An FIV-positive diagnosis is not an automatic death sentence for a cat, nor does caring for an FIV+ cat carry any risk to the caregiver. Find out what FIV is, how it is transmitted, and what the treatment options are for this relatively uncommon viral disease in cats.
While FIV is sometimes referred to as 'Feline AIDS,' it is not transmittable to humans. FIV is transmitted cat-to-cat most commonly through 'saliva to blood,' i.e. deep bite wounds. It can also be transmitted through the womb from mother cat to embryos. Although an FIV vaccine is available, it is not presently recommended due to several problems. Cats can live a relatively long life after diagnosis with FIV, and usually die from complications, rather than the virus itself.
Bud, an FIV+ cat, has been kept alive with a combination of drugs used to treat HIV and OTC supplements. The result has been total measurable viral suppression, to the extent that in his latest test, the viral load was so low that FIV was not detected. Read his remarkable story by Joel Kehler, Bud's human caregiver.
Joel Kehler, in a guest article for Cats at About.com, writes of his remarkable results in treating his FIV+ cat, Bud, with alternative therapies.
So, my cat is FIV positive. What do I do now? This series tracks your Guide's experiences with living with an FIV+ Cat.
Part of a series on my experiences with my FIV+ CAT, Shannon, now a Rainbow Bridge kitty.
Follow-up on Shannon's progress after 30 days. Lack of appetite is a problem, but the bladder infection is history.
To live with an FIV+ cat is to experience a daily rollercoaster of emotions, even though the cat does not know he is sick. Here's a recap of the first 90 days after Shannon's diagnosis.
The pros and cons of the relatively new, and controversial already, vaccine for FIV.
Joel Kehler took on a huge project of researching treatments of HIV for their applicability in treating Bud, his FIV+ cat. He shares the results, along with both touching and funny stories of how Bud became "his cat."
Description of the FIV retrovirus, its incidence, stages of the disease, symptoms and treatment, from Pet Education.com.
Cornell Feline Health Center treatise on the differences between the FIV and the FELV viruses.
Another discussion of the differences between the FELV and FIV viruses, from the Feline Advisory Board
From a mailing list, information from a lay person on the uses of Interferon in raising the immune resistance of FIV and FeLV-positive cats.
