- Joined
- Mar 23, 2017
- Messages
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- Purraise
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Testing for FIV
Hi everyone
Having lived with a beautiful cat with FIV, I learnt how important it is to test correctly... Or as best as one can!
(as you may of course know), some cats that "test positive" when tested for antibodies are just vaccinated against FIV. That said, I suspect some cats that test positive sadly are vaccinated AND have the disease.
And of course unfortunately, some that test pos have FIV (are infected)
And some tests results are wrong ("false").
I personally try to test my cat kids for FIV (and FeLV) and isolate the cat in question for that period. I do it using two tests- one for antibodies and one for antigens..but I know there is always a chance these test results could still be wrong at the end of the day....
I think a real time PCR test looks for antigens ...a vet should be able to advise you re this ...
If I recall correctly (its been a while since I researched re FIV) antibodies can take up to 12 weeks to show up- perhaps longer sometimes?- so ideally one should isolate (appropriately) a cat for 12 weeks before having an antibody test done. Also, from memory (pls don't quote me on this either as Id need to recheck my notes re this) I think one needs to/should wait a month after last contact with another cat, to do a real time PCR test (and again, isolate the cat ideally in that time so as to try and get the most accurate result)
BTW, I think antibodies that arise from vaccinations can also take a while to "show up" . With one of my cat kids, 8 weeks after her first FIV vaccine shot, she tested neg for antibodies...again, this result could be wrong, but....A vet should be able to advise cat parents further re this this....I don't think the current vaccine always offers full immunity either...again, I need to revise this and anyhow, my info re this might be outdated now, some years after I gathered it.
But I think this is the case ie the efficiency of the current vaccine varies, according to tests done in the past
Also, I think I might have recently leant of an in house test that can also likely generally establish if a cat has FIV or has been vaccinated against it. Its also cheaper than a real time PCR test which is usually done in an external lab, as far as I know. Im currently reading up about it but if it can do that , differentiate overall, I think it could save many cats......though, again Ive yet to hear of any FIV test that is guaranteed to always be accurate unfortunately . One can but try to get the best rest result...
Nowadays, and esp with cats with FIV or other infectious diseases I personally ask vet staff to always wear sterile gloves and use sterile cotton swabs when blood is taken , as a precaution. I may be overdoing it there but it gives me peace of mind
I actually kept my cat kid with FIV seperate to other cats and they had their own blankets, bowls, litter trays etc. I had read FIV is mostly spread via bites , deep scratches or the mum and they had in the past sometimes play and fight bit etc. But that's just me, and each person of course, needs to decide what to do regarding living arrangements for their unique situation, given their circumstances, of course. My house is such that I could easily seperate them. I just installed a glass door in the middle so they could see and hear each other. They adjusted but it was very sad esp as they were brothers and had always been together...My cat kids are now indoor only cats (with stimulus, cuddles, "cat friendly" conditions, lots of windows etc) , and I carry them (harnessed) through the gardens occassionaly for a change of scene (if there are no cats/dogs/foxes around). But again, that is just me, my approach, ..It was a real shock to learn my beautiful 13 year cat kid had FIV (he had seemed just fine up till then.) I think he got if from his mum and it came to the fore after a stressful situation in his life.
Hi everyone
Having lived with a beautiful cat with FIV, I learnt how important it is to test correctly... Or as best as one can!
(as you may of course know), some cats that "test positive" when tested for antibodies are just vaccinated against FIV. That said, I suspect some cats that test positive sadly are vaccinated AND have the disease.
And of course unfortunately, some that test pos have FIV (are infected)
And some tests results are wrong ("false").
I personally try to test my cat kids for FIV (and FeLV) and isolate the cat in question for that period. I do it using two tests- one for antibodies and one for antigens..but I know there is always a chance these test results could still be wrong at the end of the day....
I think a real time PCR test looks for antigens ...a vet should be able to advise you re this ...
If I recall correctly (its been a while since I researched re FIV) antibodies can take up to 12 weeks to show up- perhaps longer sometimes?- so ideally one should isolate (appropriately) a cat for 12 weeks before having an antibody test done. Also, from memory (pls don't quote me on this either as Id need to recheck my notes re this) I think one needs to/should wait a month after last contact with another cat, to do a real time PCR test (and again, isolate the cat ideally in that time so as to try and get the most accurate result)
BTW, I think antibodies that arise from vaccinations can also take a while to "show up" . With one of my cat kids, 8 weeks after her first FIV vaccine shot, she tested neg for antibodies...again, this result could be wrong, but....A vet should be able to advise cat parents further re this this....I don't think the current vaccine always offers full immunity either...again, I need to revise this and anyhow, my info re this might be outdated now, some years after I gathered it.
But I think this is the case ie the efficiency of the current vaccine varies, according to tests done in the past
Also, I think I might have recently leant of an in house test that can also likely generally establish if a cat has FIV or has been vaccinated against it. Its also cheaper than a real time PCR test which is usually done in an external lab, as far as I know. Im currently reading up about it but if it can do that , differentiate overall, I think it could save many cats......though, again Ive yet to hear of any FIV test that is guaranteed to always be accurate unfortunately . One can but try to get the best rest result...
Nowadays, and esp with cats with FIV or other infectious diseases I personally ask vet staff to always wear sterile gloves and use sterile cotton swabs when blood is taken , as a precaution. I may be overdoing it there but it gives me peace of mind
I actually kept my cat kid with FIV seperate to other cats and they had their own blankets, bowls, litter trays etc. I had read FIV is mostly spread via bites , deep scratches or the mum and they had in the past sometimes play and fight bit etc. But that's just me, and each person of course, needs to decide what to do regarding living arrangements for their unique situation, given their circumstances, of course. My house is such that I could easily seperate them. I just installed a glass door in the middle so they could see and hear each other. They adjusted but it was very sad esp as they were brothers and had always been together...My cat kids are now indoor only cats (with stimulus, cuddles, "cat friendly" conditions, lots of windows etc) , and I carry them (harnessed) through the gardens occassionaly for a change of scene (if there are no cats/dogs/foxes around). But again, that is just me, my approach, ..It was a real shock to learn my beautiful 13 year cat kid had FIV (he had seemed just fine up till then.) I think he got if from his mum and it came to the fore after a stressful situation in his life.
