FIV positive

[freaknpink]

Grayci an outside stray I've been feeding for almost a year went to the vet today because she had a hole under her arm from an abscess. While there I learned "she" is a neutered male and tested positive for FIV..... my heart was broken. I planned to bring him in after this. When I returned home I let him outside.. made me feel terrible but I have 3 other cats inside. No shelters will take him and I don't know what to do. I feel life outside will end his life quickly, but I'm scared to death he could bite one of my other cats as they rough play a lot. He's very sweet and timid... I'm at a total loss on what to do. Can anyone provide some advice? Anyone with a fiv positive cat living with non positive cats?

 

[ldg]

I just addressed this question for another member. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/261862/fiv-rescued-stray-in-a-household-with-two-fiv-cats

With proper introductions, he represents no threat to your other indoor kitties. We have 8 rescue kitties inside, and 11+ in a TNR colony outside. I have an FIV+ kitty inside, and an FIV+ kitty outside. No one else has contracted FIV in the three years that Chumley has been inside with us, and Baloo has been outside. The only reason Baloo isn't inside is because, well, we already have 8 in here and live in a 38' RV. :lol3:

FIV is not passed casually, I explain in the thread to which I've provided a link. :nod:

 

[freaknpink]

Thank you so much!

 

[ldg]

I offered the other poster to provide more links. If you would like more info, just let me know. :nod:

 

[freaknpink]

Do they play fight and share food water dishes? all my cats are a year old so they play pretty rough some times.

 

[ldg]

Mine are older cats, and Chumley was "3 or 4" years old when rescued, so they don't play fight. But there are plenty of people with FIV kitties that are younger, and do. Scratches and slight surface puncture wounds that occur in playing do not result in passing along the FIV. Deep tissue bite wounds do (it was probably the bite received that caused that abscess that was the source). If your kitties don't ever rough-house enough to cause abscesses, then it wouldn't be a worry.

Yes, mine share water, litter boxes, and used to share food dishes. They no longer do, because I don't feed dry food any longer. Chum had issues with diarrhea that we had to resolve through diet, and we ditched the kibble. (http://www.catinfo.org).

Honestly, I was a little worried about the ear cleaning, because Chumley really goes at Billy's ears. :lol3: I worried a little that ear canals might be equivalent to deep tissue access to his body... but it isn't.

Proper introductions, done slowly, would need to be managed, just so there aren't worries about all-out fights. We had Chumley in his own place (because we live in a RV, we actually rented a trailer for him LOL, but any room that can be "his" for a while will do). We started with scent swapping: swapping bedding, toys, brushing the cats and not cleaning the hair off the brush, letting everyone smell it before brushing them.... then we brought over some of Chumley's pee and poop and put it in their litter boxes, so they'd get used to the scent of him there.

Then we started bringing Chumley over here for 10 - 15 minutes at a time: which we slowly increased. The focus was NOT on the cats meeting each other. The idea is to pick whatever the quietest time for the (existing) kitties is, and let the new kitty investigate the new space. In fact, it might be a good idea to lock them up (at first) while you let new kitty explore. Again - get everyone used to new scents being in their spots. When they DO first meet, have a good, romping play session with a wand toy or something, so the focus isn't the new cat, it's play time. :nod: Then our next step was sharing a meal.... this process went on for 3 weeks, where each day he stayed for longer and longer. Then he just never went back to his alone space. And we did everything we could to make sure the existing kitties got most of the attention when he was here - and they came to associate his presence with more attention, more play, more treats, etc., so his being around was a GOOD thing. :lol3:

Being as young as yours are, it'll probably go fairly smoothly, especially as your outdoor kitty is also used to other cats. But if you do decide to bring him in, just take it one step at a time. There's no rush.

 

[freaknpink]

Thank you again. You have helped put my mind at ease as I've decided to keep him. He deserves to have a life. After reading everything...I can't believe my vet suggested putting him to sleep or keeping him locked in a room forever as options. Last night when I didn't think I could do this I opened the front door and gave him the choice....he went right out, but froze on the deck...sat there for a few mins and came back inside.

IMG_20130731_025557.jpg

• freaknpink
• Jul 31, 2013

 

[ldg]

Aw, Grayci is adorable! :lovegrin2: I'm so glad I was able to help. Actually, there's an organization putting together a book on FIV. They'd hoped to have it published in July, but it's not running on schedule. They raised more than they needed to in order to publish the book, so they also plan on some educational videos. Hopefully that information will help even more people put the myth of FIV being a death-or-forever-separation sentence to rest. :nod:

And don't forget you can ask any intro / behavior questions in the forums here too!

 

[freaknpink]

Aw, Grayci is adorable!

: I'm so glad I was able to help. Actually, there's an organization putting together a book on FIV. They'd hoped to have it published in July, but it's not running on schedule. They raised more than they needed to in order to publish the book, so they also plan on some educational videos. Hopefully that information will help even more people put the myth of FIV being a death-or-forever-separation sentence to rest.

And don't forget you can ask any intro / behavior questions in the forums here too!

Thank you so much. You can go to bed tonight knowing you saved this little angel's life because I was badly informed and my vet scared me to death.