New Member

Posts: 6
From:Queens, NY
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-04-2003 12:16 PM         

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Hey everyone,
How contagious is FIV. My new kitty who is 4 months is not yet old enough to be tested and he has been trying to get along with the resident cat who is almost 2 years old. I don't want Sonny, the resident cat, to get sick. Can anyone enlighten me on FIV and what I should do to make sure it doesn't spread..if it is like HIV, I have a good idea of how it is spread, but maybe it differs in animals...thanks so much!!

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Member

Posts: 790
From:uk
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 12-04-2003 01:11 PM         

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HI. FIV is very contagious and if you suspect your kitty has this please keep them away from each other i have added a link which gives advice and information on the illness and how easily it is contracted.

Here in the uk a kitten can be tested for FIV at any age if it is showing symptoms please ask your vet for advice on this matter..

mike.
http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/fiv/

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Posts: 84
From:Ontario Canada
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-04-2003 01:13 PM         

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FIV is most commonly spread by an infected cat biting another one. It is very rarely spread through casual contact such as sharing a water dish or litter box--I have heard that it is essentially impossible to spread this way but I'm not the expert, although I read a lot about it as I lost a cat to FIV recently. After what I went through (we had no idea he had it until he was very ill), I would strongly recommend screening all cats for it before adopting them.

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Posts: 996
From:sheridan, wy
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 12-04-2003 02:43 PM         

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Do you know if the 4 month old has FIV? What is his background?

FIV is spread mainly by fighting among tomcats. Unless your kitten got in some fights, or could have gotten it from his mother, he probably doesn't have it.

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Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 12-04-2003 03:12 PM         

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Your vet said the kitten is too young to be tested? Did they mention why?
I had one of mine tested at 7wks old for FIV/FeLV...my vet did'nt mention anything about them needing to be a certain age.
I would keep the cats seperated until you can have the kitten tested.

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Posts: 84
From:Hull, UK
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-04-2003 06:08 PM         

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Hiya
Just wanted to point out that FIV is not an immediate reason to have a cat put to sleep unless it is in the latter stages and in pain. You do need to keep them in and away from other cats, unless you have an FIV 'household' where all you cats have the disease. It has been shown that the progress of the disease can be slowed by feeding a raw diet with plenty of nutrients.

I would hate to think someone would have a kitten put down because it has FIV, it could still have a good 8 years of quality life left! Yes these animals are more prone to getting ill but they still deserve a chance!

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Posts: 260
From:MO, USA
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-04-2003 06:59 PM         

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I dont understand why you cant have him tested at 4 months? My vets have told me the younger you can test them the more accurate the tests will be.
How long were you told to wait?

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Posts: 120
From:West Chester, PA.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-04-2003 07:49 PM         

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Is FIV the same as the feline leukemia?? I think I am confused.

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Posts: 260
From:MO, USA
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-04-2003 08:44 PM         

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FIV and Feleuk are closely related, they even use the same "combo" test to test for both viruses.
FIV is mainly transmitted by bites. The virus is shed in the saliva of the cat. Immediate contact such as your cat sits on the window sill while another cat infected with FIV walks by will not necessarily infect the healthy cat on the other side of the window.
FIV affects the white blood cells of the cats system. White blood cells are necessary for their immunity. This leaves the cat susceptable to infections.
Once the cat is infected signs and symptoms will begin to show in 4-6 wks.
Symptoms you may see in a FIV positive kitty are infections in the mouth, upper respiratory, eye, ear, skin infections, lethargy, fever, dehydration, poor coat conditions, and sometimes cancer.
There is a FIV vaccine available however in most tests cats that have recieved a FIV vax will show up positive.
There are three stages of FIV. Some cats can live a very long happy life even though they are infected with FIV.

Feline leukemia is excreted in saliva, tears, urine, and feces.
Cat to cat contact is required for effecient spread of the virus. Once outside of its host the virus will not live for a long time. It is rapidly inactivated by warming and drying.
Symptoms associated with feline leukemia can be anemia, jaundice, depression, weight loss, lack of appetite, diarrhea, decreased stamina, excessive drinking and urination, and sometimes symptoms related to feline distemper (panleukemia) Feline leukemia may even cause a cancer called lymphosarcoma.
Leukemias are cancers of the white blood cells.

Both are retroviruses and are infectious to the RNA of the animal and leave imprints on the animals DNA.

Sorry if this was too much information

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Posts: 84
From:Ontario Canada
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-05-2003 09:29 AM         

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The reason you can't have them tested at too young an age is because they may still have antibodies from their mother in their system which could show up as a false positive.

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Posts: 84
From:Hull, UK
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-05-2003 10:49 PM         

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I have heard of a vaccine for FeLV but not heard of one for FIV before can someone get me some info on the FIV vaccine it must be pretty new.

Cheers

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Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 12-05-2003 11:39 PM         

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quote:

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can someone get me some info on the FIV vaccine it must be pretty new.

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Here is a link about it: http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/path/Faculty%20Pages/Yamamoto/yammamoto_FIV.htm

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