Please de-myth me about FIV and FLV

I was given a healthy, fat neutered male Maine Coon Cat. Sunny lived at a battery store for the last 12 years, he was taken there at age 1.

Is it important that I have him tested for FIV and FLV? My 2 house cats do not have either. I've heard opinions vary on this. I'm trying to find out from Sunny's vet if they have info on him. If I can't I may have him tested. Thank you.

Hi - I just talked to his vet nurse. She said Sunny neds to have his Rabies and upper resp / distemper vaccines updated, that is it.

He hasn't been left outside long enough to fight with any cats, so FIV and FLV seem pretty much out of the question. :-)

Hello again! If it were me, I would do the test just to be on the safe side. Chances are that if he did not go outside while he lived at that store then you could opt out of the tests. IF he did go outside at all while living at the store he could have come into contact with many stray kitties, then I would do the FeLK/FIV test anyway. FIV can only be passed on to another cat by a deep tissue bite wound so that would be unlikely if Sunny never came back to the store looking like he has been in a fight and had wounds. For FeLK - that is serious and very contagious to other cats, easily spread. Sunny is so lucky that you are taking him home to a better life. :heart3:

This might give you some more information as well http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-leukemia-virus-felv and this one http://www.thecatsite.com/a/fiv-in-cats

Thank you again. :-)

It seemed to me that Sunny was heading down a road to disaster. I'm glad to have given him a real home. A dusty shop is not a very good home for a cat. It's better than nothing but not much.

Generally speaking. . .if he has lived to be 12, he probably does not have FeLV, especially if he hasn't been allowed to roam outside for the past few years. But I always like to have a test done if there are resident cats in the home, just to be safe. It's good peace-of-mind and not very expensive.