FIV + and FIV - cats together

[Leivies_Lavish_Cat_Lounge]

Whats everyones take on housing cats that are FIV positive and negative together? As long as theres no mating or bloody biting going onwouldn't think theres a problem. I've read, though, that transferring from one cat to another is up in the air... Like some cats get it and others just don't. My personal vet doesn't test for either so I haven't even talked to him about it, bc it would prolly be pointless. I take my cats to a low cost vaccine clinic to get tested before I bring them home. I was just wondering in case I ever want to adopt again and the cat is FIV positive. Should I risk it? I dunno, lemme know what you think!

[swimkris]

From what I've heard it is highly contagious, and cat's can get it just from sharing food/water, furniture, etc. Yes, cat's are vaccinated against it, but who's to say exactly how long the vaccine will protect your cat or take to work?

[Binkalette]

I've never really understood that either.. I always just assumed it would be similar to us living with an HIV positive human? It shouldn't be that easy to catch if they aren't able to mate or sharing blood some how.. Or am I way off?

[Smirkitty]

I have an FIV+ and an FIV- cat living together. It can only be transfered through mating or deep-tissue bites. My cats don't bite, though the do take the occasional paw swipe at each other when one wants to play and the other doesn't.

[swimkris]

Originally Posted by Smirkitty

I have an FIV+ and an FIV- cat living together. It can only be transfered through mating or deep-tissue bites. My cats don't bite, though the do take the occasional paw swipe at each other when one wants to play and the other doesn't.

Huh, the shelter I adopted from told me wrong then. They said it was very important to not let new kittens mingle with other litters or adult cats because of the possibility of FIV. I'll have to do a bit more research!

[mimi3908]

although I have an FIV+ cat, I'm no expert in this topic. I do want very much to get another cat so my mimi can have a companion. Unfortunately, base on many literature that I'm come across, bringing FIV+ and FIV- cat together appear to be not advisable. Cat might lick/groom eat other, share food/water bowl, even similar toilet, etc.. the risk is always there for normal cat to contract the disease. I think the point is that FIV is still relatively unknown as to how it is transmitted and very much case by case depending on the cat - you might have a situation like the poster above where an fiv+ and fiv- cat can live together, but in another case an fiv+ cat might be capable of transmitting the disease more readily. Again, no expert, just rendering my opinion from literature I've read since I so much wanted to get another cat.

[WhiteKitties]

As Smirkitty said, FIV can only be transferred through mating or deep bites. It can NOT be transferred by sharing of food and water bowls, licking or casual play!

Our shelter is run out of homes, and years ago the founder of the shelter trapped a cat that turned out to be FIV+. The vet recommended putting him down, but she saw something special in him and gave him a chance. Leo turned out to be the sweetest cat ever, and within months was mingling freely with the other cats in the house. He became the shelter's mascot, going to all of the adoption events and spreading love to so many people. He ultimately passed on last year, but the point here is that FIV+ cats can easily live long lives mixed with FIV- cats with no problems. If you want to read more about Leo and FIV, check out the story and links here:
Paws and Purrs

[Smirkitty]

Another thing to keep in mind is that ANY cat who is immunized for FIV will test POSITIVE for FIV.

FIV is not easily transmitted. Much like HIV, it is a very fragile virus and dies quickly and easily. The only way for cats to transmit it would be for the cats to mate, or for the + cat to bite the - cat so deeply as to puncture muscle tissue, and even the it's not a 100% guarantee that the FIV will transmit.

If a cat is FIV+ and 1) not neutered or 2) prone to aggressive fighting, then this cat should not co-mingle or co-habitate with FIV- cats.

However, if a cat is FIV+ and 1) neutered and 2) not prone to aggressive fighting, the cat may safely co-mingle or co-habitate with FIV- cats. It is not transmitted by sharing food dishes, sharing litterboxes, by grooming one another, or by playful fighting which does not result in deep-tissue bites.

My FIV- and my FIV+ cats were both from the same shelter and were in an open-habitation room (meaning, not separated by cages). My cats have been seen by two very reputable clinics (one of which was cat-only), the vets have been made aware of the FIV status of both cats, and have stated both cats are healthy (and have been so for the last three years they have lived with us).

While an FIV cat may be more prone to dental issues, and you do have to be more careful regarding colds or URIs due to their weakened immune system, a cat who is FIV+ does not need to lead a life of seclusion based merely on his (or her) FIV status.

[Leivies_Lavish_Cat_Lounge]

Originally Posted by swimkris

From what I've heard it is highly contagious, and cat's can get it just from sharing food/water, furniture, etc. Yes, cat's are vaccinated against it, but who's to say exactly how long the vaccine will protect your cat or take to work?

FeLV is highly contagious and can be spread through litter boxes and dishes (sometimes) and so far I have never read that FIV can be passed through a litter box.... everything so far says it dies within a couple hours, while FeLV can live for weeks.

[Leivies_Lavish_Cat_Lounge]

[QUOTE=Smirkitty;716804]Another thing to keep in mind is that ANY cat who is immunized for FIV will test POSITIVE for FIV.QUOTE]


Yup yup because the vaccine carries the antibodies that they test for.