FIV Kitten in Montana

A kitten was adopted from our local shelter however found to be FIV positive. Our local Vet sent the lab work off and verified that this is a genetic transmission so the kitten will not out grow it. The people who owned him had adopted he and another kitten. They took both in to be spayed/neutered and this was when one of the kittens was FIV positive. The owners chose to surrend him so "Stripee" has been at my Vet's for about 2 months. I do cat/kitten rescue and foster care so I was unable to provide a home for him. I have placed him on our local Humane Society's website however no one has contacted us. If you know if anyone who has an FIV home and would like another friend or a home where no other cats/kittens reside please contact me. "Stripee" has been neutered and current on all shots. He can be viewed at http://montanapets.org/hscc/residentcat.html. If anyone is close to Great Falls, Montana and wishes to adopt him, please email me. I feel so sorry for him not having a family of his own! Thank you! Leslie Raynes

Why did the owner surrender him? FIV positive and negative can live together. He odes not need a home with no other cats. He can live just fine with healthy cats. The only way of tranferring it is through mating (and you said he is neutered so that is out) and through very deep puncture wounds (unless your cats routinely tear each other to shreads then you are fine on that one, even mine who don't usually get along don't give each otehr deep bite wounds). It is too bad the owners seperated him and his playmate. They could have grown up together and peacefully too since they would be growing up together... Could you send them some educated information and see if they would take him back?

I am sure this kitten was surrendered due to counseling by the Vet. I do cat/kitten rescue and offered to take him until we found him a home. A dear friend of mine has FELV positive cats and she offered as well. We were both told no as he must either go to an FIV positive home or a single pet home. My Vet explained to me that FIV can be transmitted so both of our homes were out. She explained that FIV homes are typically fighting homes and FELV are more peaceful. She sent the blood work out and apparently it can be determined this was passed down from mom to baby. I had read that FIV tests can read differently after 6 months of age. She stated when passed down genetically this will always stay positive. I feel bad for the little guy as he has lived his life at the Vets vs his own family. It is a shame the family didn't wish to keep him. Any suggestions would be appreciated. He is growing older/bigger each and every day. Les

poor darling - he is so gorgeous as well

FIV cats definately should not be with FeLV cats because those are two totally different diseases. But that is because the FIV cat will end up catching FeLV, not the other way around. FeLV is the easily transferred one, not FIV. The is a shame the vet told them he cannot be kept with FIV- cats because that isn't true. To say that a FIV home is a fighting one just doesn't even make any sense. How can something like that be generalized when it totally depends on the cats personalities? And as I said, most cats, even one's who aren't the best of friends, don't give each other serious bites.

FIV is ONLY transmitted through mating and very deep bites. So there really is no likly way for it to spread. I am in the process of taking in a FIV cat to live with me and my non-FIV cats until a new home is found AND I have a couple of friends who have FIV cats who live just fine with their FIV- cats. They can even share food and water and litterboxes and groom each other. It really is sad that vets say this negative and completely wrong information about FIV (and I do know vets around here that insist on euthanizing or rehoming to FIV only homes, I am not just putting down the vet you guys spoke to about it, but all vets who do)