Bringing A Feral In With Existing Cats

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Mjones99x

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I would find another vet. You need to ask where they found their information and how many FIV+ cats they have worked with that have transmitted the disease to another through bodily fluids.

... I would ask to speak directly to the vet and ask some very pointed questions.

Here is a very long thread you might find helpful too
Need input - FIV+ and FIV- cats living together. Risks/Concerns
I've had enough people disagree with what this office is saying that I have another call in so I can clarify we are talking about the same thing i.e., they might have misunderstood what I was saying or I misunderstood them, and whereas I am talking about FIV, they may be talking about feline leukemia. I'm not sure. This is a very highly recommended office that has a vet who specialized in felines, so I am not questioning their competency, only if they are being overly cautious. My beau says that they probably see a lot more of the negative outcomes, so they are being careful. We'll see.
 
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Mjones99x

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Ok! This might be my last post about this. I just heard from my vet tech friend and I am going to quote verbatim what she has said. I have known this young woman since she was a teenager and I know she absolutely loves animals so I can trust her. She has worked for her vet for many years as a vet tech. Both my cats have been there for vaccinations and I would go back there again if I didn't live so far away. I had told her what the other vet office was saying about FIV and this is how she answered:

"We are no longer able to protect our kitties that are FIV negative from our positive kitties because the drug manufacturers stopped producing the vaccine due to lack of demand. Not sure where they draw those statistics, because in the MidSouth area, it is certainly an issue. Since the vaccine is no longer available, I would recommend trying to find him a home that is a one-kitty household or a FIV home. Some kitties are carriers and live pretty normal lives, whereas others get very sick and eventually a humane decision has to be made for quality of life. It is a terrible virus that is contagious to all other felines. I wouldn't suggest putting him back out because then other negative cats will be at risk. I have heard a LOT of other suggestions with mixing households, but at the bottom line, why would your risk infecting your healthy cat household? It's not a handicap like a missing eyeball or leg. It literally can be life or death. All those daggers being thrown at me from others who disagree- I'm sorry. I have treated those sick patients SUFFERING from one or both of these viruses and in the end the virus always wins. Protect your babies and ALWAYS test first before introducing new kitties into your household. I will get you some info tomorrow to an FIV Cat Santuary..."

I had no idea the vaccine is no longer available. This pretty much seals it for me. I will look at re-homing Jekyll and will do my best for him if I can't find somewhere to take him. I've taken care of him for over 2 years and will continue to do so. I'm upset about it but it is what it is.
 

shadowsrescue

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Hmmm. I had no idea the vaccine was no longer available. I just had it offered for my cats when I was there with them in October. Have you spoken directly to a vet about this. I mean no disrespect for your friend, but I would be certain you are hearing this directly from a vet.
When I just did a search for the FIV vaccine, it appeared that it is still available.

I am sorry you cannot care for Jekyll. I hope that you can find him a loving home. He certainly deserves one. Thank you for caring about him.
 

rubysmama

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I'm sorry it's looking like you may not be able to bring Jekyll home with you, but I understand the health of your resident cats has to come first.

Is there a way to confirm he's FIV positive? And if so, hopefully the FIV Cat Sanctuary your friend mentioned will be able to help out.

Please let us know how things turn out.
 

Jcatbird

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One suggestion. Short of having Jekyll retested, ( the tests can give false results and the test can show presence without active disease) can you contact the company that produces the vaccine to confirm lack of availability? I once had to chase medical information in a similar manner. I had a positive outcome. Hoping for good results for all involved here on any path you need to pursue.
 

white shadow

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The FIV vaccine was indeed taken off the market.....due to lack of demand. Because vaccinated cats could not be differentiated from truly FIV+ cats, most "authorities" recommended against using the vaccine.......and this seems to have suppressed any worthwhile (for the manufacturer) demand for the product:
The FIV vaccine has been withdrawn from the U.S. and Canadian markets, not for safety reasons but because it has never been widely embraced by the veterinary profession due to the testing ambiguity situation.....
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) - Veterinary Partner - VIN
.
 

jen

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It is a terrible virus that is contagious to all other felines. I wouldn't suggest putting him back out because then other negative cats will be at risk. I have heard a LOT of other suggestions with mixing households, but at the bottom line, why would your risk infecting your healthy cat household? It's not a handicap like a missing eyeball or leg. It literally can be life or death.
No no no what?? This is so not accurate. I have such a soft spot for FIV cats because so many people don't know anything about it and how it is transferred. Please do more research and don't just listen to one person. I have met vets that can't even remember the difference between the contagiousness of FIV vs FeLV. FeLV is the one you don't want to take a chance on. FIVs in feral colonies are neutered and released back to their colonies even.

I have taken and rehomed so many FIV cats and had them all mixed together in my house with my own cats. As long as everyone is neutered and not fighting they are not going to pass it. It is just passed from mating and very deep puncture wounds. Ugh this misinformation kills me. Don't euthanize FIV cats either.
 

jen

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Sorry I kind of read the post backwards and now see plenty of people have told you the truth about FIV vs FeLV and omg find a new vet or something, this is horrible misinformation and I can't even imagine all the kittens they sentenced to death or denied a home to because of this. Where are you located? I'll take the cat if you don't want to "put your cats at risk" My perfectly healthy 16 year old cat (along with my other one who passed away at 15 years this past July) lived long happy lives with FIV cats and never got it themselves, and the one FIV cat would groom them all.
 
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