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Original poster

To take on a cat with FIV

69 replies

SamBeckett · 14/10/2019 12:47

A good friend has been feeding a stray ( yes def a stray ) for a while , with the help of a local cat rescue place they managed to trap it and get it to the vets .
It has FIV , my friend has a cat already so he can not take it .
I have been thinking of getting a cat for a few months but the ' right one ' has not come my way.
Should I adopt this one ? It will be a house cat , lone pet , no kids.
What do I need to know ?

OP posts:
Patchworksack · 14/10/2019 12:53

How a cat with FIV will do healthwise is unpredictable - the latest research suggests it doesn't necessarily shorten lifespan, but potentially they become immunosuppressed so more prone to chronic infections and some forms of cancer.
My main concern from your description is whether a stray feral enough that it has to be trapped will adapt to being an indoor cat?

Original poster
SamBeckett · 14/10/2019 13:02

Yes I am concerned about it wanting / been happy to stay indoors. They ( vets) think he has been living outside for about a month , I am guessing the cats owners dumped him when they found out he was poorly.

I also think getting insurance for puss may be hard too .

OP posts:
viccat · 14/10/2019 13:46

I recommend reading this website, these people are amazing and have helped lots of FIV cats over the years. fivcats.com/

In general, your set up sounds great! If you live in a house/ground floor flat, as with any indoor cat, you will need to catproof your windows and be careful about opening doors to prevent escapes. It's easier if you're on an upper floor although still catproof windows to prevent falls/escapes.

KTD27 · 14/10/2019 14:11

This is my FIV puss. He’s the greatest cat that ever there was.
He’s been with us for 5 years and vet guesses he’s around 7-8. Slightly porky because he doesn’t prowl around outside but is in fine fettle, super cuddly amazing with the kids and we just think he’s the bees knees.
He was picked up as a stray and we knew he had FIV when we got him. He hasn’t had any issues thought be aware FIV cats can get dental problems so you have to be quite on top of that if it starts. Also we couldn’t get insurance for him. There have been two quite expensive treatments in the whole time we have had him completely unrelated to his condition (blockage in his colon. Turned out to be poo Envy not envy)
Anyway. Do your research but don’t be put off.

To take on a cat with FIV
thecatneuterer · 14/10/2019 14:36

There is no reason at all that your friend can't keep him even though she already has a cat. FIV positive cats can live together with negative cats without passing on the virus. Sharing food, litter trays, mutual grooming etc will not pass the virus. It is only passed by saliva to blood transmission - in other words in a very nasty fight.

There is also no reason that an FIV positive cat shouldn't go out. As long as he is neutered he is unlikely to be getting into fights, so shouldn't be a risk to other cats.

I have and have had a lot of FIV positive cats. They all go out and live together with my FIV negative ones without problem or transmission. It can shorten their lives but all of mine that have died have died either or old age or of something unrelated, such as cancer.

thecatneuterer · 14/10/2019 14:37

I've just read that cancer can be related, but it is also related to old age and these cats were old ...

ClientListQueen · 14/10/2019 14:39

Make sure it has had full blood tests, the snap test can be unreliable. Mine had only the snap test and came back positive - he doesn't have FIV

thecatneuterer · 14/10/2019 14:39

Are you saying OP that you live in a flat or there is some other reason why he would have to be an indoor cat? rather than FIV cats should be kept inside?

Original poster
SamBeckett · 14/10/2019 21:09

@viccat that is a very interesting article , I will read it all when I have a little more time but it has already dispelled some ideas that I had which is a good thing !
@ClientListQueen how did you find out your cat did not have FIV after the snap said he did have ? you must of been both cross with the original diagnoses but relived as well .

@thecatneuterer No I was under the impression that a cat with FIV had to be kept inside , I live in a terrace house with postage stamp size back yard .

I am concerned about a local cat s/he has taken to sleeping in a old hutch I have , I think it is getting on a bit and it spits at me every time it sees me til it realises i am not going to hurt it then its all friendly and as nice as pie , however I am not sure how it will take to a new cat sharing the hutch.

OP posts:
ClientListQueen · 14/10/2019 21:14

@SamBeckett he had to have bloods for cat flu (no he didn't have cat flu either, he had a tooth stuck in his nose!)
The vet rang me and basically said "er. He doesn't have FIV. And I've taken a tooth out his nose. He doesn't have cat flu either" she said he was a very interesting case!

Original poster
SamBeckett · 14/10/2019 21:20

Here is my interloper cat this belongs to a neighbour he's (< I think ) obviously well fed and has a collar on so I can't adopt him even though he's very friendly once he has stop spitting at me !

To take on a cat with FIV
OP posts:
Original poster
SamBeckett · 14/10/2019 21:30

@KTD27 aww he is lovely , it is good to hear of so many positive stories.

A tooth stuck in he nose you say @ClientListQueen , that can be a everyday occurrence at the vets !

OP posts:
ClientListQueen · 14/10/2019 21:38

Yep! He had "cat flu" and was constantly snotty with green snot and I suspected a pocket of infection that wasn't clearing. Because he was snotty and sneezing I told the vet "do as if he were your own cat" and she scoped him
Said it would have felt like constant sinusitis and lucky he wasn't dead from infection or attacking people with the pain

HappyBumbleBee · 14/10/2019 22:40

I had a car with FIV He was really really poorly when he was about 3 and after the days in the very hospital I was allowed to bring him home - he had a 20% chance of survival but they could do no more other than let me bring him home and nurse him/try and get him to eat. I remember crying with relief when he finally ate about a quarter of a teaspoon of wet food!
He pulled through and initially his life expectancy was he'd love till he was about 5 or 6.....He surpassed that and I lost him last year at the age of 14 ❤️
I had two other cats with him, one other is still with me and they've never shown any signs or symptoms of FIV - all of my cats have been strays - the most recent is now two and a half and turned up two years ago next month. She wasn't used to much human contact but now she's as soft as butter!
Go with the advice of vets and the rescue place. I just wanted you to know my experience as "Tigger" proved everyone wrong and was one of my very best friends xxx

HappyBumbleBee · 14/10/2019 22:43

Sorry for the typos x

Original poster
SamBeckett · 15/10/2019 05:52

@HappyBumbleBee
that must of been a very worrying time for you ( and I guess a expensive one too ) . It it good to know that there is a good chance of a normal life for a cat with FIV

I thought cats with FIV need to be kept on antibiotics , but seeing everyone's replies on here and reading up a bit more I presume that is not the case ??

I am going to contact the person that has the cat and find out a bit more about the cat and any treatment it has had / needs .

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 15/10/2019 09:14

No, FIV cats don't need any regular meds. If they do get some sort of infection they may need a longer course of antibiotics than a non FIV cat, but's that's all.

viccat · 15/10/2019 11:03

The suggestion to keep them as indoor cats is as much as about protecting them from catching other viruses outdoors as it is about any perceived risk to other cats. However the group I linked to (Catwork/FIV Cats) has actually said going out may equally help their immune system, based on their research and experience.

And it's generally recommended FIV cats get a good quality diet to keep them healthy and strengthen the immune system. Other than that, nothing special is needed.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 15/10/2019 11:06

This is my favourite FIV+ cat

Mind you, he did have cancer and cost a fortune in vet bills...

Supersimkin2 · 15/10/2019 11:11

Mr C, my darling cat who saved 40 people's lives, was a rescue FIV cat.

He died of something completely different at a very ripe old age.

The only thing you need to worry about is how to spoil the kitty rotten.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 15/10/2019 11:16

The suggestion to keep them as indoor cats is as much as about protecting them from catching other viruses outdoors as it is about any perceived risk to other cats.

Absolutely this. My FIV+ boy managed to get out and cost us over £200 in vet bills. No insurance because of his FIV. He's also neutered and a fighter 🙄.

He's an indoor boy, but gets two walks a day in his harness. Not perfect, but better than being constantly ill.

thecatneuterer · 15/10/2019 12:17

In contrast to the post above, all my many (must be 20 plus over the years) FIV boys have/ had outdoor access with no problems at all.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 15/10/2019 12:42

In contrast to the post above, all my many (must be 20 plus over the years) FIV boys have/ had outdoor access with no problems at all.

Yeah. But, typically, I get the bloody nutter! 😂

Original poster
SamBeckett · 15/10/2019 21:01

you lot have been great thanks , I am waiting to here back from the person that found / rescued puss to see if i can adopt it ( I need to know it its a boy or girl i can not keep calling the poor thing IT )
I will keep you posted . . . .

OP posts:
Original poster
SamBeckett · 19/10/2019 19:18

@Patchworksack @yesitsmeidontcare @thecatnuture Every one look this way ! I think I have been approved , I may be getting a puss Grin ( home checks etc first )
What do I need to know ? Any more info on a FIV much appreciated.
Rescue place has said he should be a indoor puss as he was a whole tom, ( not now ) and scrapped with others
So I need a litter tray - thinking a enclosed one to prevent wiffs. ???
Litter - clumping, wood based , ?????
Bed ?? Igloo type or flat type ??
Food ? I am thinking dry for him to nibble on during the day and wet for main meals or ???? ( previous cats fed on mince and day old chicks but it can get smelly in the warm weather )
Toys ? Climbing frame / bed
If he has to stay in I want a harness so he can at least mooch about the yard, thoughts?

OP posts: