FIV carrier?

Question

My mother recently took in a stray cat and her kitten. She took them to the vet to get checked out and found out that the mother is a FIV carrier. The baby is still too young to be tested (he's around 8 weeks old). What exactly does this mean? All the vet did was hand us a pamphlet and told us that something "might" happen. Since she's a carrier does that mean she will be sick? What are the chances that the baby may be infected?

Also, will it have any effect on my mom's two indoor dogs?

Answer 1

I've got two FIV cats, being FIV positive means the immune system isn't very good, the cats need to stay away from sick cats because they'll be taking longer to heal if they get sick from them.

If the Western Blot test wasn't done on the mother, then she may or may not have FIV, because the quicker test has a known failure rate of 20% on diagnosing FIV. Also, if the female cat was ever vaccinated for FIV she'll have the antibodies and will always test positive for FIV, regardless of the test, because both tests will think she has the disease when she hasn't got it at all.

IF she is positive, she'll have a lifespan of about 15 years or so, it doesn't shorten their lives if they get good vet care. If the kitten has it when tested at 7 or 8 months of age, he's in worse danger because he would have been born with it and his own immune system won't have developed at all--most young cats who are born with it and still 'have it' once they reach puberty usually don't live past 2 years of age because their immune system can't protect them from anything.

But neither one may have FIV, she could have been vaccinated (the vaccine has been on the market for about 3 years now) by a previous owner, or the Elisha test could have given a false positive on her. Wait and see.

If she is positive, then watch for the normal symptoms--dry coat, runny eyes, mouth problems. They're treatable. Keep her on good food and away from sick cats. This is a cat disease, so it can't spread to dogs at all, or to any other species.

Answer 2

First of all, the dogs (and all humans) will be ok. FIV is cat-to-cat only.

While FIV is fatal in the long run, FIV is not necessarily an immediate death sentence. I had a cat with FIV and he lived 15 years!! They can remain healthy till the last stages of the illness, then will become very ill, very quickly and will need humane intervention. The kitten probably does have FIV. If they are both FIV positive, there is no reason not to keep them both. It's ok to adopt an FIV cat (as long as you don't have other cats); they may live one year or 10 years, just as with any other animal.

If you can keep these cats they should stay indoors so as not to infect other cats in the neighborhood.

Good luck to you and i hope it all works out!!

Answer 3

The kitten is not to young to be tested. Animal hospitals routinely test kittens at their first visit at age 8 wks for Leukemia and FIV (called a combo test). What this means is that the mom cat and or the kitten may become deathly ill, or may just become carriers of the disease. I would want to make sure that they were not going outside, they have the ability to spread the disease to other cats they contact. You would want to keep them from other cats, I hope that your mom doesn't have over cats in the house......
If you don't understand this disease, you are not alone. Ask your vet for more information. Don't settle for a pamphlet.

Answer 4

That sounds strange. With the test they do in the office, they are either positive or negative. She was positive. that means she has FIV, but can remain healthy for a long time....or not. It is passed through bite wounds and is not as easily spread as FeLV, but it still can be spread. You will need to keep close watch on her for any symptoms.
The kitten would probably test positive right now, but most FIV positive kittens will test negative after 12-16 weeks.

Answer 5

irvingfan's advice is spot on
my cat is FIV positive too
he's the healthiest feline around
just make sure you keep your cats away from others and indoors at night time (must) to ensure infection doesn't spread
otherwise it's no stress - any signs of illness make sure you take them to the vet straight away and give them all the love & affection that they demand (of course :))
Good luck

Answer 6

I'm sorry to say you might have trouble. This is why no matter how it breaks your heart, Take the stray immediately to the vet and save yourself the heartache. Never,never take in a stray if you have someone at home already without a vet checkup.

Answer 7

I had a cat that had FIV it is like HIV in humans but cats have it and can transfer it by eting and drinking after each other. They cannot transfer it to or from people and will not get sick, it can make weaker cats sick but not if they are taken care of.

Answer 8

Chances are very good the kitten is infected. Research Feline Infectious disease and you will get more answers.

Answer 9

This link should help.
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fiv.html