Does anyone have any direct experience with FIV that they can pass on to me? I know the gist of course, since I foster cats and have "met" and lost the battle to- both Felv and FIP in the past year (ugh). I have heard that cats with FIV can be fairly successful- live heathly lives barely affected by the disease (is this true?), and it really is a lot like human HIV? I have also heard this is the one retroviruses that is transmitted by deep bite wounds and NOT casual contact? I am going to help a man who has taken in a alley cat that hung around his house for about 3 years that tested positive of FIV. He was clearly neutered by alley cat advocates b/c he has a tipped ear. He says it's a wonderful, approx. 5 yo tuxie. He has him in the bedroom for now (his only room with a door in his house) because his own cat is an extremely aggressive, neutered male and after 3 years of the tuxie hanging around outside, and being in the house for a while now- they can't sort out their differences and they will fight. He wishes he could keep the cat but with his cat- being such an aggressive fighter, and the tuxie being a fighter when need be (alley cat mentality)-- he just doesn't see it as possible due to transmission to his cat. The cat did get outside and got in a fight recently- ended up with an abcess on his ear- being treated by a vet, stint put in and he has a f-u next week- but it was at that appointment that the vet found the FIV and said "segregate!"- as they always do. I am going to work to get the cat into our adoption program as a "special needs" cat in the hopes that someone w/o other cats, with a non-aggressive cat, with a docile female, with other FIV cats, etc., would be willing to take him on. In the meantime, this man has agreed to continue to "foster" him in his home while I work to help him out with the situation. In the meantime, I want to build up my knowledge so that I have "talking points" for potential adoptive parents and I can educate if someone w/o prior FIV experience is willing to take him. The man seems to understand that he could have a cat on his hands with something a lot worse (like Felv or FIP), so he's definitely not an overreactor and he seems well-educated. Any info that anyone has will be great! Especially PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and/or accurate and trustworthy websites I can read and pass on to others! thanks, Caroline _________________________________________________________________ Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM, we give. http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join
