What are the symptoms of FIV and FIP in cats?

Answer 1

FIV doesn't show a whole lot actually. When the cat is bitten by a cat carrying the virus (not the other way around, the saliva has to go into a moving blood stream to pass the disease so an infected one has to bite, not an uninfected cat biting an infected one) - the first thing to happen is a mild fever starting a couple of days later. This passes fairly quickly, and any tiredness during that time passes too. The virus then spreads through the whole system of the cat. It can take from a few weeks to up to three months, and you'd never know.

Once it's through the cat's system, then a blood test can detect it. The Western Blot is the most reliable test. There are way too many false positives with using the Snap (also called the Elisha) test.

Once it's in the cat you usually see a dry coat, or runny eyes. Those are the two most obvious signs. BOTH can be treated for. Some cats start having sore mouths (stomatitis is what that's called) as they get raw spots in their mouths from small ulcers. This is pretty painful and makes it hard for them to eat. There is also sometimes problems with the teeth, as their mouth starts dissolving the surface enamel. A lot of tooth problems can be fixed by having the vet take out any problem teeth. Even a toothless cat can eat cat food, but may need help with anything bigger so cut up any table scraps into tiny pieces if you let them have some of those. They can't chew the pieces small, they have to have help with that.

A cat with FIV can live up to and past 15 years of age, it's not a disease that shortens their lives by much. However you have to make sure they don't get exposed to sick animals because their immune system makes it harder for them to fight off any illness.

With FIV you treat the symptoms, and keep the cat on good food (protien levels of 35% or higher) and you'll have one that's got a pretty good normal life span. (I have two FIV cats and 3 nonFIV cats, we've learned a lot about FIV in the past few years). You also can't vaccinate a FIV cat except for maybe the rabies vaccine--their immune system is so low that vaccinations won't take and will only stress the cat. Vets have the option of NOT vaccinating what they consider a 'sick' cat and with a low immune system, the FIV cats qualify--so they may not even need a rabies shot if the vet thinks it shouldn't be given. If they DO get a vaccination, they should NOT get more than one in a week's time, any second shot needs to wait till their body adjusts.

A cat with FIP has a much shorter life, the disease is a lot worse than FIV in many ways. Do a google.com search on "FIP cats" and you'll find vet sites with accurate information on it.

A similar search on FIV has to be done more carefully. A lot of the articles online are old, new information on FIV has been found and contradicts what is said on older sites (for instance it's ok to have FIV and non-FIV cats living together if the FIV cat isn't aggressive, he will not pass the disease. It's also not passed via food dishes, litter boxes, mutual grooming or shared water bowls--all things the older sites are saying is true. It's not true, new studies have contradicted all those).

Answer 2

Kittens and adult cats can show different symptoms. AIDS, feline luek. and FIP are all very serious and can spread like wildfire. If you have even the smallest bit of concern that your cat has this immediately separate him/her from other cats. Although it is not airborne it is transferred through saliva and blood. They can contract it from something as simple as sharing a food bowl. Kittens can seem healthy but already have one of these illnesses. Some common symptoms are: runny nose and eyes, pale gums, sneezing, diarrhea and lethargy. They will seem like they have a really bad cold that just won't go away and eventually untreated it will get worse. A blood test at your local vet can identify any of these illnesses. The AIDS and leukemia test is a combo test and the FIP test is done separately. Keep in mind that AIDS in cats cannot be given to humans. They are 2 totally different diseases and cats with both AIDS and leukemia can live years with a little bit of supportive care. FIP on the other hand is very hard to keep under control. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

Lethargy, runny eyes, discharged from the nose. These symptoms can also be signs of other less serious illnesses, so a simple blood test is in order.