My cat has feline AIDS. Does that mean all my other cats will get it too?

Answer 1

Firstly, don't confuse FIV with FeLV, the first is the immune system disease spread by biting, the second is feline leukemia spread by body fluids and casual contact.

FIV only shortens the life of a cat by a little, many of them live 15 years or more (unless you get an uninformed vet who recommends automatic euthenasia, then the life expectancy is WAY short!). FIV isn't spread casually. A lot of people with FIV cats mix theirs with the non-FIV ones and don't have a disease transmission at all -- if the cat doesn't bite, and isn't aggressive, he won't be passing the disease on.

I've got 2 FIV cats and 3 non-FIV cats, they've all been in constant contact 24/7 for at least 10 years. None of the non-FIV cats have gotten the disease. They've all had bloodwork done recently (tooth problem, kidney checking and a thyroid thing) so I know for sure that none of the 3 are positive.

There's two very good FIV cats lists on yahoogroups if you want to join. They're full of knowledgeable owners who can answer any question.

The vaccine isn't recommended since it only protects partially against one of the five types of FIV (we have 3 of the types in the USA, one is over in Europe and one is Asian) so the coverage isn't good--plus any vaccinated cat will now have antibodies in their system making it look like they're 'positive' for FIV on any future blood test---something that will get them killed if they ever get out and are picked up by animal control or the humane society. Both those places do a test and euthenize all cats who come up positive.

They use the Elisha test, which isn't very accurate (at least 20% of cats who don't have FIV will come up with a false positive on the test) so it's a double whammy for any cat they test--be they FIV positive for real, get a false positive due to the test, or are actually a vaccinated cat. They all get put down.

My vet won't recommend the vaccine for those two reasons and refuses to give it. Our humane society doesn't have an answer when I ask them about FIV vaccinated cats coming through their system and being killed. It doesn't make sense to endanger your non-FIV cats this way so please don't vaccinate for FIV.

FIV is a hard disease to pass. Body fluids have to be put into a moving blood supply from the FIV cat to a non-FIV one to pass, and it still takes a good 2-6 months for the newly infected cat to come up positive on a test. The Western Blot test is the most accurate and won't give false readings.

So if your cat is not aggressive, doesn't bite deep and leave blood everywhere from fighting, you don't have to worry.

Answer 2

Feline Aids Vaccine

Answer 3

It's distinctly possible that your other cats could end up with it. It's transmitted through saliva and bloods just as with HIV. (Human Immunodeficiency Virus.) FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) is just like HIV in humans, it weakens the immune system and makes your cat more susceptible to other diseases. Cats can go several years without a problem. We have a cat that comes regularly to our clinic who has it and his biggest problem is ringworm. If your cats fight or even rough house it can transmit it to other cats, and do not let this cat be an outside cat because it would be unfair to other cats in the neighborhood.

Answer 4

A vaccine has recently become available to help reduce the risk of your cat acquiring FIV. In addition to vaccination, eliminating interactions with infected cats and stopping your cat from fighting greatly helps reduce the risk. Keeping your cat indoors and neutering males are probably the most important keys to prevention.

Ideally, FIV-infected cats should be isolated from cats that do not carry the virus. This is to eliminate any chance of transmission to your uninfected cats. However, transmission among household cats through normal contact is thought to be unlikely.

Some veterinarians believe that FIV positive cats should be quarantined to a separate area in a household away from other cats and should have no contact with FIV-negative cats. However, this is difficult to do in some multi-cat households. Many FIV positive and FIV negative cats live together without problems. If you do mix your cats, you need to understand the possible risk of infection to your healthy cats, however slight.

Answer 5

Not necessarily, if they have had the vaccine for it. However, they should be tested every year to make sure.

I'm including a link to the veterinary partner website. This is written by DVMs and has much more information about FIV than I can go into here including what to do, how to take care of your FIV positive cat and what to be aware of:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1313

Answer 6

Vaccines do not always work in preventing FIV it is approximately 70% affective. I volunteer at an animal shelter with a cat that has FIV. It is always recommended that the cat be the only cat in the household. Here's more information:
Prevalence
FIV occurs worldwide and its prevalence varies geographically. About 1.5% to 3% of cats in the United States are infected with FIV. About 5% of FIV-positive cats also have feline leukemia virus (FeLV).

Risk Factors

Risk factors for FIV include:

age,
gender,
illness, and
time spent outdoors.
Older cats are more likely to be infected. The average age of cats with FIV is 5 years at the time of diagnosis.

Aggressive male cats that roam and fight with other cats are more likely to be infected than females and nonaggressive males.

Sick cats are much more likely to have FIV. In the United States, about 15% of all cats that show clinical signs of another disease are also infected with FIV.

Free-roaming cats are more likely to be infected than indoor cats.

Transmission

FIV is transmitted primarily through deep, penetrating bite wounds. A mother cat may transmit the virus to her newborn kittens during gestation, passage through the birth canal, or nursing. FIV can also be transmitted through the transfusion of contaminated blood.

FIV affects only felines. Some of the pathogens (i.e., bacteria, parasites) that cause opportunistic infections in FIV-positive cats may be transmitted from animals to humans and could cause illness in people with compromised immune systems.

I recently had to put a kitten down due to FeLV which is a different disease, but similar. Please know that FIV does not mean that your cat is doomed to die a horrible death. Make sure to keep it inside at all times so as to not catch any colds or diseases. Also, try to keep your inside cats inside and the outside cats outside so they do not bring in any infections. Like human HIV and AIDS, it's the white blood cell count that causes death from infection. If your cat doesn't fight or play with the other cats, just make sure they are vaccinated for it and don't worry too much. The cat at the shelter is healthy and happy despite having FIV.

Answer 7

Please. You should not let the infected cat outdoors. It can and will transmit the disease to every other cat in the neighborhood. Plus its immune system will be lowered by the virus and anything it picks up outside will not be an easy thing for it to get through.

I had a client who unknowingly took in a stray with FeLV when she felt sorry leaving it behind when she moved. Well within a few years she lost all her cats to this disease. So Im not going to say it isn't going to happen.

Their is a vaccine to prevent it but your cats were probably already exposed. If the infected cat fights with any of your other cats the exposure will be certain.

But take precautions so it doesn't spread to other peoples pets by telling anyone who visits and has a cat to wash their hands before leaving your home with a solution of bleach and water. If the cat was very friendly and on their lap it would be better if they washed their clothes before handling their cats. FeLV is very contagious.

This is why I plead with people to keep their cats indoors. I've seen cats with this disease and its very rough.

My heart goes out to you and your kitties. Read what you can on the disease. Google FeLV. Prayers to you and kitties

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My cat has feline AIDS. Does that mean all my other cats will get it too?

Answer 9

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