Tell me about FeLV/FIV

OK.....so I took a bunch of cats (13) down to the low-cost clinic (3 1/2 hours away!). Last time I did that I had only ferals, and one ended up being PTS because he tested positive for FeLV and FIV. I felt kind of bad about that and, after reviewing Alley Cat Allies' opinion on the subject, I decided this time I would check the "do NOT euth if test is positive" box. And, all of the ferals tested negative.

BUT, we also took several tame pet cats. A couple belonging to low-income friends, one kitten belonging to my cousin, and a kitty my mom is caring for (and might keep). The kitten---14-week-old male--- tested postive for FeLV. Fiona (the kitty my mom has) tested positive for FIV. Now, I know the SNAP tests they use frequently show false positives, and that's what I'm hoping for. But if they really do have these diseases, I need to know what's going to happen. Any good links would be appreciated, and personal expereinces as well.

I plan to have them re-tested by my vet. How long should I wait before re-doing the tests?

This is a good place to start; scroll down the page and look under "Infectious Diseases":

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/brochures/index.htm

I'm sure Momofmany or Katiemae will be along to offer advice; they know a lot about FeLV!

At the shelter I volunteer at, if a kitty pops positive for FIV or FeLV, we isolate them and re-test them in a month. If it pops positive again, then we assume that the cat has it. Thankfully, only a few amount of the cats that come in pop positive. It'd be nice if it never happened at all, but one can only dream.

Cats with FIV can live long normal lives with regular well visits to the vet. It cannot be spread to humans or other cats other than through fighting and drawing blood. So sharing a bed, or water/food dishes will not spread the virus. As with people, it is not the virus that kills, it is secondary illness caused by the cats compromised immune system that takes their lives. That is the reason for diligent health care.

I do not know as much about FeLV. But from what I do know and have read here it can be fatal. I am sure someone will come along to give more information.

Wow, you sure have a good heart for the cats to take such good care. You are a hero to these guys!

Fiona probably is FIV+. She would be the only sure one of the bunch (provided that she was never vaccinated against FIV). Does your mother have other cats? There's another test that can be done, besides the ELISA, but it would probably need to be sent to an outside lab.

The kitten could have gotten FeLV and be fighting it off, or it could simply be a false positive. It's not really that definite for kittens. Rest test later, especially if this is a very healthy looking kitten that has never shown any signs of illness.


And you're right about the snaps - ELISA tests in general show quite a few false positives and negatives. It would do well for people to remember this and that ELISA tests are use to look for infections in people, too - often missing certain infections entirely (up to 70-75% false negatives for Lyme, for example).

My mom does have other cats....but 2 of them are 20 years old and never leave the bedroom, and the other is 14. I doubt she'd fight with Fiona. She's also been kept current on her vaccines (including FeLV), because she goes outside. She was never given the FIV vaccine, though.

And I doubt Fiona ever got the FIV vaccine....I've never met a vet that recommended it, and since she wasn't spayed you have to assume that she wasn't particularly cared for, if she was ever owned at all. She seems very young---9 months old maybe. She does not appear to have ever had a litter, and her teeth are very clean and sharp.

The Elisa test (or snap test or stick test) only tests for exposure to the FeLV virus, not that they actually have FeLV. You must do an IFA test (sent to a lab) to confirm the diagnosis. Cornell will recommend to wait 60 days before a retest, but I've read other reports that recommend 30 days. There is no definitive answer on the length of time to wait.

I like the Cornell information on FeLV the best of all that is out there.

We have had cats test negative twice and then test positive a third time when they still seem sick so I would stick with the 60 days between tests.

As Amy mentioned, it only tests for exposure, not that the cat has it, the exposure does not mean they have either disease

She's healing great. Would there be any complications if she was FIV+? And I think the kitten is healing well, too---I haven't seen him wince Wed, but I think they'd call me if he wasn't healing properly. Is the complication-free healing a positive sign? They were given an antibiotic shot at the clinic, in case that changes anything.

Obviously the mom cat was allowed outside, if she is FIV+ and they choose not to euthanise, she must be kept indoors so she does not pass it on to other cats.

There is a TCS article on FIV here: http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/89/FIV-in-Cats.html

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Obviously the mom cat was allowed outside, if she is FIV+ and they choose not to euthanise, she must be kept indoors so she does not pass it on to other cats.

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I don't know what you mean by "mom cat"? Do you mean the kitten's mother? I have no idea where his mother is or how healthy she is. I think they took him out of a trailer park, but my cousin has a habit of dragging home all kinds of homeless animals, so I'm not positive where she got him. We told her to contact the homes the other kittens in the litter went to and let them know of the possibility of their kittens being FeLV positive as well. We also had a black semi-feral tomcat with us (the kitten--Comet-- is black), and my mom is hoping HE was the one that tested positive and someone at the clinic said "the black male tested positive" and somehow Comet got tagged with it instead of the feral.

Fiona is not a mom cat as far as we can tell. She seems very young, maybe 9 months old, and has not yet grown into her paws. Reading about how FIV is transmitted, I really wonder about that. Females do not usually get into fights, and she's so young I don't know if she's ever been mated (and she doesn't have any obvious wounds). She was found in my brother's trailer court. If she stays with my parents she'll be an indoor cat. My mom hates having outdoor cats because she worries about them too much. But if a cat asks to go out my dad WILL let it out. So far Fiona has shown no interest in going out.

Well, we can just hope that both tests were false positives and I guess next month we'll know for sure.

Sorry I seen mom but I realised its your mom!
If she is young, i would definitely retest in a few months. Kittens up to six-ish months have false positives due to antibodies from their mothers milk

Originally Posted by farleyv

Cats with FIV can live long normal lives with regular well visits to the vet. It cannot be spread to humans or other cats other than through fighting and drawing blood. So sharing a bed, or water/food dishes will not spread the virus. As with people, it is not the virus that kills, it is secondary illness caused by the cats compromised immune system that takes their lives. That is the reason for diligent health care.

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i personally know nothing about fiv. however, i found out last weekend my friend's cat has it and according to her vet the cat will live a long life