My cat has very bad mouth odour and is producing thick saliva, It has been diagnosed as FIV?

Question

So right now it is not on any treatment, but what is the best option for cats with FIV, the last time he was down like that was in December last year and recovered from his illness and gained a Kilogram in weight from 3.9Kg to 5kg. but now his weight appears to be dropping again and weighs at 4.8kg.

Take him to vet sounds very logic, not all of us can affoard huge bills, vets have the monopoly, just to see the cat would cost me over £50.00 plus any medications. The last time the vet reccomended blood transfusion that he said would cost me over £1000.00 and I walked away from the vet with my cat, and I prayed for his health and somehow he appeared to have gained strength of his own, but is not being active indicates something may be wrong again, so may be I can give him some anti-viral drug or antibiotics like the Amoxillin in no more than 50mg doze in his food. His mouth is producing thick saliva smelling foul. He is eating well, anything else I can give him to uplift his health

Answer 1

Sorry to hear this but there is no cure for FIV. It is the feline form of AIDS - a virus that attacks the immune system. In the end it is not the virus that kills, but the secondary infections that attack the body that the immune system cannot fight off. Read all about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIV

All that can be done is treat the animal symptomatically, but eventually the disease will win.

Your vet does sound very expensive - £50 just for a consult?! Are you in the heart of London or Birmingham of something?! I work at a vets in Northwest Kent, and we charge £24.60 for a consult.

You can only get the medications you need from a vet. I might be being presumptious, but I would suggest finding a cheaper vet - the cat's medical records can be transferred to them so they can continue providing medication. HOWEVER do tell your current vet first if you're going to do this. Explain you need somewhere that can provide you with cheaper treatment.

As long as your cat is eating well and seems happy enough then he has a reasonable quality of life. Get a vet to continue providing palliative meds that you can afford, but one day the time will come when quality of life has become very poor for your cat.

Chalice

Answer 2

Hello & sorry about your cat, beings it has no cure , is fatal, if it were me, I would have the cat put down so it don't have to suffer & no more cats now for awhile ..this virus will live in the soil, etc, wherever the cat has been for long periods of time..there are vaccinations for it, but no kitten can be vaccinated, if you find or can adopt a cat already vaccinated for FIV, then things should be OK..sorry, but I am one who is greatful they will & can put sick, suffering, dieing animals down..even tho you love them..sometimes you have to love things enough to let them go as well...Take Care :)

Answer 3

As Chalice said, FIV ruins the immune system so the cat is susceptible to infection.

Your cat may have trouble with his teeth, too. Try to get him to a vet.

Answer 4

Do please find another vet-it may be something as simple as a bad tooth! FIV cats can live a long happy life with good care, but shouldn't live with other cats.