Fortunately with proper care an fiv cat can live a long and happy life.
Best food for fiv positive cats.
Are there any natural immune boosters supplements or holistic treatments that can support cats with fiv.
Fiv feline immunodeficiency virus is a disease that affects a cat s immune system.
Fiv weakens a cat s immune system making it harder for them to fight infections and will most likely be fatal unless the fiv cat is properly cared for.
Feline leukemia virus felv and feline immunodeficiency virus fiv also called feline aids are dangerous contagious diseases of cats.
Although it can be fatal if left untreated a positive test for fiv is not a mandatory death sentence for your pet.
If your cat is fiv positive it means they have tested positive for the feline immunodeficiency virus.
Many fiv positive cats and fiv negative cats live together in the same home for years without spreading the virus to the non infected cats.
Once a cat is determined to be fiv positive that cat is capable of transmitting the disease to other cats.
This as lead to many referring to the condition as feline aids.
What is feline leukemia virus.
Both of these viruses are fairly new cat diseases.
Therefore the owner of an fiv positive cat must walk a fine line to protect the kitty.
Feline immunodeficiency virus or fiv is in the same family as the human immunodeficiency virus hiv that causes aids but it only appears in cats.
Feline immunodeficiency virus fiv infects a cat when infected body fluids most commonly saliva but potentially via semen or blood come into contact with the blood of an uninfected cat.
It is very rare for cats to get fiv just from being around infected cats sharing food bowls or from a person touching an fiv positive cat and then touching an fiv negative cat.
For these reasons to minimize transmission of fiv and or other infectious diseases to a cat that is brought into an environment in which an fiv positive cat has lived prudence dictates a thorough cleaning and disinfection or replacement of food and water dishes bedding litter pans and toys.
Both are retroviruses which suppress the immune system.
Similarly exposure to fleas mold and any other environmental allergen can attack the immune system and be equally hazardous.
It is one of the many parallels between fiv and hiv aids human immunodeficiency virus acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
Fiv positive cats can live to a wonderful old age without living in a bubble.
Felv was first documented in the 1960 s and fiv.