Why did my Cat test positive for FIV?
FIV vaccines also cause a vaccinated cat to produce antibodies against the FIV virus that can be difficult to distinguish from those produced by a cat in response to natural infection with FIV. Cats who have been vaccinated will test positive for FIV antibodies, so it is essential to know the vaccination history if possible.
Can a healthy cat be infected with FIV?
Because few, if any, cats ever eliminate infection, the presence of antibodies indicates that a cat is infected with FIV. Because false positives are possible, it is recommended that positive results in healthy cats are confirmed using a second technique mentioned above.
What happens if I bring a FeLV positive cat into my apartment?
You get fleas in your apartment. The roomie goes to the vet to get flea medicine. The vet recommends the cat be tested for the retroviruses, FeLV and FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus ). This 4-year-old, sweet, healthy-looking cat comes back FeLV-positive.
What should I do if my cat has FeLV?
If the result is a positive on the ELISA, don’t despair. It is recommended to do a follow-up blood test sent to a lab, either a PCR or IFA. If either of these tests comes back positive, the cat most likely has FeLV and will become clinically ill anywhere from a few months to a few years.
Another issue with the FIV vaccine was that vaccinated cats could test positive for FIV for up to four years after vaccination. These false-positive results occurred because tests could not distinguish antibodies produced by the vaccine from natural infection. Therefore, vaccinated cats were at risk of being incorrectly diagnosed with FIV.
How old do kittens have to be to get FIV?
Since it is possible for an infected mother cat to transfer FIV antibodies to her kittens, these kittens may test positive from their mother’s antibodies until they have cleared them from their systems, which happens by six months of age.
How long does it take a cat to show symptoms of FIV?
In this Article. Cats who are infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) may not show symptoms until years after the initial infection occurred. Although the virus is slow-acting, a cat’s immune system is severely weakened once the disease takes hold. This makes the cat susceptible to various secondary infections.
How is FIV passed on from male to female cats?
This means it is often passed on through biting. This doesn’t mean the kind of biting cats perform when playing. It means a deep bite wound which goes down far into the tissue and meets the blood of the animal. As the disease is most often passed on through biting, it is much more common in male cats than in females [1].
What does it mean if your cat has FIV?
If this happens, it means they are a carrier and have the potential to pass it on to others. If your cat is FIV positive, it means they have tested positive for the feline immunodeficiency virus.
Since it is possible for an infected mother cat to transfer FIV antibodies to her kittens, these kittens may test positive from their mother’s antibodies until they have cleared them from their systems, which happens by six months of age.
Can a negative FIV positive cat be neutered?
There seems no reason, therefore, not to have FIV positive and negative cats in the same household, provided they are neutered, and not fighters. If two cats in one household fight, they should be kept apart, given behavioural therapy or one re-homed, regardless of their FIV status.
When did feline immunodeficiency virus start in cats?
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) has been associated with cats for many years, although it was only labelled as such as recently as 1986. The virus depletes the number of white blood cells, which eventually makes the cat less able to fight off infection.
FIV vaccines also cause a vaccinated cat to produce antibodies against the FIV virus that can be difficult to distinguish from those produced by a cat in response to natural infection with FIV. Cats who have been vaccinated will test positive for FIV antibodies, so it is essential to know the vaccination history if possible.
What does a negative FIV antibody test mean?
A negative antibody test indicates that the cat has not produced antibodies against the FIV virus and, in the vast majority of cases, indicates that the cat is not infected. There are two scenarios in which negative results may occur in infected cats.
How many cats are infected with the FIV virus?
Sexual contact is not a significant means of spreading FIV among cats. FIV-infected cats exist worldwide, but the prevalence of infection varies greatly. In North America, approximately 2.5-5% percent of healthy cats are infected with FIV. Rates are significantly higher (15 percent or more) in cats that are sick or at high risk of infection.
How does FIV spread from person to person?
Casual, non-aggressive contact, such as sharing water bowls or mutual grooming, does not appear to be an efficient route of spreading the virus. As a result, cats in households with stable social structures where housemates do not fight are at little risk of acquiring FIV infections.
When to test a cat for FeLV or FIV?
We do recommend testing cats with a clinical portrait supportive of these diseases (bite wounds, abscesses, dental disease, lethargy, etc.). When used on cats with clinical signs consistent with FeLV or FIV, the test results are more reliable.
Why are some shelters no longer testing all cats for FeLV?
However, increased information about the tests and the diseases has led to the shelter medicine community making recommendations for shelters to discontinue routinely testing all cats for FeLV and FIV. Dr. Schumacher delves into the many reasons behind this change.
Can A FIV positive Cat live with a negative cat?
Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine conducted a long-term study in cat shelters and drew two conclusions: FIV-positive cats can live with FIV-negative cats and not infect the FIV-negative cats during normal day-to-day interaction; and mother cats infected with FIV don’t pass the virus on to their kittens.
Can a FeLV carrier be a carrier of FIV?
Both viruses may be found in cats that are seemingly healthy and free of clinical symptoms. Although FIV is not always fatal in cats, it can produce carrier states that spread the disease for years. My cat lives inside, does he need to be tested for FeLV and FIV?
What’s the prognosis for a cat with FeLV?
Prognosis Although a diagnosis of FeLV can be emotionally devastating, it is important to realize that cats with FeLV can live normal lives for prolonged periods of time. The median survival time for cats after FeLV is diagnosed is 2.5 years.
What kind of test do you do for FeLV?
The indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA) test is usually sent out to a diagnostic laboratory after a positive ELISA test to confirm FeLV infection and determine whether the cat has reached the later stages of infection.
How did the enfelv virus originate in cats?
The enFeLV is thought to have originated hundred thousands of years ago in cats that had eaten mice viraemic with a murine leukaemia virus (MuLV), which was able to incorporate its genome into the germ line DNA of the predator. This MuLV was then inherited by all offspring.
Prognosis Although a diagnosis of FeLV can be emotionally devastating, it is important to realize that cats with FeLV can live normal lives for prolonged periods of time. The median survival time for cats after FeLV is diagnosed is 2.5 years.
The indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA) test is usually sent out to a diagnostic laboratory after a positive ELISA test to confirm FeLV infection and determine whether the cat has reached the later stages of infection.
Who is at greatest risk of FeLV infection?
Cats at greatest risk of FeLV infection are those that may be exposed to infected cats, either via prolonged close contact or through bite wounds.
Why are male cats more likely to get lymphoma?
Male cats are also slightly more likely to get lymphoma, and unneutered cats, or cats that were neutered late in life, are also more likely to suffer with it. This is partly because some types of lymphoma are more likely in cats that have been infected with Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and, to a lesser extent, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).
Is the FIV virus a threat to other cats?
Myth #3: The FIV Virus Is A Serious Threat To Other Cats, Pets, Perhaps Even Humans Myth #4: Kittens Who Test Positive For FIV Will Always Test Positive For FIV The ELISA Test (aka Snap)—used by virtually all shelters and vet offices—looks for antibodies to the FIV virus, not the presence of the actual virus.
When do FIV antibodies go away in kittens?
In the case of kittens under 6-months of age, a ‘positive’ result can mean the kitten has inherited antibodies from it’s mother —not that it has—a virus. These inherited antibodies usually go away by 6 months. Meaning they never had FIV to begin with.
Which is the final stage of FIV for cats?
Cat AIDS (more accurately called Feline AIDS) is claimed to be the 4th and final stage of FIV by researchers. Those researchers also agree that most cats never reach that stage. Query: what do you call a “disease stage” that is seldom reached, takes over a decade, and is better explained by other forces (i.e. Aging)?
When to test for FIV in a kitten?
“A cat bitten by a cat with an unknown medical history should be tested for FIV approximately two months after the bite.” The FIV organism is not able to survive for very long outside of living cells. This is another reason that casual infection is uncommon. Kittens may become infected before, at, or soon after birth.
How long do FIV cats usually live for?
Statistically, most FIV cats * live as long as their indoor counterparts (13-18 years), and much longer, in fact, than cats that live outdoors (3-8 years). There are many reported cases where FIV+ cats live well into old age without ever showing any symptoms. Typical causes of death are geriatric.
When was the feline immunodeficiency virus first identified?
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a virus specific to the cat family. It was first recognized in the mid 1980’s and it has been found in cats worldwide.
In the case of kittens under 6-months of age, a ‘positive’ result can mean the kitten has inherited antibodies from it’s mother —not that it has—a virus. These inherited antibodies usually go away by 6 months. Meaning they never had FIV to begin with.