My sweet Furryous and our FIV journey

I am new to this site and looking for other FIV positive cat families. We learned a little more than a month ago that our 3 year old rescue has FIV. It started with a very serious and near life threatening case of mouth sores. Furryous had lost 20% of his body weight and our vet sent us home with some medicine and a very tough choice to make. He advised us of all the issues we will face and recommended euthanasia if he didn't make serious progress over the next few days. heartbroken and confused I had almost convinced myself euthanasia was the only fair and humane thing for our sweet boy. Then he decided to fight his sickness and I found lots of encouraging stories online. Since then he has regained his weight but we have had one challenge after another. Every time we see the vet he is encouraged because Furryous doesn't have the typical FIV respiratory problems and is holding his weight steady. I'm having trouble because it feels like every other few days he looks seriously ill, lethargic, and depressed, but right as I come to terms that he is just suffering, he perks up and starts eyeing the door to go out and play (but he can't) or jumping in our laps for loving. The past couple of days he has had a new issue that has me worried. He has been really off balance, his head tilts to the side or downward, and he tries to get in dark corners of the room or closed in spaces, he almost seems senile at times too, but then he regains himself and just appears to not be feeling well. I called the vet and he said it could be an abscess from a bad tooth or ear infection and we started antibiotics Sunday night. He seems to regain his balance after standing for a while but is still struggling. He is eating and using his litterbox as normal and he doesn't seem to be in any pain but I find myself questioning what is best for him. I don't mind having a quirky kitty with lots of health issues as long as we are doing what is best for him. I get so frustrated because he deserves a great life, we rescued him while on a family camping trip. Someone had basically thrown him and 2 siblings in a Sonic Drive in parking lot and before they could be rescued, one had been hit by a car. I know we have given him a very good few years and I would love nothing more than to give him many more, but days and nights like today, leave me searching for answers.... if anyone out there has experience caring for FIV kitties I could really use some support and encouragement. Many purrs and best wishes, LadyNazh.

Hi LadyNazh,

  Welcome to TCS! Thank you for rescuing Furryous, I'm so glad he ended up with someone who's willing to help him along.

We have a few cat families with FIV+ members here - mine included. My Wendel is FIV+ and he just turned 5. We discovered his status shortly after adopting him when two and a half years ago. In our case, we're lucky (knock-on-wood) because Wendel's FIV isn't very active so far. Basically, his immune system is just crummy and we end up doing about double the regular treatments for things. For example, he just had dental extractions and has twice the strength of antibiotics than we usually get for our cats after surgery. He also has to take them longer. There are a variety of treatments becoming available to help FIV cats now - I know our vet has spoken to us about Interferon (sp) therapy and mentioned that it's had some good results. It sounds like you already know this, but I find having an FIV kitty means keeping more of an eye out for things that could be something, extra treatments for things when they happen, just being more aware of my boy. A good diet will definitely help him out as well. Hwat I think it comes down to is the fact that you know your boy, and you'll know when his bad days start to outweigh the good ones. 

Either way, I know you'll get some great support here for the FIV - I know I did when Wendel first got his diagnosis.

What diet do you use? He isn't eating dry food right now so we are doing canned chicken breast with broth, adding unflavored pedialyte. Also alternating canned food and adding Viralys L Lysine (sp?) Once a day. We are on amoxicillin twice a day, and the vet added steroids and dramamine once daily.

We do a mix of Blue Buffalo canned and Blue Wilderness grain-free dry. It seems to keep his weight in a good place (just over 12 lbs). The diet is actually a result of one of our other cats dietary needs, though and it just seems to work for Wendel. We do the chicken breast sometimes to, when his stomach is a bit rough from antibiotics, we'll cook up a chicken breast and put it through the blender. Wendels' a bit of a food-fiend and will try to eat anythign he think might be food.

Well least to say I'm frustrated and confused. I had my sweet Furryous jump up on my bed and cuddle with me Friday for the very first time since our nightmare began over a month ago. We were back at the vet Thursday because of his off balance and behavior issues. He had started hiding in corners and just sitting in his litterbox. We were already on amoxicillin in thoughts that his balance was from an inner ear infection. So Dr. Added steroids and meclizine and like I said, 24 hours later on Friday, we seemed to be much, much better. Well Saturday he started his loud meowing and off balance again. We have been cuddling him as often as possible, and encouraging him to eat every few hours. I'm still trying canned food with pedialyte and canned chicken breast with pedialyte. He isn't eating much but I keep trying.I'm beginning to think he is having small seizures, I noticed his head twitching and rapid eye movement, and then he started the loud meowing and fussing when moving him or picking him up. I want to keep working with him in hopes we can get him leveled out and feeling better. Most everything I read about FIV is that it isn't a death sentence and usually they have years, but he is only 2 and he has had problem after problem since his diagnosis. The vet wants to see some major improvements by Tues or his concern is something more serious is going on. I have been doing my best to shuffle bills around to afford vet bills and meds but I'm not sure how much more I can do. I have a family waiting to take him. They don't have any other pets, and I feel the other 2 cats that come and go here, put him at risk for other illnesses and our 3 very active puppies only add stress to him. But this family works long shifts and I'm not sure Furryous will do well being alone for so long. Plus the fact, I have nursed this baby back from the brink of death and I just worry....

Hi there welcome along to TCS

 I know how worrisome it can be...little things to other cats keep you on hyper-alert for the FIV guys. It sounds like you're doin all you canf or the moment - just try to keep him eating and aware that you love him. Is there a way for you to segregate him on his own for a few days, away from the stressof the other animals in the house? Maybe that would at least remove stress from the equation.

The head-shaking and off balance is worrying, though. I agree with your vet that it's worth looking in to whether or not there's something underlying it.

Hi LadyNazh, and welcome to TCS.

I'm so sorry to hear about your boy's health issues. :rub:

Like Ms. Freya, we have an FIV+ kitty that really hasn't had any health issues related to his FIV.

That said... when he came to us, he was a health MESS. He was feral, about "3 or 4" years old. He was battle worn - his ears very tattered. He must have been hit by a car, because his front leg had been broken and healed without being set (has 70% restricted range of motion). He had the worst diarrhea; his fur was in horrible shape. All he did all day was groom, itch, and gnaw at himself. He mowed his abdomen and forelegs clean. Our traditional vets tried everything they know, and none of it helped. Single-source proteins, the prescription hypoallergenic diet; parasite treatments, antibiotics, etc. etc. etc.

We live in Northern NJ, and were able to find a holistic vet about 45 minutes from us. She was trained in Chinese Medicine/herbs. Obviously I didn't understand the diagnosis, but the herbs she prescribed fixed his issue with diarrhea in four days, and within two weeks it was very clear the herbs for his "allergies" (they weren't allergies, but that's how we label them in the West) were working on his itchies.

When he was better, we switched him (and all of our other cats) to a raw food diet.

It sounds to me like your boy has other health issues - either unrelated to his FIV, or complicated by it. :heart2:

I already searched to see if there is a holistic vet (D.V.M.) trained in Chinese Medicine in your area. I was unable to find one. Some will do consults by phone - but there is so much benefit to actually seeing the cat. Honestly, I don't know if we'd drive four hours each way to see a vet for one of our cats. When our Lazlo (not the FIV boy) was diagnosed with cancer, we did make a 1.5 - 2 hour drive (each way) weekly for months. But four hours is a lot of stress on kitty. You can do some searching to see if you can find someone that isn't listed at the AHVMA (http://www.ahvma). In fact, it might be worth calling the practice I found to ask them if they know of anyone more accessible to you. This is who I found: http://www.wholehealthpetcare.com/ If that doesn't take you to the About Me page, it's worth a read. She really does sound wonderful. :heart2:

I'd start by at least contacting them - explaining the situation. Maybe they can help in some way; maybe she'll consider a phone consult; maybe she'll consult via phone with your existing vet if they're open to that... ???????

We can't see and don't know your baby. :heart2: It sure sounds like he's got some fight left in him, but only you know if he's ready to give up.

At this point, though, I would consider assist-feeding him with more nutritious food. Your vet can provide you with syringes and the critical care food used in syringe feeding, Hill's Pet a/d (and instruction on how to do it). When Lazlo was in chemo, we needed to use anti-nausea medication and an appetite stimulant. But that's something else to discuss with your current vet: supporting therapy options.

And though this may really be out there, in your shoes, I would use an animal communicator. When we rescued Chumley, one of our kitties that is normally very accepting of new cats was very aggressive towards him, and we were unable to solve it (and I've a lot of experience with integrating cats into a home). A friend recommended a specific animal communicator to me. Obviously I was skeptical, but she's willing to chat with you about ANY questions you have before you commit to the service. We just went ahead and did it, because I knew what happened when my friend used her to communicate with one of her cats. Her name is Ellen. She "talked" to Chumley and to Sheldon. Turns out, Shel was upset about a number of things - the primary one being that Chumley was using his favorite spots. And that was true, looking back on it. Shel wanted Chum to find a new place, and he wanted an apology. :lol3: Chum did both. That night, he moved to a new spot in our home that he'd never been - and that NO cats had ever used before. :heart2:

So when Lazlo was diagnosed with cancer and 4 weeks to live, we contacted Ellen again. She chatted with Lazlo to find out if he wanted to try the chemo. By then we were already pretty sure his answer was he wanted to go ahead and try, because by the time she could fit him in the schedule (just five days later), we'd been to the hospital twice, and he was feeling better already, and showing us he wasn't giving up. But it was nice to have it confirmed. And though he normally completely stresses on the short drive to the local vet, he clearly understood he needed this, because in the long drive, he just curled up, not stressed at all. :heart2:

So just on the off chance that you want to just ask your boy what's wrong (just like us, they can't diagnose themselves, but it may provide more insight as to the source of the problem), and whether he wants to work with you to try to fix it, just know that you may or may not get answers, depending on what he wants to communicate - but it's a very real possibility you may. This is Ellen's website, and she is both gifted, and very, very, incredibly loving and compassionate. :heart2: http://www.enlightenedanimals.com

Ellen also works with a vet that uses homeopathy to treat animals long distance. She can explain what he does and how he does it. I think, if I remember correctly, his name is Dr. Wessner. I think he's based out of Florida. Another member of TCS (that I referred to Ellen) did use his service, and she's convinced he saved her dog from death. It's been .... 1.5 years now? Wilbur has his ups and downs, but his turn-around at the time was clear, and it obviated the need for expensive surgery that the traditional vet was recommending. If you want to chat with this TCS member via PM, just send me a PM, and I'll introduce you.

I don't mean to sound like some kind of "alternative therapy" nut. It's just that when a haywire immune system is involved, it has been my experience that traditional medicine isn't very good at finding or fixing the problem, and we have to be willing to step outside our comfort zone, and think outside the box to potentially get answers. Chinese Medicine/herbs and non-traditional healers diagnose problems differently, and sometimes that's just what we need. Of course, it is a possibility that we spend time and money only to find out we aren't getting help or answers there either. BUT... if you have or can find the resources to try, I just want you to know those options exist, and what my experience has been. :rub:

Again - if you'd rather chat privately and have questions, please feel free to PM me!

Many, many, MANY vibes for Furryous! :heart2:

P.S. LOVE his name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!