Feral tested FIV+. Opinions on testing others in the colony?

[moxiewild]

Forgive me, I need to share some joy first. Something monumental happened.

We trapped the untrappable.

We finally trapped the first member of our house colony that we’ve been after for 3 years.

He (Pretty Kitty/PK) went missing for 4 months last summer, and came back with a head tilt and other issues. Then maybe 6 months ago, he developed some sort of infection on top of it.

Since he came back sick last year, all this time, we’ve tried trapping him at least once a week to no avail.

I’ve thrown everything I’ve got at this cat - regular box trap, XL box trap, drop trap, roundhouse trap, crate, carrier, dog trap, net, several makeshift traps. He wouldn’t go near any of them, he wasn’t even the slightest bit curious no matter the bait.

And it has killed us watching him be so sick and being unable to do anything.

But we finally got him. Hallelujah!

So we took him to the vet yesterday and unfortunately he tested positive for FIV, which I was already suspicious of given how sick he’s been the past year.

Now I’m wondering if I should test any other colony members or not.

Particularly this one cat (The Darkness) who fights with everyone and has definitely fought with PK.

In fact, I have my suspicions that The Darkness is the reason PK left, as he showed up right before PK went missing. It was only once a few weeks prior, and I didn’t see Darkness again until a couple weeks after PK left, but the one time I had seen him before that there was a very tense interaction between the two. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were fighting elsewhere until PK had enough and took off.

I’m especially concerned because PK is not the only one Darkness has fought with. He fights with everyone, except Bullseye. They used to be buds but stopped hanging out after Bullseye was neutered about a year ago (I haven’t seen them together at all since, so don’t know if Darkness would fight him or not now).

To be clear, my colony is not a “cohesive” colony. Most are neutered, but they only come here to eat and I don’t see them otherwise. They don’t hang out here, use our shelters, or eat together - all are very solitary.

.....And no one seems to get along.

Darkness and Bullseye were the only two we’ve ever seen even share a space without issue. No one else even tolerates other cats, least of all Darkness, who always insists on a bloody, fur-flying fight if he comes to eat and another cat is already there.

The possibility that Darkness - who is neutered - has FIV or FeLV has concerned me for a while due to this. So I’ve already trained him to go back in the trap and retrapping him is no issue whatsoever.

I’m just not sure what to do.

Because what if he is FIV+? Do I test everyone else too? (Everyone else is also essentially retrappable from having traps out all the time for PK).

And what the heck do I do with Darkness if he is? He’s prone to fighting. Leaving him outside is only going to infect other cats (which is why I also feel compelled to verify his status). The other cats also fight, but most of the time they will retreat after a bunch of yowling and posturing, so I’m not as concerned about them if they were to test positive (though it’s still a concern).

I can’t socialize Darkness. I have way too much on my plate and we don’t even know what we’re going to do with PK at this point now.

I’m just so stressed out about this. All my other colonies love each other, but this one is so fickle

At least we trapped PK right before the storms we’ve had all week -

 

[Willowy]

I wouldn't. FIV isn't so easily transmittable, and what are you going to do if they do test positive? If a cat gets sick, test them at that time and make decisions based on that, but I wouldn't do routine testing.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Is there any way that PK can become an inside only kitty. Since you know he is FIV+, he could infect other cats. Most cats once neutered won't fight with the gusto they did when they had hormones, but they can still fight. FIV takes a deep bite or puncture wound to transmit. Yet being FIV+ means he is very susceptible to other illnesses. It makes it much harder for him to fight off the infections. Since he was so very difficult to trap, he may suffer living outside.

As for retesting the colony, I wouldn't worry so much about that. Yet I would worry more about getting all of the cats spayed/neutered. Once they are neutered then the fighting will diminish. They may not be buddies, but they may learn to tolerate each other.

 

[moxiewild]

I wouldn't. FIV isn't so easily transmittable, and what are you going to do if they do test positive? If a cat gets sick, test them at that time and make decisions based on that, but I wouldn't do routine testing.

I normally would never test a colony without sickness being present or intent to socialize, but it’s the fact that this colony (and this cat in particular) fight. Like actual fights.

I mean, that’s the primary way it spreads. I’m sure some of the blood I see is from scratches, but it’s inevitable that there are bite wounds too, and we’ve had to treat multiple abscesses and infections from deep bites in the past.

There are a lot of other community cats in this neighborhood and surrounding area that are not part of my colony, but pass through. I’m concerned about it spreading to them, as well as to the other members in my colony who might not be infected.

I’m mostly concerned about whether Darkness has it since he’s the primary aggressor.

 

[moxiewild]

Is there any way that PK can become an inside only kitty. Since you know he is FIV+, he could infect other cats. Most cats once neutered won't fight with the gusto they did when they had hormones, but they can still fight. FIV takes a deep bite or puncture wound to transmit. Yet being FIV+ means he is very susceptible to other illnesses. It makes it much harder for him to fight off the infections. Since he was so very difficult to trap, he may suffer living outside.

As for retesting the colony, I wouldn't worry so much about that. Yet I would worry more about getting all of the cats spayed/neutered. Once they are neutered then the fighting will diminish. They may not be buddies, but they may learn to tolerate each other.

I don’t know what we’re going to do with PK. :/

We intended to socialize and keep him if he didn’t have FeLV or FIV because we thought he likely had vestibular syndrome and felt he was nonreleasable due to his head tilt and how it impacts his ability to move.

We do not have a stable home for an FIV+ cat, though. We have 17 cats in the house right now, and it varies between 8-20.

It is difficult enough trying to facilitate peaceful dynamics when there are that many cats + a steady stream of cats coming and going + cats constantly here for TNR recovery every week. We often take in cats with behavioral issues, too.

I’m not releasing him back out, though. In part because I’d be so afraid about retrapping if we ever had to! It was a huge stroke of luck how and when we got him.

I suppose we’re going to socialize and hopefully he’ll be adoptable and we can find a home for him.

All 12 of our regulars (aside from PK) are neutered and have been for a year+. They still fight, bite, and draw blood.

There are just 3-4 newish cats who are unneutered because they show up sporadically and go missing for weeks at a time doing Boy Cat Thangz, so it makes trap planning difficult (especially since I’m also working on TNR for 3 other colonies too where the cats don’t wonder off all the damn time).

Honestly, this colony is extraordinarily different from any other colony I’ve been involved with.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Holy cow you are an absolute saint. My goodness. 17 cats. I have 7 and some don't get along either so I totally get it. I do have 2 that are FIV+. One of the FIV+ males can be aggressive. He has calmed down in the past year. Yet 2 years ago, he attacked another cat and bit him hard in multiple places. Of course the cat he bit was one of my feral cats that had not been living inside for very long. I had to use gabapentin to get him to the vet. He had huge wounds. I was so worried he too would end up with FIV. I had him tested twice and he still remains clear.

I don't know how you ever sleep? With 17 cats of your own and maintaining multiple colonies. Whew! You are just wonderful!

I just picked up my 7th. He wandered in my yard. He's not feral, but not at all social. I just had him neutered on Tuesday. He will stay with us. Lots of work is needed. He was a mess at the vet.

Thank you for all that you do. I just know that PK will be a wonderful kitty. It's amazing how they change so much once they are inside and receive nourishment, shelter and constant love.

My 2 FIV+ boys are former ferals. I had a small clan that I cared for on my deck. The cats got along, but didn't all love each other. We moved 2 years ago and I brought all of them with me along with my 3 inside cats. I decided the feral boys would no longer be outside feral cats. When we were looking for a home I wanted a beautiful spot for them where they could be happy. We found a perfect home. The former ferals are in a large sunroom that is attached to the main living area of the house. They have windows on 3 sides of the room. I have barriers up separating the space. The feral boys get out each night to roam the house while I put a few others away for the night. It's a work in progress. They are doing better mingling, but not ready for total immersion. The new member of the clan has thrown everyone for a loop.

Keep us posted on PK. He is a keeper!

 

[moxiewild]

Holy cow you are an absolute saint. My goodness. 17 cats. I have 7 and some don't get along either so I totally get it. I do have 2 that are FIV+. One of the FIV+ males can be aggressive. He has calmed down in the past year. Yet 2 years ago, he attacked another cat and bit him hard in multiple places. Of course the cat he bit was one of my feral cats that had not been living inside for very long. I had to use gabapentin to get him to the vet. He had huge wounds. I was so worried he too would end up with FIV. I had him tested twice and he still remains clear.

I don't know how you ever sleep? With 17 cats of your own and maintaining multiple colonies. Whew! You are just wonderful!

I just picked up my 7th. He wandered in my yard. He's not feral, but not at all social. I just had him neutered on Tuesday. He will stay with us. Lots of work is needed. He was a mess at the vet.

Thank you for all that you do. I just know that PK will be a wonderful kitty. It's amazing how they change so much once they are inside and receive nourishment, shelter and constant love.

My 2 FIV+ boys are former ferals. I had a small clan that I cared for on my deck. The cats got along, but didn't all love each other. We moved 2 years ago and I brought all of them with me along with my 3 inside cats. I decided the feral boys would no longer be outside feral cats. When we were looking for a home I wanted a beautiful spot for them where they could be happy. We found a perfect home. The former ferals are in a large sunroom that is attached to the main living area of the house. They have windows on 3 sides of the room. I have barriers up separating the space. The feral boys get out each night to roam the house while I put a few others away for the night. It's a work in progress. They are doing better mingling, but not ready for total immersion. The new member of the clan has thrown everyone for a loop.

Keep us posted on PK. He is a keeper!

Did, or do you, keep the FIV+ cat with aggression separated from the others?

Most of our guys get along and love each other. A few are only tolerant of others so long as they don’t come into their personal “bubble.”

Then we have a cat who is just menacing and a bully toward others, and two fosters who are out to kill almost any other cat - although they each have one cat they like.The last three all have their own rooms, and we have a system somewhat like yours where we do rotations so that everyone gets time with us.

Whenever we bring a new foster in, that’s when things can get rough for a bit. Every once in a while with TNR too, there will just be something about the feral that sets everyone off.

And Pretty Kitty is already presenting some challenges, since he’s unneutered and we have to hold off on neutering him until he’s better. So now a couple of our boys are spraying

Ha, sometimes it feels as if I don’t sleep!

Luckily my partner is very involved and needs no nagging to help out with dishes (we hand wash 45+ dishes a day between our indoor cats and the ferals), litter boxes, feeding, meds, etc., so that helps a ton. But it’s easily 4 hours a day tending to basic needs alone.

The past year and a half we’ve just had sooo many cats in need.

And yes, it is incredible to watch them change!

Honestly, I had a hard time after about the third adult feral i socialized.

It just broke my heart even more seeing all the ferals outside and knowing what they could become if only there were enough homes, compassion, time, patience, and interest. It still gets to me, I can’t help but see the potential now, and it’s so sad.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Did, or do you, keep the FIV+ cat with aggression separated from the others?

Most of our guys get along and love each other. A few are only tolerant of others so long as they don’t come into their personal “bubble.”

Then we have a cat who is just menacing and a bully toward others, and two fosters who are out to kill almost any other cat - although they each have one cat they like.The last three all have their own rooms, and we have a system somewhat like yours where we do rotations so that everyone gets time with us.

Whenever we bring a new foster in, that’s when things can get rough for a bit. Every once in a while with TNR too, there will just be something about the feral that sets everyone off.

And Pretty Kitty is already presenting some challenges, since he’s unneutered and we have to hold off on neutering him until he’s better. So now a couple of our boys are spraying

Ha, sometimes it feels as if I don’t sleep!

Luckily my partner is very involved and needs no nagging to help out with dishes (we hand wash 45+ dishes a day between our indoor cats and the ferals), litter boxes, feeding, meds, etc., so that helps a ton. But it’s easily 4 hours a day tending to basic needs alone.

The past year and a half we’ve just had sooo many cats in need.

And yes, it is incredible to watch them change!

Honestly, I had a hard time after about the third adult feral i socialized.

It just broke my heart even more seeing all the ferals outside and knowing what they could become if only there were enough homes, compassion, time, patience, and interest. It still gets to me, I can’t help but see the potential now, and it’s so sad.

The aggressive FIV+ boy is separated from 3 of the cats. He is buddies with 2 and learning to accept the other 3. We have time when all 6 (#7 is still in quarantine) are together each day, but it is completely supervised. Then twice a week we allow everyone out on the first floor for about an hour. I keep the aggressive boy on a harness.

Ugh, the spraying.... I have a sprayer too. Every time there is a change, he will start to spray. Since #7 has come inside, the spraying started up again. We also are doing a partial kitchen remodel so there have been workers inside the house and it's been noisy. The boy who sprays was on Prozac for awhile. It helped and stopped the spraying, but it really changed his personality. He was more calm, but also just not himself. For now I just buy puppy pee pads in bulk!!

I used to live in the middle of suburbia. I rescued 8 cats from my back yard. No idea where they came from. I still have 5 of the original 8. Now I live in a more rural area. I had thought I would see all kinds of cats. Yet I see very few. But this past spring/summer there have been 3 in a row. One that I rescued had a severe eye issue. It was horrifying. His eyes were completely matted shut. I have no idea how he navigated through the forest. My neighbor fell in love with him. He was a 3 year old not neutered male. He just ended up having eye surgery and for the first time, his eyes are visible! Another one came through who had been attacked or hit by a car. I tried to help him, but was too late. The last one, is my #7. He is around 12-18 months old. Poor boy is so unsocialized. He's not feral, but very skittish and so scared.

For my FIV+ boys, I use an immune supplement by Vetri Science called DMG. It has really worked very well for them. So far they are both quite healthy. I find it on Amazon or Chewy.

I do hope PK will get healthy and then he can be neutered. I am counting the days until tom cat pee is gone!