- The Feline Immuno-Deficiency Virus (FIV) is a slow virus that affects a cat’s immune system over a period of years.
- FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all.
- FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.
- FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread casually, like in litter boxes, water and food bowls or when snuggling and playing. It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens.
- The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, un-neutered tomcats.)
- A cat in a home is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly introduced.
- Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago.
- FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible. Keep them indoors and free from stress, feed them a high-quality diet and treat any secondary problems as soon as they arise.
Please give an FIV positive cat a home! If you adopt an FIV positive cat from Kitty Connection, you can bring the cat to our vet at rescue discount prices for the rest of the cat’s life!
For additional information, please read the excellent article FIV: Catching a Bad Case of Rumors and this one by Care2.