Readers Respond

Since I posted the first article back in July, 2000, a number of readers have either emailed or posted their own experiences with FIV+ kitties, and the overall tone has been positive. Here are a few which I found most touching:

By Email

"Jack is one of my FIV positive cats. They live in an apartment which I had built in my basement for one of my daughters. There are six of them and they can never mingle with my other cats. Jack needed his teeth cleaned because, as you probably know, FIV cats have dental problems. He went into full cardiac arrest on the table and was revived. He had neurological problems following the event which included not being steady on his feet and being blind. He gradually came back to normal, but, as you can imagine, I dread not knowing what caused it. He still has the bad tooth that needed to be pulled so, eventually, I will have to bring him again. For the present, I am enjoying his antics more than ever."

On the Forums

"I'm so sorry to hear about Shannon, but as others said, he still could have, even at 18, some more good years. A friend of mine had one of her 8 cats diagnosed with kitty AIDS some three or four years ago, and Ziggy has yet to show any symptoms at all. This is a good excuse to treasure each day with him even more than you normally would, and build those precious memories that you will have forever."
Missanda

"I have lots of positive wishes for Shannon. My kitty, Hello Kitty, lived with FIV for many years. We had a horrible time the first two years because it manifested as gum disease that his body couldn't fight off, and he needed anti-inflamatories, anti-biotics, etc. forever. Finally the vet mentioned that another cat with gum disease had her teeth pulled and her gums healed. So I said to go for it, and Hello healed just fine. He was off meds and happy for another three years, then he came down with a cancer that suddenly activated. He was almost 14 then."
Talessen

"Hi Franny, first, let me say that I'm so pleased to see that so many people are posting positive things about cats with FIV. Just a few years ago, people were so freaked out about the FIV/HIV conundrum, they would have advocated euthanasia. It goes to show that education is the key. With what we now know about FIV, a lot of positive cats and kittens believed to be positive due to false positive test results at an early age can now have perfectly normal lives and give lots of love and companionship to their owners."
Eileen Poole

I should add that very early on after Shannon's diagnosis, Eileen Poole told me something that I have carried with me like a talisman ever since, "Remember that Shannon doesn't know he's sick." I draw on that knowledge every time I start to worry and fret about his picky appetite or his thinning hair. Indeed, he goes on with life as usual, my stalwart old gentleman.

Still, Shannon seems to know his time with us is limited. He has taken to sleeping curled up in Asa's arms, where before he sat upright, guarding Asa in sleep like some modern day Sphynx. He solicits brotherly love from Bubba, often approaching Bubba, with a few grooming licks, or just to nestle against him in sleep. Recently he has spent several hours each day sleeping on my lap, as I reach around him to type. This is a cat who has never been a lap cat. Most atypical behavior, but I treasure it, as I steel myself to living without him. What are a few typos among life-long friends? and my Sunshine Cat is my best friend.