FIV + Need advice

Hi all,
I brought in a stray that tests positive for FIV. I have two other cats who do not have FIV. I really love this stray, he is so sweet and cuddly, but I am worried for my other cats. The FIV + cat is very playful, and so far really seems to enjoy grooming my other cats. I want to keep him so badly, he needs a home, and someone to love him, I dont want him put down if I bring him to a shelter, but is it worth the risk to my other two cats???

There really is no risk to your other cats unless they mate or give one another deep puncture wounds. There is a lot of bad information out there about FIV cats. It is not transmitted by grooming one another, sharing water and food dishes, sleeping together or playing.

I see no problem with keeping the FIV positive cat with your negative cats

edit: FIV cats can live normal, long lives.

Hello! Welcome to TCS. I have no experience with FIV,but there are many on this site that do. If you will scroll to the top of this page and click on search,then type in FIV,you will find lots of useful info and advice from others. You can also find info on the following site-

http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=213

Oliver's FIV and you'd never know it! The only extra precaution I take is when he gets the sniffles or what have you, I won't just be like "oh, he can just wait it out and let it clear up on it's own" I take him in to vet and get him on appropriate meds... I just don't want to take any chances in that respect - I've always heard that pos and neg kitties shouldn't be kept together, but the more I think about it, the more that sounds like crap (to me anyway)... the previous post is right in that it would take a lot for it to transfer to your other cats, and not that it's the best thing in the world, but even if it does get transfered, what's really the difference? FIVs can and do live long and healthy lives... Oliver's 5 and doing great... he was a street kitty that had a pretty good gash on his ear, so we can only assume he was in a fight with a positive kitty on the street... there is an FIV vaccine, but owners and vets all have different views on it's necessity/effectiveness - if your other kitties haven't had it, it'd be something for you to research and think over and then decide if you'd want to vaccinate the negative kitties just as a precaution... Oliver's my only cat and I don't have any plans to add any more kitties at the moment to my zoo: first of all, I've just graduated and am back with my parents, where my mom is midly allergic to cats and secondly, I'm pretty sure Oliver would have a heart attack if I brought in another cat to steal attention, haha he gets jealous enough when I split attention between him and the dog or any of my tank animals... but if I were to take in another, I'd probably hit the shelters and specifically look for an FIV kitty just because people don't really understand the disease and are paranoid to adopt positive kitties

I would not be concerned about FIV spreading to your other cats unless they are fighting to the point of blood being drawn.

A study done a while ago in the UK showed the transmission rate is as low as 1-2%, so as long as introductions are done gradually and they aren't fighters, I wouldn't be concerned about mixing (and only one of mine has been tested, for all I know, the other could be).

Everyone is right, FIV is only transferred thru mating and deep puncture wounds, the risk of your stray kitty spreading it to your resident kitties is almost nil. I take in leukemia cats and I have just recently adopted a kitty that has both leukemia and FIV- I'm not worried about Dionysius spreading the FIV at all.

I agree with what everyone else has said. There really is a lot of misinformation about FIV. I know quite a few people who have FIV+ and - cats living together with no issues. I fostered an FIV+ male in the spring who had regular contact with my own four cats, who are negative, and it worked out fine. He was such a sweetheart, I would have gladly kept him even I was in the position to add another permanent cat.

I hope you decide to give this wonderful kitty a home!