Keeping Fiv Rescue From In-house Cats

[doddsington]

hi there!

on Friday I found the skinniest kitty I’ve ever seen as I was helping someone find their lost cat. He heard the can of food and came loudly meowing demanding the food. He is such a sad sight. At the vet we found out he’s FIV positive and has a upper respiratory making his breathing sound like a “honk”, that I bought meds for him for. I have him in my spare bedroom away from my two cats. I change my clothes and wash my feet, arms and hands every time I come out of his room. I just feel awful he is stuck in this room all alone, when he loves attention. I have to call our humane society first thing tomorrow to see if I can get him in their FIV program. I just might have to hold him in that room for 10 days for the stray hold. Our animal control euthanizes for FIV cats, and unless a stray hold is done, he would have to go to them and be killed. Am I doing this right? I feel so bad for him, and I’m so afraid of infecting my cats. Advice would be helpful to de-stress! Thank you!

 

[denice]

He does need to stay isolated for awhile because of the URI and the need for slow introductions but not necessarily because of the FIV. FIV is not that contagious, it is spread by deep bites. FeLV is the one that can be spread by fluids such as hissing, cats that groom each other and sharing food and water bowls. If introductions are done slowly and the cats get along then there is really no reason why they can't cohabitate.

 

[Furballsmom]

He should be fine in there, you could try some music for him? Classical harp music on low volume for a hour or so.

 

[doddsington]

Wow thank you!! I appreciate you sharing that with me. I feel better now.

 

[doddsington]

He should be fine in there, you could try some music for him? Classical harp music on low volume for a hour or so.

Oooh, I love this. I will see what I can find to put in there! thank you.

 

[Furballsmom]

let us know how things go

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You're doing fine. Not only is it only spread by fluids, it is almost NEVER transferred by anything but a deep bite. And...from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! You're on my hero list now!

 

[silkenpaw]

Thank you for taking this cat in. Like everyone told you, FIV is not easy to transmit. I had an FIV cat live with me for several years and none of the other cats became infected. He was the sweetest kitty.

 

[jen]

I have had many FIV cats living just fine with my non-FIV cats. I hate that anyone still thinks they have to be separated. They can most likely live just fine together.

 

[MissClouseau]

All the to you for helping him.

Maybe try FIV cat groups / hashtags etc online to check if anyone in the area is looking to adopt? I know people who has a FIV cat look for another FIV cat to adopt.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have 6 cats, 2 are FIV+ and they are not separated at all. Thank you for rescuing this sweet one.

 

[doddsington]

Hey friends! Turns out this kitty and his poppa, an elderly gentleman, were getting assistance from a local rescue! I found out as I am acquaintances with the woman who runs it. She was very happy I scooped up this kitty so she could get a complete work up on him with her vet as she intended on doing once she captured him. The older man can’t afford to care for himself let alone the cat, spooky, so the rescue has been helping. He refuses to surrender spooky as he is all he has. My boss donated tons of food to go home with spooky and myself and the rescue will continue to help him. Boy was spookys dad worries when spooky was wth me. I feel bad. But all is well!

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh my goodness!!

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for the update. I am glad all is well and Spooky and his owner are getting some help.

 

[Meowmee]

I want to tell you something, isolate him for other diseases and uri and observe etc. But if he does not bite and is not aggressive etc. and thye all get along ok, he is not going to transmit fiv to your cats. It is very hard to transmit, you need a deep puncture bite saliva of infected cat to blood of another cat or maternal transmission can happen as well I think.

My Wizard was fiv pos when I trapped him. I was worried about that too at first because I had my 3 other kitties. Someone who ran a rescue I volunteered with told me she had several Fiv + cats, they did not bite and the disease was never transmitted to any of her other cats. So even though I was worried I just decided it was OK because Wizard was a sweetheart and never bit anybody in his entire life. The rescue would not put him cages for adoption because of fiv then.

He was pretty healthy his entire life until the end, he had problems with his teeth and some weepy eyes and a sensitive tum but for most of his life he was healthier than most of my other cats were. And the disease was never transmitted, he shared food dishes and litter boxes with them and I’m sure if they had been cuddly he would’ve been grooming with them as well. He was the best cat in the world, talked to me constantly, a siamese or os mix, spooned with me every night of his life from the second night I took him in. Loved me with a devotion I have never known. He passed at 19-20 3.5 years ago I miss him every second. There is no reason to euthanize an fiv + cat or to separate a non aggressive cat.

 

[Meowmee]

Hey friends! Turns out this kitty and his poppa, an elderly gentleman, were getting assistance from a local rescue! I found out as I am acquaintances with the woman who runs it. She was very happy I scooped up this kitty so she could get a complete work up on him with her vet as she intended on doing once she captured him. The older man can’t afford to care for himself let alone the cat, spooky, so the rescue has been helping. He refuses to surrender spooky as he is all he has. My boss donated tons of food to go home with spooky and myself and the rescue will continue to help him. Boy was spookys dad worries when spooky was wth me. I feel bad. But all is well!

So glad you figured out he had a dad etc. thanks for helping him <3