First Time Owner Of Cat With Fiv...need Help

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skratikans

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Thank you for the advice- much appreciated.

I will not EVER take ANY animal to an animal shelter- EVER. That's why many of my friends have cats, lol. Meowki will never go anywhere- trust me.

I am going to order the Viralysis you suggested. Are there any other supplements that are safe for cats? I think what I will try to do is to SLOWLY introduce him to my cat and see how it goes.

Since the threat of infection is from bites, do people ever file down the canines of FIV cats? Im not saying that I want to do this, for the record. I'm just curious if that has ever been suggested.
 

Freedom

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But I must also take my other cat into consideration first. If he can't get along with the other cat, my options become limited. I simply can't have him tearing up my other cat. And he shows aggression to other cats.
Agree!!

He has only just been neutered. It can take 3 or 4 months for all the hormones to work their way out of his system. Perhaps by then he will be more tolerant. Just not sure what you do between now and then. Just one more factor to consider!
 
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skratikans

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True, right now he seems to be ok. I should find out more about his health in terms of where to go from there by the end of next week. And I am thinking that in a month I will start the process of introducing him to my home and cat. I don't want to stress him out now...I want him to have fully healed and the hormones to go down even further..which was an excellent point that I didn't think about. When I introduce him I will have his own private room set up and hopefully all will go as planned.
 

NewYork1303

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It would be great in the meantime if you could keep him in one room of your home or in the garage without letting him out. I understand if this is impossible though.

You are already giving him so much. He is lucky to have found you. Thank you for willingly helping an FIV positive cat. We struggle so much with getting education about FIV out into the community.
 
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skratikans

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I wish I knew of a way to help spread awareness...I stumbled accross a news recording of how a man was trapping poor feral cats and took them to the vet where they were euthanized bc they were positive...absolutely gut wrenching. And how ignorant the vets are is a thousand times worse bc they have absolutely no excuse.
 

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Hi,
I am new to the forum-clearly, lol. I met a stray male cat that I was finally able to tame somewhat and about a month ago I took him to the vet to get neutered and vaccinated- I would have done this sooner but prior to this timeframe he didn't let me touch him.

It turns out that this poor cat has FIV (he is young...maybe 2yrs). His gums are inflammed and though he eats a lot, he isn't gaining any weight. The vet questioned if I should even bother treating him or keeping him and that getting interferon would be a challange and very expensive. Naturally, I was worried...took deep breathes and started searching the web. I have read that it is not very expensive...and doesnt necessarly mean a death sentance.

It is pretty sad that I have to be the one researching all of this and not my vet...but I digress. I REALLY REALLY need advice here. I know that there are people here with far more experience and I was wondering if I could start by asking what website is the best for ordering interferon (in terms of price or whatnot). I was going to relay this website to my vet so that he would then write me a prescription for this.

Any advice would seriously be appreciated.

Skratikans
I trapped a cat a few weeks ago that end up having FIV. She was taken to a sanctuary. And once she is better someone is going to adopt her! Beautiful ivory colored cat with blue eyes and a striped tail. Mixed siamese. I will ask my friend tomorrow for the name and number of the vet that took care of her.
 

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Well, I am VERY impressed! You gave a cat you barely know a BATH and lived to tell about it??!!LOL I'm sure he feels better.

Long term, I was wondering about another thing: your cat is indoor / outdoor, but you will keep Meowki indoor only? How will that work? Again, something to think about, don't know that you have answers yet.
 
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skratikans

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Lol, the real impressive part is that I received no scratches..shocking.

As of right now Meowki is an outdoor only cat. The end goal is for him to be an indoor only cat. The issue I am dealing with is:

first off, having my vet let me know what the treatment plan is and where do we go from there, he mentioned interferon, and Im wanting to have him started on that if that is an option- should hopefully know by the end of the week

secondly, I don't live alone....so I can't just plop Meowki in the house...I am buttering my partner for this (we recently lost a beautiful cat, Malina at ONLY 7yrs in age (my avatar), on July 5 from congestive heart failure that came on suddenly. She had a stroke and the vet specialists practically forced me to have to put her down (it's not the whole story..just the jist, she was started on meds but kept struggling)...so I understand his hesitation as it would feel like I am replacing her (which I will never do). But I have to be considerate of his opinions and feelings on the matter.

thirdly, there is the fact that Meowki is aggressive to other cats (either home i am looking to put him into, whether it is mine with my two non FIV cats or my parents house with one non FIV also aggressive cat) will be a challenge- Meowki has only been neutered a month ago...hoping to have those testosterone levels drop some more

forthly, Meowki pees in the garage...It could still be due to the testesterone...so I think I can fix that- I hope bc that would put a serious strain in my relationship, unfortunatly. And this may be a challenge since half the house is carpet and Im not sure how Meowki will take to that.

The plan is the feed him high quality meals...add lysine to his diet, make sure he is parasite free and hopefully in another month I can move him in a hardwood room in my house where I will start the extremely slow process of introduction and potty training. I will have to monitor him at all times when he will eventually be in the main part of the house....so this is a huge task...given the fact that I am also studying for an entrance test into a graduate school and even getting the ok for this..

I wish I could speed this along, but this is something that can't be rushed...bc if it fails then Im not sure where to go from there
 
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Norachan

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Is there any way you could turn the garage into a cat room for him? Or do you have space outside where you could make him an enclosure?

When I first found Happy I kept her in a crate, then when she was a little stronger made her a private corner of the enclosure. She got to know the rest of my cats through the fence.

I think if you have the patience to introduce the cats to each other at their own very slow pace things will go OK. It's always a challenge with adult cats, but not impossible.

This article might give you a few hints.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
 
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skratikans

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Unfortunately, I can't convert the garage, and he stays around the porch so he doesn't really wander anywhere. I made him a tiny house to sleep in. I would be afraid of using the garage as it is constantly used and ppl rush to work in the morning...I couldn't risk him accidently being crushed by a car. He has been an outdoor cat for over a year since I met him

Thank you for the link!!! I need to read up on this in general...any tips also help, never introduced adult cats. My Malina was a very dominant cat that was very defensive and when I introduced my two cats they were kittens. We introduced them very slowly and Malina actually would make progress on her own time (sometimes earlier than I would plan) so we always let the her decide the timeline (took about 6wks...but I never pushed). That is how I will treat my Meowki introduction...I just hope my two docile cats will not be put off by his meowing or perhaps hissing. My two cats are siblings (brother and sister).
 
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We took in a sick stray with FIV a few years ago, and found lots of helpful info re: supplements and all sorts of stuff that we could discuss with our vet at fivtherapy.com.

In our case, the L-lysine by itself wasn't quite enough to help keep our cat's symptoms at bay. So after a bit of trial and error and advice from our vet, we eventually worked out a cocktail of sorts that works for him -- including lactoferrin.

Thanks so much for taking Meowki into your heart (and hopefully soon into your home!). Wishing y'all the best of luck. :)
 

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I volunteer at an animal shelter where there are several FIV positive cats (they're incredibly sweet and affectionate, and the shelter keeps them away from the FIV negative cats). I believe they're on a regular medication regimen, but they seem happy and healthy--one is rather chubby in fact!

I'm not an expert by any means, but from what I've seen, there's no reason a FIV positive cat can't live a fairly normal life.
 
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skratikans

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We took in a sick stray with FIV a few years ago, and found lots of helpful info re: supplements and all sorts of stuff that we could discuss with our vet at fivtherapy.com.

In our case, the L-lysine by itself wasn't quite enough to help keep our cat's symptoms at bay. So after a bit of trial and error and advice from our vet, we eventually worked out a cocktail of sorts that works for him -- including lactoferrin.

Thanks so much for taking Meowki into your heart (and hopefully soon into your home!). Wishing y'all the best of luck. :)
Thank you for the suggetions...would I have to get my vet to prescribe lactoferrin or is there a certain dose I can use over the counter?
 
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skratikans

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I volunteer at an animal shelter where there are several FIV positive cats (they're incredibly sweet and affectionate, and the shelter keeps them away from the FIV negative cats). I believe they're on a regular medication regimen, but they seem happy and healthy--one is rather chubby in fact!

I'm not an expert by any means, but from what I've seen, there's no reason a FIV positive cat can't live a fairly normal life.
I'm glad to hear that...out of curiosity if you have a way of finding out what they are on, I would love to know.
 
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skratikans

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Cat Behaviorist extraordinaire Jackson Galaxy has videos on YouTube, books, and is the star of "MY CAT FROM HELL" on Animal Planet tv. He has lots of excellent suggestions on how to introduce adult cats to one another.
Oh, yea, I totally forgot about him..thanks!!!
 

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Thank you for the suggetions...would I have to get my vet to prescribe lactoferrin or is there a certain dose I can use over the counter?
If your vet thinks lactoferrin is appropriate for your Meowki, it is something you can buy over the counter. We use Jarrow Lactoferrin that we buy from Amazon. However, just so you know, it can make some cats feel a little nauseated. So if your cat starts puking or licking his lips a lot, you might want to discuss the possibility with your vet re: switching it out with 4Life Transfer Factor Classic.

Our vet also recommended a probiotic (in our case, Proviable-DC), and OTC remedies to help manage stress, as many of our FIV+ cat's flare-ups have been stress-related. There are several good OTC remedies such as Zylkene, melatonin, calming treats, Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets, or anything else your vet may recommend.

Oh, and once you can bring Meowki inside, I highly recommend Feliway diffusers. They're a little pricey at first since you have to buy the whole starter kit, but IMHO, they're well worth it! They can also help calm kitties during the introduction process. Then after that initial investment, you only need to buy the refills. They also make wipes and little bottles of spray. Those can come in handy for stuff like spot treating favorite spots (like a favorite blanket or something), or wiping or spritzing the carrier before trips to the vet and whatnot.

Hope that helps. :)
 
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skratikans

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If your vet thinks lactoferrin is appropriate for your Meowki, it is something you can buy over the counter. We use Jarrow Lactoferrin that we buy from Amazon. However, just so you know, it can make some cats feel a little nauseated. So if your cat starts puking or licking his lips a lot, you might want to discuss the possibility with your vet re: switching it out with 4Life Transfer Factor Classic.

Our vet also recommended a probiotic (in our case, Proviable-DC), and OTC remedies to help manage stress, as many of our FIV+ cat's flare-ups have been stress-related. There are several good OTC remedies such as Zylkene, melatonin, calming treats, Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets, or anything else your vet may recommend.

Oh, and once you can bring Meowki inside, I highly recommend Feliway diffusers. They're a little pricey at first since you have to buy the whole starter kit, but IMHO, they're well worth it! They can also help calm kitties during the introduction process. Then after that initial investment, you only need to buy the refills. They also make wipes and little bottles of spray. Those can come in handy for stuff like spot treating favorite spots (like a favorite blanket or something), or wiping or spritzing the carrier before trips to the vet and whatnot.

Hope that helps. :)
Wonderful suggestions. I will discuss the iron issue with my vet and see what he thinks...or at the very least he can run bloodwork on Meowki and see how his levels are doing.

If your cat has a tough time with his pill form, I know that another option is to have them do injections once every so many months.

I actually have Feliway in my house already- love the stuff....have been using it religiously for close to 4yrs now. I first used it it for Malina (she was very anxious at night) and I still use it today with the other two cats (it really helps with high strung cats). I believe the main ingredient is valerian root extract...which I would love to know if anyone has tried making their own.
 
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