FIV Cat

[Minglemangle]

My cousin is going on a gap year and has asked me to have her cat for 9ish months as she obviously doesn’t want to give him up or stick him in a cattery for months. Logistically this is fine, I work part time, already have cats that tolerate other cats and have plenty of toys, cat towers, litter trays etc. Problem is that her cat has FIV and was rehomed on the understanding that he would be a single, indoor cat. My cats are mostly indoor but do not have FIV, I don’t want to expose them to FIV. Has anyone got experience of this, can I vaccinate my cats against FIV before agreeing to this?

You really don't need to worry. FIV is only passed on through major fighting which causes deep bites. Cats with FIV can live their whole lives with FIV negative cats without passing it on. It can't be caught from eating from the food bowl or anything like that. Really there is no need for a rescue to specify that the cat should be kept indoors or alone. That used to be the advice about 30 years ago, but we have so much more understanding of the condition now that it's no longer relevant.

Also FIV, while not great, isn't as serious a condition as people think. Most FIV positive cats live a natural life span and die of normal, unrelated things.

Oh, there is no vaccine.

Many thanks. I think that my oldest (14) is past any full on spats and the youngest is all bark and no bite (all hiss and no bite)! I was worried about them sharing bowls, litter trays etc but you’ve put my mind at rest.

I agree with catneuterer that it's not a risk to your resident cats at all.

Of course, as with any new cat you're introducing to the household, the new cat should initially be separated from them in his own room and then introduced gradually. You should also keep him in for the first month or so to ensure he considers your house his home and won't go missing.