Truth about FIV?

Question

I got my cat, Colin, from a Rescue Centre around 13 months ago and I knew he was FIV+ beforehand. He's 4-5 years old. I've never had any problems with him, he's always been very healthy and I love him to bits. I've done so much research on FIV but it always seems to be different to what I've previously heard. A couple of weeks after I got him, my boss' friend, who is a vet, came into my work to give me advice on FIV and he basically told me that I'd be lucky if he lasted 12 months and that I was stupid for "taking him on" (I guess I'm lucky then huh?). However, the majority of websites I have read (not all) say that they can have a long and healthy life just like any other cat. So which is more accurate? It would never make any difference to the amount of love and attention Colin gets, but I would just like to know the true facts so that I can have it clear in my head.

Answer 1

Oh, that was charming of the vet to say(!)

Of course you're not stupid for taking the cat on, how ridiculous. FIV cats need people like you who are willing to give them the life they deserve.

FIV is much like HIV - cats can live for years, but generally they will have shorter lifespans and be much more prone to illnesses. Eventually, the disease will get the better of them as their immune system breaks down, but this can take varying amount of time in different animals of course.

Here is a good article on FIV:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIV

Although wikipedia has tagged the article, all the info in it is correct as far as I know. It gives you the facts and should give you an idea of what to expect. Basically, I don't think FIV shortens cat's life span as much as HIV shorten human's life span, possibly because cats don't live as long anyway. Plus cats are lucky enough to have the option of euthanasia when they lose their quality of life, instead of having to suffer horrifically to the end like humans do.

Chalice

Answer 2

My dearly departed Scooter was FIV+ at least from very young adulthood and possibly his entire life. He lived to be almost 16, and his death had nothing to do with his FIV. (He died of a heart attack a few days after being hit by a car. His heart, weakened by HCM after two bouts of hyperthyroid, couldn't take the stress of his injuries.)

Scooter's FIV never developed into AIDS, and at the time of his death his immune system was functioning normally. In the last six months of his life he demonstrated that twice. He got bit by some unidentified intended prey critter and the bites became infected; he'd fought off the infection without treatment by the time the bites were discovered. He also caught a kitty "cold" and shook it off in a matter of a few days without treatment.

Scooter had a few health issues, notably hyperthyroid and the hypertropic cardiomyopathy that the hyperT caused, but none of his issues had anything to do with his immune system or his FIV status. He led a fairly long and very healthy life, and if he hadn't been clipped by that car he was on track to live to a ripe old age.

In short, Scooter's FIV was totally a non-issue.

For the last eleven years of his life Scooter had an adopted brother. He and Rusty played together, hunted together, groomed one another, ate and drank from the same bowls, gobbled food that each other had slobbered on, and had the occasional spat. Through all this Scooter never passed his FIV to Rusty.

Scooter proved that an FIV+ kitty can have along and healthy life. He and Rusty proved that an FIV kitty isn't necessarily a threat to other cats in their homes. (If they fought seriously there would be a threat, since deep bite woulds seem to be the primary mode of FIV transmission.)

I know a woman who works with a feline rescue group. She's seen dozens and dozens of FIV+ cats and only knows of four that ever got AIDS.

As one vet I know put it, "It just hasn't turned out to be the horror we expected when it first showed up."

This doesn't mean that FIV will be a non-issue for every FIV+ cat. Sometimes FIV really does progress and develop into AIDS. Other times it might not develop into AIDS but still do enough damage to the immune system to allow the cat to be felled by some other disease that a non-FIV cat would be able to fight off. But it seems that most FIV cats do quite well.

If I had another FIV kitty I would consider slipping some immune boosters into its food as dietary supplements, and I would try to avoid any unnecessary challenges to the immune system, such as vaccinations. And I would try to keep an FIV kitty, especially an unvaccinated one, indoors where exposure to disease is minimal. (By the time I found out about Scooter's FIV he was already devoted to going out, and it would've made him miserable to be kept in.)

I hope his FIV will be a non-issue for Colin, just as it was for my Scooter.

Answer 3

No -- I've known of FIV cats who lived to be well over 11 or 12 -- and yes, they can have a long and healthy life just like any other cat..

It's the cat, how you feed and care for it, and its genetic makeup.

I would also NEVER take my cat to your bosse's friend the Vet!!!

Answer 4

It really depends on when they contract FIV and the status of their immune systems at the time.

If they have a poor immune system, they could diminish easily to FIV.

Many cats are strong enough to endure it, and will live their lives and no one will ever be able to tell.

Be careful when your cat becomes ''mature'' in age, since the immune system is weaker then. He might need medication to help boost his health.

I can't believe a vet actually told you that you were stupid for ''taking him on''. Even a cat diagnosed with FIV deserves a loving home!

Answer 5

How long your cat will live depends on a great deal of things. However, a cat can live for a very long time with the disease. The important thing is not to allow your cat to mix with non-infected cats. So if you are a single cat home. Love your cat!

Unfortuneatly there isn't a "right" answer on how long your cat or any cat will live with the diagnosis. But be careful and watch your cat for signs of illness.

Also be careful when you bring your cat into a vet. Let them know ahead of time that he is positive. They may have special procedures or rooms they use.

Answer 6

Sorry to hear that he has this condition, but tell me what is FIV? I have never heard of it, now please don't say I'm stupid, I just don't know what it is. Sorry.