My rescue cat is crying to go out (FIV positive)

[KrustyTheKat]

I’ve had my wonderful rescue cat a few months now and he’s just lovely.
He is FIV positive so the rescue centre had said he’s an indoor only cat.
This is fine as I live in a flat, I made sure I have plenty of toys for him to play with and I am around most of the time to keep him company.

However, he has started to cry at the front door, he has managed to run out the door a few times and he just seems to be pining for the outdoors.
I feel really sorry for him as he was an outdoor cat before and he’s now been locked up and I think he’s sad.
He’s eating and drinking ok but I did notice clumps of fur on the carpet a few times last week when I’d been out.
Please advise me. I really love him and want to make him happy if I can

Can you get him a friend? My two just chase each other round all day and have become super close. One of them also has to stay indoors (3 legged ex feral flu-carrying rescue kitten) but they’re both indoor anyway due to busy road nearby and quite happy. A big cat tree next to a window so they can climb and chirrup at the birds is also good. I’ve had older cats go from outdoor to indoor before, and they do get used to it. It’s less stressful in the long run, particularly with older cats.

He might like a window view? I have a tall scratching post at one window and a cat tree at another that mine enjoy surveying the outside from. They can go out. But seem quite content most of the time just to look.

I don't understand why some rescues say that FIV positive cats need to stay indoors. Our rescue (a large one) do not say this and we home FIV cats normally, including to households with existing cats.

Transmission is saliva to blood only, so it is only through major fighting or mating. Neutered cats just don't generally get into those sort of fights and, if they did, the culprit would very likely be an unneutered male. And the vast, vast majority of unneutered males, past say the age of 2, are already FIV positive.

So he really isn't going to be a threat to other cats. As long as you're in a safe location (regarding roads etc) then I would let him out.

Oh and I have, and have had, many FIV positive cats. They live happily alongside all my other cats without passing it on (I did get a few tested many years ago to be sure), and go out. I never give it a second thought.

Here's a pic of my FIV+ "indoor only" chap. It's not perfect, but it gets him out and about, he can still stalk stuff and go up trees (no higher than I can get him down from).

He also gets to watch "SquirrelHub" on YouTube, search for Handsome Nature. Paul Dinning is better for birds.

Absolutely get him a window seat.

Thanks for all your replies.
I have a balcony that I have secured so he can go out there and he likes to sit on a stool and watch the birds.
I also have a floor to ceiling cat tree that he has never used.
My understanding of the FIV was not only risk of transmission but also that the cat has a lower immune system so is more susceptible to getting serious infections?....so I was told by the rescue centre.

Oh TCN! I do think you're a wonderful human being, and normally would absolutely bow to your knowledge of cats (and that is not sarcasm).

But I do think OP should be aware that while I don't doubt that the majority of FIV+ cats are fine, if you have one that isn't it can be very expensive. Leroy got out, got in to a fight, probably passed on the FIV, got an infection, £200+, insurance said no... 🤦🏼‍♀️

•YesItsMeIDontCare* Where did you get your harness/lead from?.....did it take sometime for your kitty to get used to it?

@KrustyTheKat - Mynwood Cat Jackets, they're made to measure. The lead is a bog standard "small dog" extendable one from Pets@Home.

Took no time at all to get used to it. He was so keen to go out, like yours is, that the indignity of having it on paled to insignificance compared to being out. The usual advice is to put it on and give them time, for us putting it on and then giving the reward (going out) instantly worked far better.

There’s a leash training video on YouTube, catmandoo. If you ever get into trouble and he’s squirming grab him firmly by the scruff and they go floppy.

I used to do it to the Bengal when he was fighting.

Yesitsme - it's OK, you don't have to agree with me all the time:)

The extra risk of an FIV cat going out is very, very small - it's not zero - but it's very small. Of course all cats are safer indoors, but most people think that the risk of going out is worth it for the improvement in quality of life it brings. Well you need to make the same sort of judgement with an FIV cat.

@YesItsMeIDontCare I’ve ordered him a “denim” jacket from Mynwoods and bought a retractable lead.
Fingers crossed this will keep him happy 😃

Oh that's great 😁.

Open the door a crack and put the harness on while he's distracted by the possibility of freedom. Clip on lead, open door and away you go.
I must stress though that it's nothing like walking a dog. You follow the cat.
Use the lock on the lead whenever you want to stop him and say "No". He'll link the "click" with the "No".
Be prepared to pick him up whenever you see a dog, but if it becomes regular some dogs may become familiar faces.
He'll start off close by but will increase his distances as he gets confident.
You will probably have to carry him home because he'll want to stay out and you've already been out two hours and you've got shit to be getting on with.
I used to think Leroy had had a good walk if we'd been out 20mins. We were out for 1hr 45mins today, most of it was spent scrolling through my phone while he stalked something I couldn't see, 🤷🏼‍♀️

Good luck!

We have an FIV positive cat, only found out through a blood test for something unrelated. He was clear when he came to us from Battersea.

He's neutered but he was still a real fighter and very territorial. We're not sure when he was infected, if we'd known sooner we would have kept him in sooner. Just like HIV and AIDS in humans, there is a stage when the cat presents normally and most owners are unaware they have an infected cat. Then it develops and their resistance to infection decreases. We thought he was just a bit off colour so took him to the vets for a check up and it turns out he has only got a few months to live.

He's only 8 but it's so advanced that we can't let him out as the smallest thing could kill him as he has no immunity at all. Then they can develop sepsis and that's not a nice way to go.

So even on a lead you are risking him picking up bacteria from dog, cat and fox shit, lungworm parasites and so on. If I'd known more about the risks earlier we might have been able to enjoy him for many more years.

As an alternative to the lead if you are nervous of infections, you could try a cat backpack with see through sections? Not as much fun for the cat though.

@LadyOfTheCanyon Thanks for that info. I’m still waiting for his cat jacket to arrive so we’ve not been out yet. He’s actually calmed down a bit with the crying at the door. Maybe he’s getting used to being indoors.

Hi @KrustyTheKat i know it’s been a while 😆 but I’m wondering about the cat jacket?! Currently listening to a cat we’re looking after cry at the window and trying to think of a solution. He’s only been with us for <2 weeks but could be with us for a good few months and I just feel like he’s mostly sad with a rubbish life 😔

Play with him. He needs to chase a laser pointer or a wiggle toy controlled by you. Cat trees and other forms of static enrichment don't help much with boredom.

You can also make dinner time mire interesting by putting biscuits in the bottom half of an egg box so that he has to hook them out with his paws.

I just realised how old this thread is.