Feral Cat With Fiv

TerriK

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We are taking care of a feral cat that is less than 1 year old and FIV positive. We also have 2 17 yr and 2 10 yr old females completely indoors. Ivy (feral) is now quite tame, litter trained, and she is staying outside during the day and brought in at night and crated. We're trying to get her used to being in the room outside of the crate. She cries, she will pull on the door and cry to get out or gets on the windowsill and paces anxiously. Two of our inside cats do not get along all that well, 1 of them is the 17 yr old who we believe to be the alpha and may have started out as a feral cat before we got her from the shelter; the other is a 10 yr old calico who wants to be in control. We are concerned about bringing Ivy into this situation, especially given her FIV, but we feel she deserves a good home as she is a wonderful cat, very loving and affectionate. Our vet and someone else who works with ferals are advising us against socializing her with our cats. I would appreciate some input on this.
 

WoodstockGirl

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There's a lot of misinformation out there about FIV. Most cats go on to live normal lives, and as long as she doesn't go outside all should be well. FIV positive cats can live with non-FIV cats quite well.
 

FeebysOwner

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I have heard the chances of a FIV negative cat contracting FIV from another cat who positive - when living together as domesticated pets - is less than 2%. All these cats can share bowls, water dishes, and even litter boxes without issue, as the primary way to transmit the virus is through biting that draws blood.

I think the caution from your vet and the feral shelter worker is from the idea that if your FIV positive cat cannot get along with the others and would bite one of them, it would be possible for her to transmit the virus to the cat she bit. On the other hand an FIV negative cat who would bite one that is positive stands very little chance of contracting the virus that way. Either way you want to go through an introduction process and prevent them from fighting and biting each other anyway.

The big thing is to get her to become an indoor cat so she is not exposed to other cats that she could contract another disease or infection from since she is more vulnerable given her immune system isn't quite as strong as non-FIV cats.

You might also consider buying or building a catio that would allow Ivy time outside but in a confined and safe way.

In the meantime, here is an article about making an outdoor cat into an indoor one, as well as a couple of other articles about the process for introducing cats to other cats.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside
 
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TerriK

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Thanks for your response. We've done some reading about the FIV and we understand positive and negative cats can live together. Our concern is if there is fighting and it gets to a level where someone gets bit; then the FIV could be transmitted. As far as our 17 yo cats getting it they've lived most of their lives though the stress could be a bit much for them; its the 10 yo cats that we're a bit more worried with. There is already a bit more tension in the household since we're bringing her in each night.
 
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TerriK

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I have heard the chances of a FIV negative cat contracting FIV from another cat who positive - when living together as domesticated pets - is less than 2%. All these cats can share bowls, water dishes, and even litter boxes without issue, as the primary way to transmit the virus is through biting that draws blood.

I think the caution from your vet and the feral shelter worker is from the idea that if your FIV positive cat cannot get along with the others and would bite one of them, it would be possible for her to transmit the virus to the cat she bit. On the other hand an FIV negative cat who would bite one that is positive stands very little chance of contracting the virus that way. Either way you want to go through an introduction process and prevent them from fighting and biting each other anyway.

The big thing is to get her to become an indoor cat so she is not exposed to other cats that she could contract another disease or infection from since she is more vulnerable given her immune system isn't quite as strong as non-FIV cats.

You might also consider buying or building a catio that would allow Ivy time outside but in a confined and safe way.

In the meantime, here is an article about making an outdoor cat into an indoor one, as well as a couple of other articles about the process for introducing cats to other cats.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside
 
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TerriK

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Thanks for your input, I appreciate it very much. If or when we introduce them it will be done very carefully for sure as the cats already seem a bit stressed about the cat being indoors each night.
 

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I don't know if it could be of any help, but here is a site that strictly deals with FIV+ cats/related information; and there are many stories from people who have multi-cat households where at least one cat is FIV+. There is also contact information, so you might want to ask for information from people who have dealt with a similar situation as yours.

Mixed households - FIV cats living with non-FIV cats
 

shadowsrescue

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I have 6 cats living in my house. Two are FIV+. I moved a year ago and brought three outdoor feral cats with me. They had never lived inside a house and I decided to give it a shot. The cats were all learning to live together and doing quite well. Our sweet dog passed away and this caused quite an upheaval in the pecking order of the cats. SHe was the protector of all. One of my FIV+ cats attacked another cat. It was not pretty. Two large puncture bites. Both of the abscessed. Of course it was one of my feral cats. I had to sedate him and get him to a vet for care. I was so worried about FIV transmission as this was not just a normal bite. This happened 10 months ago. I have since had the cat tested and he continues to be negative.

I give the two FIV+ cats immune supplements to help keep their immune system strong. One of them is 6 and the other is 7. They are both very healthy.

I would certainly give this kitty a chance. Just take introductions very slowly.
 
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TerriK

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I don't know if it could be of any help, but here is a site that strictly deals with FIV+ cats/related information; and there are many stories from people who have multi-cat households where at least one cat is FIV+. There is also contact information, so you might want to ask for information from people who have dealt with a similar situation as yours.

Mixed households - FIV cats living with non-FIV cats
Thank you again for all of the information. I wish we had a screened in patio for her, it would be ideal. Our house has no patio or garage; old Florida home, built in the 50's. This is our very first experience with working with a feral cat. We had to trap her to be spayed. She was very mistrustful of us at first but maybe because she's so young we were able to gain her trust more quickly. Getting her used to being indoors has its challenges when she is only in one room but maybe in time that will change. We want to do whatever we can for her as she is a wonderful kitty.
 
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TerriK

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I have 6 cats living in my house. Two are FIV+. I moved a year ago and brought three outdoor feral cats with me. They had never lived inside a house and I decided to give it a shot. The cats were all learning to live together and doing quite well. Our sweet dog passed away and this caused quite an upheaval in the pecking order of the cats. SHe was the protector of all. One of my FIV+ cats attacked another cat. It was not pretty. Two large puncture bites. Both of the abscessed. Of course it was one of my feral cats. I had to sedate him and get him to a vet for care. I was so worried about FIV transmission as this was not just a normal bite. This happened 10 months ago. I have since had the cat tested and he continues to be negative.

I give the two FIV+ cats immune supplements to help keep their immune system strong. One of them is 6 and the other is 7. They are both very healthy.

I would certainly give this kitty a chance. Just take introductions very slowly.
Thanks for your response and information. I know what you mean about the pecking order. We lost our oldest male a year ago February and I the order in our house definitely changed and not for the better. The 2 most dominant cats seem to be struggling for power. With your experience with the cats fighting resulting in puncture bites, that is definitely a major concern of ours. At least your cat did not contract the virus after all this time-that's great. We've come so far with our little feral, she is such an angel. We will continue to do all that we can for her; she deserves to be in a home where she is loved. and we're hoping eventually it will be with us.
 

shadowsrescue

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It can take lots of time and patience. I have brought 6 feral cats inside. The first one, took a solid year to adjust to inside living. He had a room of his own and it just was baby steps. After a few months I purchased a cheap wooden screen door from Lowes to put up against the door. I didn't want to deface the door so I just used cheap tension rods to hold it in place. I also had a baby gate across the threshold for extra protection. This allowed the feral boy to hear and see what was going on inside the house. My other cat at the time could go up to the door and see inside the room too. I only did this when I was home to supervise.

Later I moved to a wire barrier. It was much easier to move . But you need to be sure your other cats won't climb or jump it. I have some pictures of the set up if you'd like to see.
 

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The room alone is a great way to start. Sniffing each other through the door stimulates curiosity. Very gradual intriductions. I have done this many different ways. You can put a string on the doorknob of the room that only allows to door open enough to see, but not swat. I would eventually move the new cat into a very large cage in the same room with the other cats. In time I found that the cats outside the cage felt some for of sympathy for the cat shut in the cage and wanted me to release the kitty. I still did the next stage of introductions slowly. An open door enough to pet , a little time out in my lap on the floor by the cage door, each day allowing a little more freedom and investigation by all involved until all was calm. I have an FIV as well and using these gradual stages kept us from having and real altercations. A hiss once in a great while but at this point the FIV is the love bug of the group. From a feral old Tom to cat loving lap cat. Patience, time, supervision and love spread equally amongst all should get everyone through the adjustment. Reduced stress should be accomplished doing everything slowly and according to the pace each cat is comfortable with. I think you are wonderful for handling all those kitties. Bravo! Keep us posted please! You came to the right place for tips! Many of us here have worked with similar circumstances and I expect will be happy to answer any questions you may have as well as offering their experiences. Welcome! :welcomesign::clap2:
 
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TerriK

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The room alone is a great way to start. Sniffing each other through the door stimulates curiosity. Very gradual intriductions. I have done this many different ways. You can put a string on the doorknob of the room that only allows to door open enough to see, but not swat. I would eventually move the new cat into a very large cage in the same room with the other cats. In time I found that the cats outside the cage felt some for of sympathy for the cat shut in the cage and wanted me to release the kitty. I still did the next stage of introductions slowly. An open door enough to pet , a little time out in my lap on the floor by the cage door, each day allowing a little more freedom and investigation by all involved until all was calm. I have an FIV as well and using these gradual stages kept us from having and real altercations. A hiss once in a great while but at this point the FIV is the love bug of the group. From a feral old Tom to cat loving lap cat. Patience, time, supervision and love spread equally amongst all should get everyone through the adjustment. Reduced stress should be accomplished doing everything slowly and according to the pace each cat is comfortable with. I think you are wonderful for handling all those kitties. Bravo! Keep us posted please! You came to the right place for tips! Many of us here have worked with similar circumstances and I expect will be happy to answer any questions you may have as well as offering their experiences. Welcome! :welcomesign::clap2:
Thank you so much, I appreciate all the support from everyone. We've had many cats over the years but taming a feral is a first for us with this little girl. She too is very sweet and loving; we feel very fortunate that she came to find us.
 

WoodstockGirl

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Thank you so much, I appreciate all the support from everyone. We've had many cats over the years but taming a feral is a first for us with this little girl. She too is very sweet and loving; we feel very fortunate that she came to find us.
Sometimes that's the way it goes. They adopt you and not the other way around.

Thank you for giving poor kitty a home and taking care of her.
 
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