How long does it take for FIV to show up?
It can take up to eight weeks for a cat to develop antibodies to FIV, so a cat that has been recently infected with this virus may falsely test negative.
Can FIV positive cats live a long life?
Cats infected with FIV may live for months or years. On average, life expectancy is 5 years from the time of diagnosis depending on how active the infection is. There is a FIV vaccination given twice initially, then yearly thereafter for outside cats or cats exposed to outside cats due to the potential of cat bites.
When does a FIV test show a false positive?
False-positives are when the test show a cat as positive for FIV but they are not. Many shelters, unaware of these test errors, use these tests results and label a cat as ‘FIV’ which in some shelter means a death sentence. Estimates of the magnitude of this travesty range from 20% to 32%. * But the problem is bigger yet.
What does it mean if your cat is FIV positive?
If your cat is FIV positive, it means they have tested positive for the feline immunodeficiency virus. It is one of the many parallels between FIV and HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). both are retroviruses which suppress the immune system. This as lead to many referring to the condition as feline AIDS.
What are the myths and facts about FIV?
FIV is not a deadly virus. FIV is not Feline AIDS. (See Myth #2). Over and over we shall see this: Most cats with so-called “Advanced cases of FIV” are indistinguishable from cats with normal aging symptoms.
How long does it take for FIV antibodies to go away?
These inherited antibodies usually go away by 6 months. Meaning they never had FIV to begin with. The darker side of testing is the existence of ‘false positives’ (test errors). False-positives are when the test show a cat as positive for FIV but they are not.
When does a cat test positive for FIV?
The most common screening test is an ELISA test (often called a SNAP test) done by your veterinarian. This test looks for antibodies to FIV. An antibody is a protein made by the cat in response to FIV infection. A cat can test positive as early as two to four weeks after exposure, but in some cases it can take up to eight weeks.
What happens if the FIV test is false?
False-positives are when the test show a cat as positive for FIV but they are not. Many shelters, unaware of these test errors, use these tests results and label a cat as ‘FIV’ which in some shelter means a death sentence.
FIV is not a deadly virus. FIV is not Feline AIDS. (See Myth #2). Over and over we shall see this: Most cats with so-called “Advanced cases of FIV” are indistinguishable from cats with normal aging symptoms.
These inherited antibodies usually go away by 6 months. Meaning they never had FIV to begin with. The darker side of testing is the existence of ‘false positives’ (test errors). False-positives are when the test show a cat as positive for FIV but they are not.