is more likely house cats get the virus that way.

My sister in law has exactly the same dilemma and she kept the stray cat secluded while she found her a house where they agreed to keep her and her only.

Answer 5

I've had 2 cats over the years that have had had FIV. At one time I had 7 cats in the house (I lived on a farm-I'm NOT a cat lady LOL), ONE that had FIV. NONE of my other cats caught it. EVER. They all played together, shared the same water and food bowls and slept together.

Make your own decision although I think that the chances of the stray getting your other cats sick is slim to none. And that is speaking from experience.

Answer 6

Your best bet is to quarantine the new cat and take her back for testing as your vet suggested. If the other two cats are up on their vaccines, they may be all right. But this is a case of better safe than sorry.

Good luck!