Encouraging News For FIV+ Cats
AnimalCare 
Jun 4, 2014 
AnimalCare, NGOs 
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Here’s something for FIV+ cats and particularly, their owners and caregivers:http://www.care2.com/causes/as-it-turns-out-fiv-positive-and-negative-cats-can-happily-live-together.html
FIV positive cats can live long, healthy and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all, yet there is so much misinformation circling about this disease that some veterinarians still recommend euthanizing cats who test positive.
A new study inThe Veterinary Journal written by Annette L.Litster of Purdue Universitys College of Veterinary Medicines Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences presents Listers conclusions aboutFIV positive and negative cats living togetherbased on research of the cohabitation of cats living in separate rescues.
In the onerescue, Litster discovered that FIV was not passed between infected and non-infected cats during normal day to day interaction in a shared living environment. In the second rescue, Listers studies also showed that FIV was not transmitted to kittens when their mothers were already infected prior to birth.
FIV Should Not Mean a Death Sentence
FIV is shrouded in rumor and prejudice, and as a result too many cats are deemed unadoptable and end up being euthanized. These groundbreaking studies by Litster provide evidence that FIV positive kitties are not the great danger to their brethren as we may have once thought them to be.
Hopefully this new research can help veterinarians and shelter staff to advise cat owners and adopters to make better informed decisions and in turn help put an end to FIV positive cats being needlessly killed due to a completely controllable and non threatening illness.
Check outFOHAfor more information about FIV positive cats and FIV negative cats living together in peace.
Amongst my inside cats, Bunny and Tiger are FIV+. Both are 8 years old. When Bunny was younger, whenever he got sick, he would take a very long time to recover. For example, once we had a flu outbreak and everyone was sneezing. The rest of the cats took about a week to recover, but Bunny took three weeks. Tiger once had a bad sore on the neck that wouldn’t heal and also a limping problem which persisted. I took Tiger to three vets and all said that being FIV+, there was no cure. Acupuncture solved that problem in less than 2 weeks.
The only other cats who have been tested are Indy and Tabs (when they were ill) and both were tested negative. The rest have not been tested since there hasn’t been a need to test them so far.
All seven of them live together. Of course there are the usual feline brawls, given that three of them are titans, but it’s manageable and relatively…okay.
Bunny doesn’t have a cat best friend. His best friend is my son, Jia-Wen.
Bunny is sometimes bullied by his sister, Pole.
Tiger’s best friend is Tabs.
Tiger and Indy are also good friends.
Being the only non-Cows in the place, Indy, Tabs and Tiger stick together.
(The “Cows” are Cow, Bunny, Pole and Cleo – from one family.)
Tiger recently had sporotrichosis but is fine now. He is robust and happy.
I am pleased to see this article dispelling the common perception and assumption that FIV+ cats are doomed and face a very bleak future. It needn’t be so. Whatever illnesses our pets may have, we owe it to them to give them the very best in healthcare. And love, informed knowledge and positivity help too.
I can still remember the day Bunny was diagnosed FIV+. A neighbourhood kitten needed a blood donor for an amputation surgery and the caregiver. Bunny was my most robust cat, so I offered him. That’s when his blood was tested and I was told he did not qualify because he was FIV+. I think Bunny was only 3 years old then. I remember the vet insisted that I only had two options – to cage him for life or have him euthanised. Many vets still hold on to the old school where these are the only options for FIV+ cats.
I chose to do my own research and consulted many, many vets to get as much information as I could. It was through all this research that I learnt that FIV isn’t that easily transmitted from cat to cat.
Too often, even now, I encounter vets who are not too happy to treat FIV+ cats and sometimes, misinformed caregivers and owners also give up and opt for euthanasia for their pets.
I hope this will change.
FIV+ is just a condition, just like HIV+ in humans. We do not kill an HIV+ human. Similarly, we do not kill an FIV+ cat. We managed them, in a well-informed manner. We take care of them.
Please share the article widely.
Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2014/06/04/encouraging-news-for-fiv-..
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