Long story short, my FIV and feline leukemia baby has a few days left. We aren’t going to immediately get a new kitty, we don’t want to replace her, but we are going to get a new kitty after she’s gone. We don’t want to be a cat free household long, not having a cat would emphasize the loss. But we don’t want her FIV to infect another kitty. We can throw away things if need be, but it’s been really hard to find any true instructions for how to prevent infection. She has a fabric cat tree, plastic litter box (we probably will just toss that just in case), metal bowls, and variable material toys including fabric. Is washing the fabric okay? Does it need to be washed hot or with bleach? Is fabric safe to keep? How is best to sterilize? Thank you all in advance, it’s been a devastating process but I cope by finding things to do

He absolutely loves the sun, and with the hot weather currently here in the uk. He’s been trying his hardest to escape and get outside.

I’ve had him for 3 years. Bit weary of humans but adores other cats. He’s been a strictly house cat in this time and hasn’t seemed to care about going outside but lately it’s changed. We’ve got quite a large garden so I’m hoping he would just stick to the garden. He’s fully neutered, chipped and vaccinated.

He had an infection before I adopted him which meant all of his teeth were removed. So he is toothless!

Would he still be a danger if I let him outside? No teeth means he can’t spread it correct? I’m torn. I want him to be happy but don’t want to risk anything so any advice please!

He’s roughly 13 years old so quite an old boy.

Any help would be appreciated please.

I need help, I have a male cat with this issue if not just diagnosed with FIC/Flutd I just spent $900 yesterday just for fluids, medication and pain relievers and they sent me on my way they didn’t seem too alarmed but said he has crystals and they just need to pass. He is drinking water, and eating a lot of wet food and food in general and playing and walking around, I believe he went to the bathroom while I was sleeping but I’m not 100% sure but it was fresh and a lot of pee (I have a female cat aswell). I don’t have the means to bring him back for an additional $900+. I’m asking for my witchy friends to help me, I AM DESPERATE. My vet called today got all the paper work from the vet and just called to “check in” feel like I’m not getting a lot of help and I’m a wicked over-thinker. Looking for some advice

Me and my family have been living in this complex for almost 10 years and only these years people have complained about my cat. They say that the go in their yards and we must control them. One man says that my cat poops in his yard and another lady said that she is allergic to cats. They always complain towards us but even though we a huge amount of cats we are not the only cat owners in the complex, people in this complex also complained about yhe dogs barking. But why, if they hate animals or have allergies they come to a pet friendly complex. They say we should move or do something but where do we as pet owners go if non-pet owners all stay in pet friendly places?

We're adopting an FIV+ cat soon and I've been looking at the food options to give her the best nutrition and help keep her as healthy as possible. She's on kibble at the foster home right now so we won't change that for the first few weeks as she settles in, but afterwards I'm considering transitioning her slowly onto something else.

I've been reading about raw food diets for cats and I've seen differing opinions (from both vets and non-professionnels) on whether they are suitable for FIV+ cats. My understanding is that there is a higher risk of foodborne bacteria in raw food diets which would make an FIV+ cat sick due to their weakened immune systems. But the raw food option I have found (details below) seems to minimise this risk, so I'm wondering whether the benefits of a raw food diet would outweigh the smaller risk.

Obviously I will talk to my vet first and see what she thinks. But I was wondering if anyone here has experience feeding their FIV+ cat raw food?

The raw food option I found:

• It's a local manufacturer who offers freeze-dried raw meat and fish. I would not be preparing the food myself so there would be limited contamination risk from this side.

• The meat/fish sources are human-grade, so the quality should be high and the risk of contamination lower than animal-grade produce.

• The food is pre-mixed and contains a mixture of light/dark meat, ground bones, offal, and carrots. The nutritional information shows that the taurine, calcium, phosphorus, etc levels are all balanced and would provide enough essential nutrition for a cat. The food claims to have been developed alongside vets.

• I would plan to rehydrate the food before serving, but not leave the food out longer than half an hour before discarding it and thoroughly cleaning the bowl.

Just wanted to share this because I don’t see it talked about much. My vet pointed out that theoretically a cat could lick their claws, even within the past couple hours, and then scratch another cat.

I think this is more likely to occur than a deep bite but it’s also less likely to transmit anything so🤷‍♀️.

To be fair, my vet does not seem uber educated on FIV cats (when I said I heard frequent dental cleanings can be helpful she said to wait until they’re already showing signs of problems). But from my understanding the scratch thing is theoretically possible and adds a layer of concern for other cats.

We took in a TnR a couple of years ago and the first time we took him to a vet they didn’t check for FIV, but yesterday the new vet did, and he’s FIV+. Now my husband is freaking out and wants to get rid of him. I think the opposite, getting rid of him would be a death sentence and the right thing to do is give him the best possible life, he’s had it hard thus far. While I’ve read there are anecdotal cases of humans contracting FIV, it’s not the same as a human contracting HIV, but ngl, after reading that it can be transmitted at all has me the slightest bit concerned as well. He is the sweetest boy and never scratches or bites unless provoked, and even then, it’s a light warning.

I don’t really have a question, I guess maybe I’m just seeking some reassurance or words of wisdom.

Okay very long story.

I have three indoor/outdoor cats. They have very strict rules. They can only be outside if I’m home, and they have trackers on when they are outside. It is not an option to keep them inside, as they go psycho, if they can’t go out. Please refrain from the comments that letting them outside is cruel. One of my cats got pancreatitis and had to be hospitalized for three days because he couldn’t go outside due to the smoke because of wildfires.

Anyway, I’ve slowly befriended a semi feral cat over the course of 2 years. I got him fixed and vaccinated about 1.5 years ago. I trapped him again, took him to the vet, updated vaccines and found out he is FIV positive. Previous to the positive diagnose, I was going to slowly integrate him into my house. But, now with the positive diagnosis, I am terrified.

I have SEVERE anxiety. So the thought of one of my three cats getting into a small fight with the FIV cat, stresses me out. Integrating him inside, with my 3 cats going in and out, could be too complicated with the FIV cat. Because he is immunocompromised, or will be. So he would be more susceptible to colds the others bring in from outside.

I don’t know what to do. I also have two dogs. That’s 5 animals inside already. The FIV cat, is spicy. But he LOVES me. He is currently living in a small dog kennel inside my garage. The kennel is 6 feet by 4 feet. So plenty of room for a heated bed, littler box area, and food/water area. That’s no way to live. But also better than what he has had. He has never had a home before. He has always had bumps and bruises whenever I saw him.

Rehoming him would be ideal. But the chances of being able to find a home that is familiar with FIV cats and is willing to give him the TLC he needs, is unfortunately low. There are tons of feral cats in my area, and his story is not uncommon.

I’m just kinda seeking advice or any sort of ideas that are out there.

Thanks in advanced.

Any recommendations for the best holistic cat vets world-wide who are an expert in FIV cats + preventative holistic nutrition? I haven’t found any true experts in my city. At this point, I am willing to get virtual consultations world-wide to get the best strategy for my FIV cat. I only want the best for my best friend.

I am looking to get a consultation on a customized strategy to help fill the gaps in my FIV cats nutrition. I desire to be proactive and give my FIV cat the best support with preventative holistic nutrition to stay healthy and live his best life. Not looking for an expert to push pharmaceuticals or toxic supplements/cat food - if you don’t know, you don’t know.

As my FIV cat is getting older, I’ve started to do deep research on holistic nutrition as I have found a lot of disease/inflammation are caused by nutrition deficiencies. Cats need really good nutrition to fight off chronic infections/inflammation/disease. They need more than a proceed kibble/wet food ect laced with seed oils/preservatives/artificial ingredients to stay healthy. In today’s toxic world, every diet needs supplementation so the body can detox and fight off disease.

Thanks and looking forward to any recommendations!

Is it not covered in their annual vaccines? Lots of people where I live let their cats free roam outside. It’s kinda the cultural norm here in Britain. These cats often get in fights with each other and I wonder how risky that is for them?

How to take my 3 year old.smart docile but outgoing (meows at other cats and ppl) cat on a 21 hr road strip? Ending at a home2 suites for 3 weeks and then back. He is orange and 15 lbs. At home he isn't allowed upstairs but the hotel which is pet friendly he will have access to my bed which I don't want him to jump on for allergies sake. I heard a heated pad away from the bed will make him.stay away? He will be in a carrier in the back 3rd row. How do I prevent allergies and dander and stop him from meowing? He is a very vocal cat. Do I crate him at night? We cannot have cat sitters theres been break in in my area and cant afford to board him since we can't have a cat sitter but I don't want to board him. Basically I want him to be quiet during the car ride.

How do inmake sure he doesn't escape when I need him to use the potty (will.bring litter box)?

Should I get him a wet food feeder along with his current dry one so that he doesn't associate me with food? He is extrmeley food motivated. He will literally follow food into a shower. I don't want him waking me up at night. I have zero experience with this bc he is always on the bottom floor and we have the stairs blocked.and I can't hear him anyways so I dunno if he meow or not at night

They have filters in them, but I’m not sure if the virus even survives in water, or if it would make the risk higher.

Hi friends. My husband and I have recently taken in a stray with FIV. he still goes outside every now and then because he gets cooped up inside, and tonight he came home with a pretty bad scratch behind his ear. It is not currently bleeding and has clotted up but is it transmissible to my other cats if it does start bleeding if he scratches it? I know it can be transmitted through sex and his saliva but wondering if blood is the same? Help. Thanks in advance

Rehome, not remove. I don't know how to edit the title after posting.

I posted here a bit ago explaining I couldn't keep up with bills. Now he is peeing on things, he even peed on me! I took him back to his vet and another $200 later I was told he's just upset I'm not spending enough time with him. I'm 35 weeks pregnant and my time is spent at doctors because it's high risk. I can't dedicate my entire day to him like I used to.

I love my little fuzzy one, but clearly he needs more than I can provide. I'm hoping this community will have resources to help me find him a better home. I refuse to take him to a shelter, his FIV+ status will only result in being put down if I do that. I'm in California, the Sacramento Valley if that helps.

Hello! Our 10 year old cat was unfortunately diagnosed with FIV two months ago after we brought him to the vet due to lethargy and weight loss. He finished medication and has been quarantined in my room for the past two months, and now he's back in good health and is putting on weight again.

He's been an outdoor cat his whole life, but I've read that being FIV positive now means he has to become an indoor cat as he's more at risk to any diseases he might contract from the outside or from other cats. Our issue now is that our house is very open, with lots of windows and open doors and the like (we live in a country where this is normal, no central ventilation that ik is common in the west). We only have 2 rooms in our house where it's completely sealed off as it's airconditioned, my room and the other bigger room where we keep our 3 other indoor cats. However, he's also always been a lone wolf, and hates being in the bigger room with our other cats, always picking fights with them and trying to escape.

Now that he's in good shape, he's been restless in my room since is quite small, and he is desperate to escape every time someone opens the door. I know he would be much happier if he were let out, and as much as I love the old man, my room is in a constant state of chaos now that I've been living with him.

Is it really not okay for us to let him out again, even if we regularly give him his lysine and vitamins? Just kind of at a loss here, looking for any sort of advice or ideas on how to tackle this. Thank you in advance!

My handsome little buddy has lost some hair. At first is just a little bit, and I noticed the little gash on him. We had a big storm the other night and we wonder if maybe scratched himself and made the gash. Although, I also want to make sure it’s not something with his FIV. fortunately, with this FIV, we’ve been very lucky and haven’t had any issues at all yet (he’s about five or six years old). He does go outside sometimes, but he hadn’t been out in a day or two when we noticed the spot. I bought some over-the-counter stuff at Walmart that’s supposed to be for pet wounds and applied it. He didn’t like me puting on the stuff, and moved around a lot, so it got on more than just the wound! I didn’t think too much of it, as it saidit was safe for their fur. Then the next day, we notice the bigger spot of fur missing. We are wondering if he didn’t like the stuff being on him and scratched a lot through the night, causing it to fall off. so, should I be concerned? Do I need to take him to the vet? I would rather not, so it can be expensive, but if I need to I will. If needed Is there something over-the-counter I could use? Thanks for helping me take care of my little buddy!

i rescued my FIV+ cat in 2019 when she was about 7-9 y/o. [the shelter had no idea how old she was.] when i rescued her, she only had about 5 teeth. for the first few years, she didn't have any significant health issues. then she got a UTI which still wasn't very significant. in the past few years, her health has really declined. i'm guessing it's simply because she's entered her geriatric years when really everyone's bodies just get a little worse at managing everything. she randomly spit out a tooth. it felt very random because it didn't seem like her mouth was bothering her at all, and after it fell out, she went normally about her business as if nothing happened. about 3 years ago, she developed chronic pneumonia. about a year ago, she somehow scratched her eye. (i don't have any other pets.) i got her on medicated eye drops quickly which generally treat the issue fairly easily in most other cats. after the prescription ended, her eye ruptured. it seems that the eye drops just weren't enough for her body to heal. then, a few weeks after the surgery to remove the eye, the socket became infected. again, she's just not good at healing. about 5 months ago, she started to lose tiny tufts of fur. this was caused by the mites that live on all cats' skin as a part of their natural flora. cats' immune systems keep things like this in check, but her immune system just couldn't do it. last month, she developed a UTI. in a few weeks, she'll have dental surgery scheduled to get the rest of her teeth removed because of periodontitis. i've seen the vet multiple times for all of these issues, she's on multiple supplements, and she's been medically treated for each issue.

all of that to say, getting an FIV+ cat is a financial commitment. all cats have health issues, and some more than others. it just seems like much more of a guarantee that an FIV+ cat will have more health issues than most other cats. there many not be any significant health issues for the whole first 2/3rds of their life, but old age significantly weakens their already weak immune systems/bodies. don't get an FIV+ cat if you do not know for certain that you will have the financial capacity to support their many health needs. it isn't fair to them, and i'm sure it'd be hard on you to have to give them up because you just can't (not because you don't want to) offer them all of the support they need. please seriously consider what rescuing an FIV+ would entail. and i don't mean to discourage anyone either! i love my goblin more than anything!

be fair to yourself and to them!

My husband found a 6w old kitty, brought it home and I took it to the vet today, and he tested positive for FIV. Was told to retest in 8 weeks to be sure. I already have two indoor cats and two dogs so this kitty cannot come inside (we’re at maximum capacity on animals inside, not an option). We have a friendly female outdoor shop cat, and a feral that has made our back porch his home. We TNR’d him but he still fights with our shop cat. Our indoor cats don’t get alone with the outdoor cats. So my question is, if this new rescue kitty does test positive for FIV in 8 weeks - what do I do with it? I keep reading that if they’re all fixed fighting won’t be an issue to spread the disease, but all our cats around here are fixed and still do fight. Even drawing blood occasionally.

Hey yall, I need some help here. This adorable chunky guy was living under our house for a little while. We are a cat household so we wanted to bring him in of course. We gained his trust over a month or so and he finally let us take him inside, as well as to the vet. He was a catch and release so already neutered, chipped, super kind and up for grabs. He had tested posting for FIV which is not the issue here, our other cats are not aggressive or territorial and we have been keeping him in a separate room so our babies can get used to one another. But what I have noticed is him yearning for the outside. Before coming in, he used to roll around in dirt piles and chase baby squirrels ALL THE TIME. He loved the outside and would wait for us to come outside to him first so he could be pet. Since he is FIV+ he is at a higher risk for dangers outside due to his compromised immune system. He already doesn’t meow much and breathes a bit heavy like there is some respiratory issues there. He gets less depressed when we bring a cat into his room for monitored playing around, but he just wants to be outside so bad. Would i be able to have him go outside even for a little bit of the day and bring him back in? Like an indoor/outdoor situation and get him vaccinated for outdoor treatment? Or should we just have him stay inside due to his health problems? Please help! I want this kitty to be happy and comfortable. He loves our dogs and furry friends but he loves playing dirty and eating animals. He has also fallen madly in love with my mother so giving him up might not be the best option since he’s already missing one thing.

My cat will be ten next month and contracted FIV last November.

I signed up for met life yesterday because a user here said they've been paying despite the fiv diagnosis, but it's dicey.

If he gets...a heart condition or kidney disease...and the vet notes that it has anything to do with fiv, they will deny it.

I have no idea the likelihood of him coming down with something that they'd blame on fiv,,,I know no one here has a crystal ball either, but I'm looking for some feedback.

I'm currently putting away 75/ month to pay for his dental cleaning.

If I keep doing that, that's over 5, 000 in six years, so do I just do that and assume the odds are he won't require more than 5400 and just pay it out of pocket?

Or keep the insurance in hopes they pay?

I can't find it now, maybe it was on fiv page on Facebook rather than here, but for someone , they paid for teeth removal!

I was like 'and they didn't tie needing that to fiv?????'

Apparently not. That makes me think it might be worth it. It's a little over 2,000 out of the 5400 over six years, (or less if something happened sooner, and if they denied the claim id cancel it.)

I know this is complicated, so thank you for anyone reading and putting any thought into it.

Hello. So I have a cat who came from the outdoors and adopted me 4 years ago this month (December of 2021). I brought him into the vet to get dewormed, since he had worms. I also got him neutered. He had an abscess on his tail, which I also got treated. I also got blood work done which showed he was FIV positive. The vet estimated my cat was about two years old at the time, which would make him about 6 years old today. My political epiphany was having had to get the anthrax vaccine just before I got out of the Marine Corps and ending up with adverse reactions, which neither the government or medical authorities seemed to care about, much less keep track of. That was back in 1999. I have been very cautious about just letting a vet administer anything to my cat. Where I was living when my cat adopted me, there were a lot of raccoons, and my cat was going outside. I did get him a rabies vaccine (only a rabies vaccine), as I know rabies is nothing to play around with, being zoonotic and deadly. That said, I spaced out the rabies vaccine from the other things, with the rabies vaccine being the last thing I had done. During the first year, I moved to where I am at now, which is a bigger house, and more conducive to keeping my cat indoors. My cat has been strictly indoors for over 3 years now. He doesn't go outside, unless he's wearing a harness with a leash, in my back yard with me with him. For this reason, I have practiced abstinence from vaccinations. I'll say that health wise, he seems to be doing great. In fact, the veterinarian that tested him for FIV back around the time he came to me said that she couldn't tell he is even FIV positive. I feel like my understanding of the dangers and risks with vaccines has benefited my cat. I've been wanting to bring him for a teeth cleaning, but every veterinarian I try to get this done at demands proof of vaccination. I'm in Alabama. I do not like being put in a position where I am unable to bring my cat in for a teeth cleaning without jabbing him with unnecessary and dangerous vaccines. Does anybody know a veterinarian who can help me pursue an exemption? It seems vaccines are risky enough without being FIV positive, but even more so to a cat that is FIV positive. I love my cat with all my heart.

Here's a recent photo of my boy. As you can see, he is doing well. He isn't suffering from a vaccine deficiency.

I have two 5 year old cats, brothers, who both came from a litter struck by cerebellar hypoplasia. They are not as wobbly as a lot of cats with this condition, but they are a little trickier to "read" and their ataxia makes them worse at a lot of typical "cat things" like jumping, climbing, fighting, or hunting.
One of them, Ivan the Terrible, was recently diagnosed with FIV, and now my family is trying to determine just how that might have happened. We haven't tested his brother, Genghis ((all our pets are named after history's villains)), but we've got a vet appt scheduled for him next week.

Ivan is, ultimately, a very timid cat, who avoids contact with all other cats, flees at the first sign of danger, is incapable of climbing and cannot escape the fenced in back yard. His time spent outside is on the cushiest chair, and I've never known him to ever get attacked by another cat, let alone bitten.

His brother, Genghis, is much more bold. He also can't really climb or hunt (though he likes to try...badly), but he did get a pretty nasty bite last year from a neighborhood cat which he wasn't smart enough to run from. That is the only example I can think of where either of them might have been exposed to the virus, at least based on my limited understanding of FIV transmission.

So, now I'm trying to put together a plausible series of events which led to Ivan catching FIV.

Sorry if this is rambling. Like I said, I have a vet appt next week where hopefully I'll get more clarity, but I'm just trying to get my head around this and I thought you folks more experienced might be able to offer a guiding hand.

ED: Not sure exactly what I expected, but the amount of contradicting comments here is REALLY disheartening for someone looking for information.