I got a scary phone call from Caruso's new mom. She said that Caruso just tested positive for FIV!
The vet told her all kinds of horror stories about FIV. He said that Caruso shouldn't be around children or sick people because he could give them FIV, and said that her other cat (who tested negative) will soon catch FIV from Caruso despite the fact that the way FIV is transmitted is through deep bites or through mother's milk! This jerk had Caruso's mom terrified.
Beyond being royally pissed at this vet, I am furious with my vet because obviously Caruso had FIV when he was in my colony. I asked the vet to do blood tests to make sure Caruso was safe to go to a home with other cats. I assumed he tested for FIV, but apparently he tested only for FeLV!
I spent about an hour on the phone with Caruso's mom and gathered a bunch of great links about FIV and sent those to her. Thank goodness she listened to me, and is no longer freaking out about this.
I feel so guilty giving her a cat with FIV even though I know that this mello boy won't ever bite her other cat. The thought of having someone adopt one of my cats who might then later on become very ill just sickens me.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Caruso's story, here are some old threads if you're interested. The last one has great photos of him in his new home.
I just trapped Caruso
Caruso's new home
Pictures from Carus's new mom
The vet told her all kinds of horror stories about FIV. He said that Caruso shouldn't be around children or sick people because he could give them FIV, and said that her other cat (who tested negative) will soon catch FIV from Caruso despite the fact that the way FIV is transmitted is through deep bites or through mother's milk! This jerk had Caruso's mom terrified.
Beyond being royally pissed at this vet, I am furious with my vet because obviously Caruso had FIV when he was in my colony. I asked the vet to do blood tests to make sure Caruso was safe to go to a home with other cats. I assumed he tested for FIV, but apparently he tested only for FeLV!
I spent about an hour on the phone with Caruso's mom and gathered a bunch of great links about FIV and sent those to her. Thank goodness she listened to me, and is no longer freaking out about this.
I feel so guilty giving her a cat with FIV even though I know that this mello boy won't ever bite her other cat. The thought of having someone adopt one of my cats who might then later on become very ill just sickens me.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Caruso's story, here are some old threads if you're interested. The last one has great photos of him in his new home.
I just trapped Caruso
Caruso's new home
Pictures from Carus's new mom