FIV?

Today, the people we got Cynder from (Cynder is 15 months old) came by to let us know that one of his litter mates passed away suddenly and he was infected with FIV as was the other litter mate. They have not tested the mom yet but will be soon as the test costs $100. They arent sure if the kittens that died got it from mom or if it was after we took Cynder and they took in a stray cat. So, we arent sure what to do. He seems really healthy, had URI in Feb. that he got over well with antibiotics. I have 2 adults and a kitten. Should I test or should I just test the one?

There is a combo test that I believe just checks for antibodies. It is less expensive. I would test Cynder first. Unless he's bitten or mated with one of your other cats, they should be fine. If he tests positive, he can have a good life with good nutrition and a stress free environment. My friend has an FIV positive kitty who is 15.

Like HIV, the virus is manageable and only transmitted to others through sex and in cats, the deep biting wounds males inflict when they fight.

Im reading the antibody test is not very accurate. That one will cost $35 to run at my clinic the more accurate one is $180. Another idea was to test his white blood cells, if he has FIV then the white blood cells would be lower indicated a weakened immune system. My cats do not fight, if they play fight oddly theres been a small bite involved but its really just a scrape nothing serious that causes more then a drop of blood
 

Yes, I've heard that too but thought it might do for a quick test. I don't think the play bites should be a problem.

I believe L-lysine is supposed to help boost their immune systems. There are a couple of posts on here but I haven't read them too closely. Might be worth checking out. Hope all goes OK with him.

Yeah im gunna test at least the two adults right now. At $35 a test its worth it. I read up a bit more. The ELISA test only detects antibodies. So if the cat was vaccinated for FIV there will be antibodies so the test cannot decipher if the antibodies are from infection or from the vaccine. Since mine have never had an FIV vaccine if they have antibodies in their blood it means they have FIV. I have L-Lysine here I used it when they had a URI in February
 

Actually, Lactoferrin is a better supplement choice for FIV cats over L-lysine.

The snap test is a good way to determine if they're negative, but it does report false positives. The Western Blot is the only way to confirm a positive result - and yeah, it is expensive.

I have an FIV+ kitty living inside with my 7 other cats. Scratches and breaking the skin during play shouldn't present a problem. It seems it needs the "deep tissue percolation," as my vet puts it.

FIV kitties do often have problems with their teeth and gums, so regular dentals are important for them.

The best resource site out there for FIV kitties is http://www.fivtherapy.com

Here is the page re: supporting therapy while they are asymptomatic (which most FIV+ kitties are throughout their lives): http://www.fivtherapy.com/bdltimetherapy.htm

Well - it's on that page, anyway.

Most people provide no supporting therapy, so you don't have to go crazy. That's just info from someone who spent a LOT of time on research. I just recently started Chumley on the Lactoferrin. I feed him a raw diet. Good nutrition is important for supporting their immune systems. For info on diet, this is a good site: http://www.catinfo.org

My 10 yo male tux has Herpes
Been successful with L-lysine treats. I get 3 different types from Amazon and alternate them each day depending which one he eats upon display. LOL. Reduced chronic snuffles and sneeze "decorated walls" by half at least

Well, if an FIV+ kitty has herpes as well, then Lysine should help.

Thankfully for our Chumley, herpes does not appear to be an issue, because lysine gives him wicked diarrhea.