Help . I don't know what to do about stray

We had a cute young stray come around for a few weeks. She was trying to eat bird suet the other day so my son threw her some cat treats. I was outside yesterday and she came up to me. I picked her up and put her in the spare room, I brought her to the vet and after some testing ( 101.00 worth) I was told she was FIV positive. The vet ddin't encourage me at all. I came home and after calling around and being told FIV pos cats are really hard to place, we decided to release her back out. I have since done more homework and realize it's not like Feline leukemia and not as easily transmitted. I am just concerned about the 3 cats I have. Should I try and catch her again? I felt so guilty for the last 18 hours and even dreamt about her. Help me.

Update. she came back so she's in the spare room again sigh

If you read some of the posts here cats can live a full life. Of course, they do have a compromised immune system, but with good care and regular well visits to the vet, they do not have a dire prognosis. IMO you need to find another vet that is more knowledgeable. My vet does not recommend a cat be put down due to FIV. FLV yes. FIV is spread cat to cat through fighting. The information out there says cats living harmoniously together do not spread it. I would not hesitate to adopt a HIV positive cat. Do your research and I always say knowledge is power. I heard of one that lived healthily for 18 years. You have a good heart to take in this little one. I hope everything goes well for you. Again, it is not a death sentence for this cat or yours.

thanks for the encouragement. she is such a sweetie, I didn't have the heart to put her back out. I am just concerned about the 3 I have and love like children

Attachment 13953

This is the stray, I called her Calliope........ Callie for short.

What a sweet girl. I think she is what is called a pastel calico. I may be wrong. I know she is so thankful to be off the street and in a warm home with people who care about her. Oh and I am sure you know, she cannot pass FIV to you. Keep us posted and God speed to you and Callie!

I think it's called Dilute calico. Yes I knew she can't pass it to me. Thanks again.

Originally Posted by farleyv

If you read some of the posts here cats can live a full life. Of course, they do have a compromised immune system, but with good care and regular well visits to the vet, they do not have a dire prognosis. IMO you need to find another vet that is more knowledgeable. My vet does not recommend a cat be put down due to FIV. FLV yes. FIV is spread cat to cat through fighting. The information out there says cats living harmoniously together do not spread it. I would not hesitate to adopt a HIV positive cat. Do your research and I always say knowledge is power. I heard of one that lived healthily for 18 years. You have a good heart to take in this little one. I hope everything goes well for you. Again, it is not a death sentence for this cat or yours.

Click to expand...

Excellent post.

Thank you for rescuing this little girl! The only thing you may want to consider is finding a more knowledgeable vet.

she wasn't my regular vet. However, it seems the rescue people around here sometimes know more than the vets. It's my rescue contact in CT (where I got 2 of my cats) that spent a long time on the phone assuring me it would be ok. and you guys of course.

Attachment 13954



another picture of Callie sitting near me. I think she has settled in. She's eaten but not gone to the bathroom. Hmmmmm. Do you think she will use a litter box if she's not used to it?

She is so beautiful! Bless you for taking her in, it sure looks like she is comfortable, it's almost like she chose you. I hope you will be able to keep her if that is your plan.

If she hasn't used the litter box, try putting a little bit of dirt on top of the litter. It has worked for me with outside cats that have come inside to live. It only takes a few times and then they just use the litter box with litter.

Best of luck with her and your others!!

One of my farm kitties is FIV+. She doesn't start any fights - and I make sure I test someone every 6 months to ensure no one else is testing FIV+. It's been 5 years & no one else has ever tested FIV+. She does get URIs much more easily than the other kitties, so I have to keep a close eye on her.

That's really helpful Nat. I didn't realize that about one of your kitties!

I find it interesting that the herpes virus is FAR more transmittable - yet vets don't caution us not to adopt kitties with the herpes virus. Of course it is not life threatening in the same sense - but our vet said that depending upon the virulence of the virus in any particular cat (particularly in terms of where the virus presented - eyes vs sinuses, etc), it could certainly shorten their lifespan - in some cases, considerably. And it is easily transmitted via spit - e.g. just eating out of the same bowl or grooming.

...yet we have a kitty that had a bad herpes infection upon rescue - and none of our other cats have turned up with the virus.

thanks for all the info. I hope to keep her. I will do whatever I need to to keep all 4 of my cats safe. The ct cat rescue is already willing to let me get her shots and spay throught her vet. It will only cost me about $50.00. she is a true cat lover and advocate. She wants it to work for us. YAY.

She finally used the box.....she looked ready to burst lol. I finally put in there and she went 3-4 times in an hour both peep and poop. YAY

My dear Fred was FIV+ and lived for 18 years. We do not know when he contracted it, but he raised every kitten that ever came to my house and never passed it to any of them. When he did pass to the Bridge it was mostly from old age and having had a stroke.
Bless you for giving little Callie a loving home.

I'm starting to think she may be pregnant. I might be getting her spayed this week, If she had kittens they would most likely not be healthy....right? I really don't want to put her through that. Poor baby.

Honestly, if she wandered up here - she'd be fixed pregnant or not. There just aren't enough homes for them all.

I hope the vet will do it either way. If she is she is not that far, Her nipples look a little larger and pink. The vet said there was no milk in them. I was concerned she may have had kittens already and they were out there waiting for her.

so update. Callie is spayed and recovering in the spare room, It was done today and I didn't ask if she was pregnant. I figured it didn't matter.

I am almost 99 percent sure we are going to keep her. My only concern is still my other 3 cats. I have read differing views on fiv and non fiv cats in the same home. Help.

FIV is transmitted primarily through bites - it is not transmitted "casually." If you want to keep her, but want to keep her separated, if you have time to spend with her, you could have her live in a separate room. We live in an RV - 8' wide by 40' long - with two of us and 7 cats. The key to making it work is lots of vertical space! OR... if you have room in which to keep her separated for life, you could adopt her an FIV-positive friend. Then you're rescuing 2 kitties in need!

But for many, they don't even know the kitty is FIV positive until it's lived at home among other cats for some time. If kitty is not a biter - there is very little risk of transmission. So really it depends upon the personality mix - our gang wrestles and plays - but no one ever gets hurt. The odd claw creates a wound every once in a while - but a "claw" from an FIV kitty wouldn't do the trick - it's getting saliva directly into the bloodstream that is the problem between cats - which is why someone like Rebecca can have an FIV-positive cat that lived 18 years and never passed it along.

I adopted a stray in Florida and when I took him to the vet for the first time I was told he had FIV and it had already affected his internal organs and I would be lucky if he lived a year. He was estimated to be between 3 and 4 years old at the time. I decided that "Stormy" would have a pampered life for his last year. I had 8 other cats at the time. Stormy moved to Alaska with us and lived another 7 years. He never was a fat cat, but he was happy and healthy. The biggest thing is that they have a harder time fighting infection, so if your kitty gets any infection ie, cuts, respiratory, etc, make sure you get them on a good course of amoxicillin. Stormy was on it about 2 times a year, he learned to love the bubblegum flavor! My beloved Stormy passed away in March, my hubby built him a beautiful coffin. We couldn't bury him because the ground was frozen, so we had him cremated and his ashes are sealed in the coffin and he is still lying on his blue rug by the wood stove where he loved to sleep. Don't give up on your kitty. She can have a long happy life and bring you so much joy!