Camden County Animal Shelter

What is FIV?

FIV is a cat-only disease. This immunodeficiency virus is a commonly misunderstood disease that weakens the immune system, but does NOT cause cancer. It does, however, leave the cat vulnerable to a wide range of diseases which would normally be harmless to a healthy animal. Nonetheless, most infected cats will live for many years without exhibiting any symptoms of the infection.

How is it diagnosed?

FIV is most often discovered when a cat is first brought to a veterinarian after being added to a household, or by a shelter or rescue group prior to placement in a home by doing a simple test that detects the presence of FIV antibodies.

Is it contagious?

You cannot catch FIV from your pet. FIV is not contagious to humans, dogs, or any animal other than cats. FIV is spread between cats by deep, penetrating bite wounds and blood transfusions. Unless your FIV+ cat bites another cat, the virus cannot spread. FIV can never be spread casually. Casual includes litter boxes, water and food bowls or snuggling and playing. It is even unlikely, although possible, for an FIV+ mother to give FIV to her kittens. It is not uncommon for FIV+ cats to live full lives in the company of other cats without passing the virus along. So, unless your FIV+ cat were to bite another cat (and if you met our charming and lovable FIV+ cats, you would know they're really not into biting anything!) they cannot spread FIV - no exceptions, no way.

Will I need to give my cat expensive medications?

No. There are no medications commonly used in the treatment of FIV. At this time, the best treatment is preventative care: keep your cat indoors, stress-free, away from the risk of secondary infections, up-to-date on vaccinations, and at the first sign of illness, bring your cat to the vet to be treated.

What do I do if my cat has FIV?

It is important to know if a cat has FIV, because it has bearing on how you manage the cat's health. FIV+ cats need annual or twice a year check-ups by a veterinarian, and if they do become ill, addressing the problems quickly will help these cats live long lives. Many times, if these cats become sick, they will respond just as well as a cat that does not have FIV.

FIV is a disease of unfriendly cats, so if you have multiple cats in your household, and they do not fight, the disease is rarely transmitted.

How long will my FIV+ CAT live?

It's difficult to say. Many FIV+ cats live with very little difficulty and no symptoms, and often live for 10 to 15 years after diagnosis. Many have no higher level of disease or illness than cats without FIV. Of course, there is no guarantee that an FIV cat will not develop clinical disease; but there's no guarantee that any cat won't get sick from something sooner or later! What is clear is that keeping your FIV+ cat indoors, having it spayed or neutered, and taking other measures to prevent secondary infections will help your cat live a long, healthy, and normal life.

How can I help?

Because of the misconceptions the public and many older veterinarians have about FIV, the chances of these sweet and loving cats finding a home are low. When you come to our shelter, we urge you to visit these cats and see if you have space in your home and your heart for one of these needy, loving animals!

FIV Resources

CCAS recommends the following sites for more in-depth information on these diseases:

• Cornell Feline Health Center
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Texas A&M University - College of Veterinary Medicine
• PetEducation.com: Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)