Cat Care – Feline FIV

The two pictures above are of Raymond. His expanded bio can be read at the Meet The Kittys page. Raymond was a feral rescue. He was immediately taken to the vet and was diagnosed with  FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). The first picture shows Raymond’s deteriorating condition. His second picture illustrates the fact that after a vet visit and proper home care how he has improved. I get reports on him regularly and he is doing fine. While his initial few weeks in the house were spent hiding, he eventually bonded with his human mum and now lives with one adult cat, three new kittens and a old dog. He is friendly and loveable. The under lying story here is that FIV cats cat lead normal lives and can be integrated with other cats with no problems.

FIV

FIV is diagnosed with a simple blood test. FIV is not typically fatal for cats. Infected cats can live normal lives and have normal life spans. FIV is transmitted through infected blood entering a cats blood stream through deep bites.  FIV is not transmitted through the saliva, or the teeth or from scratching. When integrating a FIV cat into your clowder it is not a problem to share water or food bowls. When a person owns a FIV cat a relationship with a vet is necessary to treat any secondary  infections quickly. With proper home care and regular vet visits the probability of the FIV kitty passing on the virus to the other family cats is non-existent. In closing Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is not a death sentence and it is not necessary to euthanize infected cats. I am including a Wikipedia link with a more in-depth article on this subject.

That’s my story for today. Hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. Today topic is complicated. If you would like more discussion on this E-Mail me at catinthecradles@gmail.com.

Trevor