[heatherhunny]

hello all! i am looking for some support with my newly diagnosed FIV positive cat. i am just heart broken by her diagnoses. her name is Abigail and she is the head honcho in my family. she is about 3 years old, was found as a stray so my be older. for the past year i have been having to take her to the vet for various problems. last week she was put on a new antibiotic that gave her severe diarrhea for a few days. i stopped the antibiotics and she was okay for a day or two. then she just lost all her energy and stopped eating and drinking. yesterday i took her to the vet and told him that i thought we were just treating symptoms and not the problem. he then did a full blood work up on her. she tested positive for FIV and her white cell count was triple what it should be. she has spent the last few days just sleeping in a corner in my closet. we started her on an immune therapy and yesterday after the first treatment seemed better. she has started eating (very little) and drinking again, but still has no energy. i feel we might have diagnosed her too late. i was hoping to find some other people going through the same situation as i am and what they are doing to treat them. she is does not seem to be in pain as of yet but she has no energy.

 

[LadyK]

I don't know much about FIV, but hopefully the therapy will help and she'll feel better soon. Sending lots of good thoughts to Miss Abigail.

 

[Carmel]

I'm sorry to hear about the FIV diagnosis... while I don't have a cat with FIV I do volunteer with them and FeLV cats. Admittedly, most of the cats I'm around have FeLV (leukemia)... however, with cats that have FIV (AIDS) instead of FeLV the outlook can be a lot more promising. FIV cats can live a long life. I know one FIV cat that has constant diarrhea, which is unfortunate, but otherwise he's like 16 years old and a lovely boy.

I've seen a lot of cats that need to go on antibiotics (especially in the winter) for colds and infections and various other issues, sometimes they need to try three or more types of medication. Kitties with FIV and FeLV aren't often 100% healthy, they have a lowered immune system and will have various problems, one of the most common issues are mouth issues (inflammation); many having few or no teeth, has the vet checked your cats mouth? It may be bothering her, she may need teeth pulled.

Hang in there! Being diagnosed with FIV means the cat is open to a lot of potential health complications, but if you're able to treat them and in the meantime perhaps give sub-Q fluids to keep them hydrated) I've seen a lot of cats that are very sick pull though the rough patches.

 

[jpimaging817]

I have a friend that has 2 cats with FIV. They were diagnosed about 6 years ago, they lead happy and mostly healthy lives, though they do have their rough patches. Hang in there and I hope the best for your kitty

 

[heatherhunny]

thank you for the warm welcome. i mistakenly put FIV in my first post, it's not FIV it is FeLV. the vet did say leukemia. i must have gotten the two mixed up due the fact i have been reading alot articles on it and most of the articles refer to the two together. thank you Carmel for bringing that to my attention. Abby did show herself early this evening, ate, drank, and hung around (getting lots of attention) for awhile before going back to her spot. the articles i have been reading have said cats with the FeLV only live a few weeks to a few months after the diagnosis. the immune therapy we started has no definite data to say how much it will help her. the fact she has started eating and drinking again does give me some hope though.

 

[Carmel]

I sent you a really long PM, I hope it helps explain things. Don't listen to those negative sites, I know a ton of fairly healthy and very happy cats with FeLV that have been doing really well for a long time with only occasional setbacks, I even know a few cats that have been sick for months that pull though with a lot of effort. Think positive!