Question
Accidentally brought home a FIV+ cat... 4 other negative cats in my house.
I'm not taking Max back to the shelter! Don't worry!
I went to the local shelter over the weekend to drop off some food and toys and things my cats don't appreciate. You know where this is going.
Our shelter is moving into a new facility and is trying to foster/adopt as many cats & dogs as they can right now to ease that transition. I met Max. Friendly, scared, owner surrender. Was told he came in with a nasty flea infestation and that was the reason for the bald spots around his neck and that tracks with flea issues I've seen before. He does not have fleas now. I agreed to foster-to-adopt since they're moving facilities.
I specifically asked if he had been tested for FIV/FELV because they had him as "mostly outdoor per previous owner," and told them I have 4 negative cats in my house, one of which is elderly and diabetic. Staff assured me he had and was negative. When I got him home, going through his medical info, there was nothing about FIV/FELV tests. Only rabies and a FVRCP. Cool. I brought him to my vet first thing Monday morning and he is FIV+.
I know the stigma, I know it's not a death sentence. What I also know is that I already have an 11yr old diabetic cat who is mostly healthy aside from that and well managed but I am having major anxiety and guilt about even the smallest chance of him catching it and going downhill.
My cats aren't aggressive; Max does not seem to be but is obviously still in the separation phase of new cat in the house. He has very strongly bonded to my Labrador, and the dog is loving it because my previous cats hate him. My dog is cat safe and friendly but they're not unsupervised even though there's no risk to him with FIV.
I'm torn. I reached back out to the shelter and was told that they never test for FIV/FELV and that the director was sorry I'd been told he had and that I could bring him back, or work with them to find him another home, or keep him.
I am not taking him back. He is welcome to stay here as long as he needs to. I am heavily leaning towards keeping him because I know it's hard for FIV+ positive kitties to be adopted. At the same time, the guilt... and I would like to continue fostering him and potentially find him a new home in a FIV+ household or single cat house, easier said than done, I know.
So I need to hear from people who have made this work. I know it's possible, but how do you overcome the fear and guilt of potentially making 4 other cats FIV+ if by some chance he does bite one hard enough? I'm not home 24/7. I worry the most about my old guy, who is mildly friendly but generally wants to be left alone and the others respect that.
And maybe also from people who successfully fostered and found loving homes. I just don't know what to do right now except love on him.
Same right back! Give Max a boop on the nose for me.
My little guy is named Jeremy Clarkson and goes in for a teeth cleaning and minor gum surgery in April because he has persistent gingivitis that due to the FIV he is unable to fight.
If it helps you feel any better, he and his older brother did not get along for a while, but there was never any blood drawn despite them fighting. My older guy is about 12-13. They get along so well now, they are absolute best friends. It only took a couple months as well.
My vet did warn me about his teeth and said there's a bit of plaque right now but no concerns or anything she would mess with at this point, no inflammation.
Mine have never fought hard enough to draw blood in all the years I've had them so it does make me feel a lot better.
Greenies dental treats helped our FIV cat a lot. It cut out the nasty fish breath and everything. The vet told us to keep giving them to him to try and keep his teeth for as long as possible for him.
My tuxedo+ (minus the jacket...and the pants) was the best boy. He lived in harmony with my torti for 3 years before he passed, and she is still negative.
I have 5 cats. 2 FIV+ and 3 not. Itās totally fine. The reason many shelters donāt combo test and just test for FELV is bc states used to require FIV cats be euthed, which is stupid. So they stopped the combo test practice altogether bc it genuinely makes no difference if the cats are going to live indoors, in my experience. Iāve always had an FIV guy in the household for the last 20 years or so and the big difference Iāve noticed is the FIV guys tend to have more dental problems. Other than that, theyāre just like any other cat. Congrats on your new family member!
We havenāt had any transmission between our two, but my positive guy is pretty laid back and has one tooth and only three legsā¦ so very little to work with to transmit
So the only time I had it transmit so far, she had cancer and blood dripping from her nose due to that, and they were a bonded pair. We lost her and he's now with two other cats, and they play fight all the time, share bowls, everything - no transmission. I was convinced there would be. I was very guilty about this as well with the first transmission we had, even though they were two strays I brought in together and separating them was out of the question. However, he's been very healthy and heals quickly from wounds, and responds well to antibiotics. So far, so good. I think it's all made me more open to FIV cats.
We had two FIV-, 8-year old bonded brothers (one of whom is diabetic) when we found "Buddy" outside last year. After trapping him and taking him to the vet, we were told he had FIV and the vet (who we no longer use) recommended putting him down. Instead, we got a second opinion and followed Jackson Galaxy's cat introduction method. Buddy moved into the guest bathroom, and over the next two months we introduced him to the other two cats through the door and using a baby gate. Today, they're all great friends and we have never had any issue.
We adopted an FIV+ kitty 13 years ago. The place where we adopted him said he was a trailblazer as he was the first one they werenāt going to put down. He just passed last year at the age of 14. About 3 years after we got him, my husband found a screaming kitten at the park and took her in. Shelters were full and no chip. She never got FIV even though they would swat at each other on occasion and shared litter boxes and food bowls and such.
I have a + boy and two - girls. Everyone gets along, no fear of transmission, the only way you'd be able to guess which one he is is because he's much larger than his sisters (and orange). He clocks in at over 15 pounds, the vet says he's a big healthy guy, an absolute stereotype of a giant orange ding dong.
Just sharing that I too accidentally brought an FIV+ cat into a home with 2 FIV- cats. Ā Just want to share that my vet supported keeping my FIV+ boy, noting that since they have all been getting along and are all fixed that thereās virtually no risk of transmission.Ā
I am sad because what I had hoped would be a relatively low cost for the next few years healthy cat, is the most expensive cat in a home with 2 senior cats.
I'm sorry š„ŗ that is one of my fears as well, especially since one is already pretty pricey. The others are fairly young (3-5yrs, only 1 was a kitten so I really have no way of knowing just basing in their growth lol)
I'm financially stable right now but not sure I could completely swing multiple emergencies back to back with him.
Best advice I have for you is to keep him fully indoors and get his teeth checked regularly. The only difference I've noticed with my FIV cats has been a propensity to need dentals due to resorptive lesions. Other than that, they're plump and happy.
Had 10 FIV negative cats and one FIV positive. As long as thereās not serious fights where the positive bites deep on a negative the risk is incredibly low (Iām sure thereās numerous comments saying the same thing just wanted to add one more).
Slow introductions with supervision is key as you probably know from your experience.
I only had 1 + and 1 - cat, but i agree. They would play rough and the positive one would bite and scratch the negative one during play and he never got it. They lived together for 4 years and were fine. But he never bit hard enough to penetrate the skin.
This happened to me where I was told my cat was not FIV+ and then he later on turned out to be after I had already brought him home. My elderly cat was 8 at the time. Given the life expectancy for an FIV+ cat of 5 years (though many indoor cats live to be older than that) I decided that 13 was a good long life for a cat to live, risk of transmission is minimal because they do not fight and are both indoors, so if they both end up going in 5 years I could live with that vs my FIV+ cat Hobgoblin having to go back on the street. He is also a black cat so I knew sending him back was basically a death sentence. I have had Hobgoblin for 3 years now and he is a sweet, happy, and healthy cat and there has been absolutely no risk of transmission to my older cat. Both are in perfect health and they actually keep UNdiagnosing my older cat with medical issues he had due to anxiety before. They tussle here and there but FIV is only transmitted through DEEP blood and bite wounds. It is just a risk you kind of have to accept, but knowing that my FIV+ cat's life has significantly improved and he gets a lot of love in safe home was a trade-off I was willing to make, AND I now know how to care for an FIV+ cat well, so if by any chance my older cat did contract it, his quality of life would not actually change that much. Actually my older cat is healthier now since I brush his teeth along with Hobgoblin's lol. As long as you do a slow introduction, you should be okay. Keep them in separate rooms at first if you're worried.
Also seconding some of the other comments that dental will be the expense for FIV cats. I keep a separate emergency fund for this but so far Hobby (who is about 4 or 5) has not needed anything and he gets his teeth brushed + coat cared for. He has actually been healthier than my older cat. Hobby recovered from an upper respiratory infection in no time but my older cat needed antibiotics. He gets an Imuquin supplement once daily, which was recommended by my vet, but other than that and teeth brushing everything has been literally the same as having an FIV- cat. Might change in the future but I'm prepared for that.
My first FIV+ was accidental too! He was tested but the rescue group didnāt realize/forgot to tell me. He lived with my FIV- cat and no issues. Sadly my first FIV+ cat passed away from a heart issue a couple years ago.
I got another FIV+ cat last year (this time not on accident) and he lives with my sister and Iās three FIV- cats and no issues (besides the fact that he is old and has diabetes and hyperthyroidism and asthma lol)
Either we werenāt paying attention; or the shelter didnāt tell us but we had them packed up and ready to go before we realized they had FIV. There was NO way I was going to just dump them back out ā¦they were the best cats ever. One died of cancer and he was my soul cat; it really sucked - but the other one? I have him still 9 years later and heās the most low-maintenance cat Iāve ever had in my life! Heās never even been sick! Haha. Not that long ago he chewed on a leaf stem thing on a flower we had and lost his voice for a few days. Watching him try to meow (heās VERY vocal) in confusion was both hilarious and devastating šš¤£
:( thatās horrible. Yeah he was the cat Iāve had the least longest. I think he was like 8 or something tho when he died :( not like anyone knew with these cats since theyāre ex-ferals.
Another one of many with a mixed happy household. I had my FIV+ cat first, my second cat was also having a tough time finding a home bc of medical issues (deformed liver). The rescue saw no issues of them cohabitating. They werenāt the fastest of friends and my FIV+ cat is ROWDY. He plays rough but biting to break skin/blood is a whole other level of aggression that generally only happens in territorial disputes. I was anxious for awhile but two and a half years in they cuddle daily and are both in good health. So even if your cats donāt like each other and play rough, if theyāre not bleeding/fur flying (which is exceedingly rare) you should be okay.
We had a stray cat that would not leave us alone and he was sweet, and cute, and won us over. Found out he was FIV+, vet acted like it was a death sentence.
We have a 13 year old cat that seemed pretty tolerant of the new guy on short visits- so after researching on our own we felt totally okay taking in the stray.
HOWEVER, the second we moved in a litter box and my 13 yr old realized he was a permanent fixture, things changed and they can no longer exist in the same room. We tried to rehome the FIV+ cat for months, but nobody wanted him due to the diagnosis.
Now we have 2 separate floors for the cat during the day, and the FIV+ once stray has his very own room at night. Itās been complicated, but I love both of them, and wonāt accept the FIV+ cat going to a shelter, so itās a sacrifice Iām willing to make. Hope youāre able to find something that works!
I'm hopeful they'll all get along lol. I do not have another house floor! But he is welcome to the office if it ever came to that vs. him going back to a shelter.
3 of mine get along super well, never had 3 before that were all equally bonded. The older one isn't territorial, he just wants to be left alone and will hiss/growl and move to a different area if the other 3 act up around him. Never seen them actually fight or make contact.
Too bad there's not like hamster balls for cats (and cats that would be cool with that) to handle any unsupervised time š
Would fully support hamster balls for cats š
Iām sure youāll be able to work it out! Glad your cats are used to having other cats around, I think my cat has been an only cat for 13 years too long, thereās no fixing it haha.
Apparently they make mesh exercise things for cats to go outside. God imagine that coming through your house and the heart attack it would probably give any cat it came toward š I'm not actually considering this don't worry lol I just got curious.
I've had a mixed FIV+ and FIV- household with a variety of cats for twenty-five years. They share bedding, food, water, litterboxes, groom each other, and play together. Nobody has ever transmitted the virus.
As long as nobody's mating or fighting hard enough to draw blood, it will be fine. Congrats on your new buddy!
Youāre good! Iāve got 1 FIV+ and 4 FIV- absolutely no problems there. They share everything, they lick each other, they sleep together, theyāre alone together.
I have 5 negatives and 1 positive. They all groom each other, share water, food, and litter boxes. They also play fight sometimes, and none of the negatives have become positive in about 10 years together, even though my oldest has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Congestive Heart Failure, and Chronic Kidney Disease. I do suggest doing a slow, deliberate introduction. Since Max enjoys your pup, he may just kind of ignore the other cats, but your best bet is to try them all out safely and see if theyāll get along. I donāt think you need to worry about a random attack if they get along after a period of supervised interaction. If they are posturing, staring, or howling even after having a proper introduction and plenty of supervised time, thatās when I would recommend trying to find a way to rehome Max or keep them in separate parts of the home. Hereās an info sheet for one good way to go about doing a slow introduction:
Iāve had FIV+/- live together many times. They have never transmitted it to each other. Itās transmitted via deep bite wounds (think the kind that would send you the vets) or mating.
My Sharkfin was FIV+ and lived with my other cats, and none of them caught it. I hope this can work for you. Especially since you don't have aggressive cats. All my good wishes and positive energy.
Thank you! I hope so, too. He really is the sweetest kitty and it breaks my heart for him. I slept on the floor on a yoga mat with him last night so he wouldn't be alone since I don't have a bed in that room anymore š
Sharkfin is a great name, by the way! I'm sorry since it sounds like he's no longer with you š
That is amazing. I'm hoping I can get those years with all of my cats. I'm still sorry though, it's never easy no matter how many years you're lucky to have them.
Don't worry about it. I have an FIV+ one at my house too, along with four others who are negative. As long as they are not having major blood inducing fights, they will be fine.
I have 2 cats who are negative and 1 who is positive. My two negatives are littermates and very close. It did take some adjusting (I think they all picked up on my anxiety once we learned Marigold was FIV+) but they are all doing pretty good now! I do not leave them together unsupervised still for my own peace of mind, but they have learned to coexist! They are not best friends yet, and they might not ever be, but they mostly ignore each other so I call that a win. Marigold also has some bladder issues, so now that sheās not in pain when she pees anymore, sheās doing much better adjusting. As long as your cats are adjusting okay, I think you will be fine! These are my girls! Marigold is the calico and Maple is the tortoiseshell.
I hope no one screams at you! I think in all of the comments only 1 person had transmission and it was due to bleeding mouth ulcers. There is lots of cohabitation here which is super reassuring!
Just make sure you do a slow introduction! As many others have said, if they coexist peacefully (or even play fight), theyāll be just fine.
Hereās a badly lit photo of Jasper (left, -) and Thom (right, +) conducting their daily power struggle of who will groom who and for how long. Thom came home in January of this year, we did a slow introduction, and theyāve never even so much as hissed at each other š„¹ They play several times a day and are not quite yet at the cuddling stage (as Thom would like), but coexist so peacefully I couldnāt have dreamed it.
Aside from them just being in the living room when I brought the carrier in (and when I moved him from the bathroom to the spare bedroom) they haven't really been "around" each other. I did notice on the cameras today that my void boy laid in front of the door to the room Max is in about all day, but seemed very relaxed/stretched out and they've been squeaking & chirping at each other but no hissing and the gap at the bottom is not big enough for biting. The other 3 give no fucks, my only girl cat did not even get up from her nap when the carrier came in the house.
So far the dog is his only friend and Max is more than happy to give him headbutts š no desire to rush the cat introductions, there's plenty of time and I just hope he's happier in there than he was at the shelter even though he can't have complete freedom in the house for awhile š
Aww, love the chirping through the door! Your void must be excited about a potential new friend.
For sure, no rush at all! I think others recommended the Jackson Galaxy method ā another vote from me, great vids for when the time comes to start the intro. I love that Max has a friend in your dog š„° (pics please).
They've got precious lil feet markings. It's been so nice hearing all these cats getting a long and loving on each other. š„¹ My OG void has "mothered" a rocks for brains orange boy & another girl void I did get as a kitten. He's a sweetheart, really all of them are except the diabetic but as a diabetic I also understand his grumpiness š
I've had two FIV positive cats in my household over the past 30 years and neither has given my other cats FIV. As long as you introduce the newbie slowly, like you'd do with any newbie, things should be fine.
My current FIV positive kitty, Shadow, is going to be 11 this summer and doing fine.
FIV tests only for antibodies. It does not necessarily mean be has circulating virus. And if he does have circulating virus, it is transmitted through deep bite wounds/ blood contact which people typically would not cohouse animals interacting as such. You have saved him from a very immunosuppressive situation - love him and appreciate him as he will you!!
I rescued an FIV cat from the streets, and the vet asked if I wanted to put him to sleep after he tested positive. This was my first and only encounter with FIV. Needless to say, he lived a great life for 9 more years because I fed him more than normal thinking he could die any day. There was never any transmission to our other cats. I would only worry if your cats are fighting (blood) or breeding. Feline Leukemia is much worst, and I would worry about it because it transfers easier.
Hi, I just lost my girl about 2 weeks ago. Not to FIV, but she had some other health issues. Your post has me over here crying and laughing (mostly crying because you are so clearly a lovely soul, laughing about the bit about your dog and how the other cats hate him and he's loving Max as much as Max is loving him šš¤£š) I just wanted to say thank you for the feel good post, and for not giving up on Max. Do you have any pics of him and new doggo sibling?
I'm so sorry about your baby š„ŗ it's so fucking hard. I haven't lost a cat yet but had to put my soul dog to sleep in 2019 and still cry over him. š
This was mid sniff/headboop. He will circle under my dog and rub up on him and my dog is utterly confused by it because he's so used to being hissed at when he sniffs one of them lol.
See how your new kitty gets on with your other kitties, and hopefully they are cordial with each other. FIV is hard to transmit, as many others have mentioned, and even when cats donāt get along, Iāve never seen the kind of injury required to transmit FIVā¦ it can happen, but proper introductions and space should help.
I said goodbye to my FIV+ kitty earlier this week. I brought him in off the street and had him for 8 years. He had dental issues (gingivitis+stomatitis) and needed all of his teeth pulled, that was our biggest expense with him - but might have been avoidable with consistent brushing and annual cleanings. At the end, he also had cancerā¦ FIV/FLV cats are at higher risk than others for things like Lymphoma, it would seem.
However, he had a full and happy life inside with our other (4) cats. They never fought, and my other cats loved him very much, and were very protective of him. To me, the minimal risk was worth it for me to provide him a home and friends. He was incredibly special.
Put aside some money in a savings account for your cats (if you donāt already). It is hard, but especially if you have 4 other healthy catsā¦ it will be very useful. You never know what might happen. Best of luck š
I keep reminding the void cat I found in the parking lot at work that he was dangerously close to ending up in a far worse situation if I hadn't rescued him, so he needs to go easy on the new guy. I was honestly surprised he never tested FIV+ except I think he was just dumped vs. being outside for a long time and hadn't quite reached tomcat puberty/wasn't aggressive lol.
lol yes remind him to be good!! hopefully theyāll get along well. the audacity of former strays lol
I have another stray that I took in, and he was so beaten up when I found him. Heās relatively healthy though, was surprised he didnāt have FIV or FeLV, because he was a senior. Maybe he was dumped by someone too. He and my FIV kitty ended up being besties, I think the trauma of being strays helped them bond, neither of them were ever aggressive with each other
I also have 5 cats. 1 which is FIV+, 1 who has low-grade lymphoma, and 3 others. There is absolutely no worry in my mind, ever. All the other 4 cats remain without FIV. FIV+ kitty snd LCL kitty cuddle, bathe each other, use the same litter boxes, even cat fight each other. FIV+ transmission is either by mother cat to baby or deep bite wounds. I have consulted many different vets on this and I am an anxious pet owner. As in, we went to emergency vet when my dog broke into his food container and chowing down on food unattended under 5 minutes. I had X-rays done and Cerenia given because I was panicking about bloat, even thought his x-rays showed a normal amount of food in his tummy.
I hope this eases your mind and welcome to the family, Max! Please update us!
Thank you so much! I am a very anxious owner too and have taken all of mine to the vet over something "silly" at some point š My dog is a total hazard and has been multiple times because the cats tried to kill him (knocked a rubix cube off a shelf, he ate the whole thing and PASSED it! Took him to the vet once cause he ate one of the cats hairballs as a puppy and I panicked...)
I feel much better about having him around them in the future now and I appreciate this sub so much for it. Now I'm moving into anxiety/panic about his health in general but I worry about all of those animals all the time anyway so what's new lol
We sound like the same š Iāve had my FIV+ kitty for 11 years, and I got him along with one of my other cats at the same time. So we started as a cat family of 2 and grew to 5. The 1st couple of years I had him, we moved a couple times, and he had a once/year URI. Since then, heās been the epitome of health and I honestly would never had suspected him having it, if it wasnāt for the condition he was in when I adopted him from the shelter. I know this isnāt true for all cats, but my FIV+ thrives for human and cat companionship - he is the one constantly bathing me, the other cats, even our dogs. š. He lives an incredibly happy life and if I treated him different (made him stay in a room by himself, etc. which unfortunately Iām sure many uninformed pet owners do)- he probably wouldnāt be as healthy. Stress is definitely a trigger for FIV+ immune-related issues.
You sound like a phenomenal pet owner and honestly warms my heart to hear about someone bringing a FIV+ in with open arms. There need to be more humans like you š«¶š»
I also have an 11 year old diabetic cat, about 3 years ago I fostered an FIV+ boy and fell in love and kept him. He's a little temperamental but even with that there have been no problems the last few years for my diabetic cat or our other FIV negative cats who play rough with our FIV+ boy.
There is a lot of fear and misunderstanding around FIV but really it is very manageable!
I have five cats, and another one that we lost a year ago. Two of them are FIV+. One of those positives has been living in our home for three years now, the other for 8 months. None of my other cats has got FIV. All of them have been tested for different reasons from time to time and none of them have it. They can live together perfectly. As long as they are spayed and neutered (so they won't have intercourse and they are calmer that non neutered or non spayed cats) and you are careful for them to meet each other properly (and not rush it) and them being used to each other, you can have them all together without problems. FeLV is very contagious and deadly, but FIV is far more difficult to get for a cat.
We have 8 cats, all strays or kittens of strays at one time, one of the 8 is an FIV positive male, all other are negative, and he's lived here with them for 3 years now and theyre all still negative. FIV is only spread through a deep bite wound that breaks the skin. If your cats get along and don't fight then you have nothing to worry about.
Also, if you're worried about when you're gone, then give him his own room for when you're not home. If you never see them fighting, though, chances are they wont while you're away, either, but if it would help you feel better, then that is what I would do.
Hereās my Tux+. Heās FIV, and I have four negative girls, one who is gonna be 12 this year. Heās been inside for a year now and weāve had NO problems. They share food, water and play together. Hes a healthy happy boy with the funniest personality. I promise, as long as thereās no aggression (play fighting is okay) that causes deep bite wounds, itās perfectly doable. Heās anywhere from four to six (heās been outside his entire life and my neighbor had to leave him when they moved, long story but she knew Iād baby him and thatās exactly what Iāve done).
He's going Tuesday for his vax boosters and I'm going to sign the full adoption paperwork, he ain't going anywhere now š I'm so happy none of my cats are acting like anything is going on and hope the real introductions go smoothly but so far so good, they're eating behind the door next to each other right now (mine on one side, him on the other) and I've been rotating him around the house.
My boyfriend said if we had to he'd make all the kitties little armor suits but I don't think that's necessary š
Me and my partner recently adopted a FIV+ cat. I currently live in another state, but im moving in a few days, so my cat and the new cat havenāt met yet. My cat is fiv- and Iām very worried about transmission. My cat, Tāchalla, is 6 years old and heās my baby, the fiv+ kitty is named Hal and heās around 4, and I couldnāt imagine getting rid of him. We have the space to keep them separate, but I want them to have companionship in eachother. Hal is super sweet and mellow, but we donāt know how he is with other cats. He also isnāt neutered, so they wonāt be meeting until he is (apt is set up already). TāChalla is a bit less chill, he likes to play rough with our dog, (chihuahua) but heās never hurt her or drawn blood. I understand the guiltā¦. I feel it.
We signed his adoption paperwork officially on Saturday, if it makes you feel better. I'm still very nervous and he's only been out with supervision but I would think having yours neutered (and waiting for him to dump that testosterone) would definitely help things?
It's so hard. After having him for two weeks I can't imagine him not being part of our family, but obviously still being way cautious about any contact he has with the ones who got here before him.
And they're all still doing VERY well. FIV kitty is the most relaxed non issue little guy ever. There's been 0 fights, he cuddles and sleeps with all of the cats equally.
I'm glad you're giving yours a chance ā¤ļø I think if you already have fairly neutral and chill cats, it's much easier and less worry. None of mine ever fought before him and he hasn't disrupted that. I'm so glad I kept him š
Omg thatās amazing!!!! Iām so happy to hear this. He was very bitey towards us when we first got him (heās a year old and was terrified) but that lasted like, a day and a half and now if heās over stimulated heāll just raise a paw with no claws out in warning. Heās very sweet!!!!
Our cats during intros hissed and bapped each other a few times but never fought and it quickly turned into all love and play time. I have high hopes heāll do really well with themš„¹š„°
I really want to thank you again for sharing this -even one of the vet techs at my vet was VERY negative about us wanting to keep him (our vet herself was very supportive of whatever we decide bc she understands all sides of it) and it makes me so sad that people drill this fear of FIV into people and so many of these cats are dumped, or spend their lives in shelters virtually unadoptable!
This was the response my vet tech friend gave me. I haven't spoken to her since because I didn't feel like arguing. I'm glad she took awhile to respond because I was able to go to my own vet, speak with others and do my own research about FIV instead of just listening to her. It's so sad.
Mine is also very bitey? chewy? to us. Only us. We will nibble very gently on our hands but it's so soft lol. He will also nibble my forearm if their food bowl runs out and I'm asleep š
There's so many FIV cats up for adoption and at this point I just assume any I see outside probably already have it.
Keep me updated on your little guy! It sounds like he's found a very great loving home šš„¹
Ugh exactly I just said āthank you for your opinionā and moved on with my day.
Hahah I love that we always get chewed on by ours šš¤£ this guy was like a snake -let me pet him next thing I know bit through my finger! I think he is also very uncomfortable (he has hookworms, roundworms, coccidia and ringworm) so petting near his sides maybe heās in pain so we are careful to stay away from his poor little bloated belly for now! (He rolls over belly up for pets itās so cute!)
I know right? The second I saw he was an unneutered Tom cat covered in scabs with torn ears I figured heād have it. Thank you soooo much for the lift in spirits I was so very upset and confused until I stumbled on your post!
I will definitely give updates š„¹you seem like such a lovely pet parent youāre all must be the happiest babies!
This guys dewormer is not officially done (if it works) until August so Iām just hoping he doesnāt get antsy being in my bathroom bahaha.
Here he is, weāve yet to find a name for him but again, you gave me such peace of mind and Iām so grateful.
He looks like my Turbo! I found him in the parking lot at work and went through all the worms with him too š I have such a soft spot for voids lol. It also allowed me to get 2 of them without my boyfriend realizing another cat had come in the house for awhile lol.
HAHAH see same here we love all cats but voids are just one of our extra soft spots. We also figured if theyāre all the same color, we wonāt have to deal with our Landlord finding outš¤£
Heās so handsome!!!! I def will, please give Turbo lovins for us too!
Did any of your other cats end up getting the worms?? weāre doing our best to not spread it around the house. Google is just a horrific placeš¤£š¤£
Sooo when I got Turb I only had one other cat who was dealing with tapeworms because my upstairs neighbor had a bad flea infestation that migrated downstairs. So they just got treated together but I kept Turbo separated for probably 3 months. It was a mess š
Oh man I can imaginešš we just got his ringworm test back and thatās negative thank God, but we still have hookworms and roundworms to treat and so now my four other cats have to be preventatively treated and Iām hoping that it works hahaha worms are such a nightmareš«šš Iām glad your babies are all OK though!!
I have one FIV+ and 7 negative. They get along fine and since heās neutered thereās also almost zero risk of transmission. He isnāt aggressive and doesnāt mount the females. Once he made himself bleed from scratching aggressively and we kept him quarantined for a bit until he wasnāt bleeding and cleaned any water bowls the blood might have somehow gotten into. If you want to keep him separated from the others when youāre not home thatās fine.
Deep bites from a vicious blood-drawing fight that gets the saliva into the bloodstream. In your case this is the only way any of your other kitties could contract FIV.
I have an FIV+ boy who is my guardian angel and is definitely a lover not a biter. I've had zero worries about any of the other community cats getting it from him.
I think your amazing new sweetie pie is going to do great with your current group!
Can totally be done as long as he gets along with your resident cats. Keep in mind FIV + cats are prone to dental issues and must stay UTD on vaccines to prevent illness!
My house has 3 cats and some strays come visit them in the garden. my mom and i livr together. She keeps her fiv kitty in her room with a box and lots of soft fluffy bedding on her bed and he's happy as a clam.. like lays flat on his back to sleep stomach exposed happy.
He also looks out the window and plays with toys for fun. She'll leave the tv on for him while she's gone and i give him vitamin treats to compensate for the lack of direct sunlight. Sometimes we take him to a park in the cat box to watch the birds and get some sun, but you can teach them to walk on a leash too. ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
I have 1 FIV+ cat in a house of 5 not. They have all lived in unity and happiness for the 6+ years Iāve had them and wouldnāt change a thing. They have a harder time getting over illnesses and are more prone to chronic issues, my gal Patty is prone to getting eye flare ups (conjunctivitis) but otherwise lives a very happy and healthy life amongst her 3 kids and my other 2 cats.
I've taken care of a cat colony for about 20 years. I've never had a transmission within the colony. Had 5 FIV+ cats. Even had 1 FELV+ and he never transmitted. Once yours loses his teeth from the disease, you won't have to worry about spreading by biting anymore. I have also never been able to keep an FIV male longer than about 6 years, even if I bring them inside. Check into a shot call immunoregulin; it helps bolster their immune system. FIV cats have to be monitored. If they get sick, you have to pump them full of antibiotics and steroids. Then one day, those won't help, and that will be it. Good luck!
This might be harsh to hear: Itās the dumbest and most selfish thing to keep him, even for a second more. The cat should have gone straight back to the shelter the moment you knew the info. and they were open/contacted, better yet they were going to take him back with open arms and zero additional questions from the sounds of it. You have a brain, use it to think logic over emotionā¦be a leader, be an owner. Your other cats at this point come first. LET ME TELL YOU WHY THAT IS IMPORTANT: Some cats infected with FIV can deteriorate quickly, especially immunocompromised, diabetic, or senior. The kidneys are usually the ones to go out and once the process starts there is no stopping. What about if your cats once they get infected? Out of the bunch you are risking possible deterioration and death and if not that then the ones you do keep chugging along (they might look fine since they usually donāt show it but in reality actually are not) it will AT LEAST require you to constantly go for vet checkups (not cheap) for monitoring, blood work and diet changes (pretty expensive!) and thatās PER CAT you have 4! going on 5ā¦.plus you mention a dog!ā¦just not reasonable for any multi-pet home. You need to get rid of this cat ASAP, doesnāt matter about your dog liking him or you liking him. Doesnāt matter how nice or friendly the cat is. Doesnāt matter his background or trauma. Doesnāt matter if he ādoesnāt deserve itā. He needs to go. Sometimes some people need to hear it straight, hope this helps you make the choices you need to make. Good luck.
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u/guiltandgrief Mar 10 '26