Hi Everyone,
I had another person with an FIV+ cat referred to me yesterday. This situation is so sad; the people moved away and left the cat behind. This dear lady, Anita, has been giving him treats and attention for some time anyway since he appeared to prefer her company. Well, when she finally realized they were gone and not coming back, she decided to adopt him, Mr. B, he is called. He came up FIV+ on the combo test.
She is very concerned for her other cats and is reluctant to use the FIV vaccine on them, feeling (correctly, in my opinion) that it would offer little in terms of real protection. Mr. B is evidently a biter, which is what concerns her. When she first brought him into the basement, he got very upset when her elderly mom wouldn't let him into the other part of the house and bit her foot. She has also seen him show aggression towards other outdoor cats in the neighborhood. She could deal with the aggression, but with the FIV complicating things, she feels the best thing she could do is to try to place him. She said he is a friendly, wonderful cat who simply craves attention, so he would likely be fine in home where he didn't get stressed and/or the other cat(s) were FIV+.
I suggested she confirm the FIV with the Western Blot and her question to me (which I can't answer) is, what if that test is negative? Obviously a re-test would be order, but if he continued to test negative, what does that mean?
Can they clear FIV as they can FeLV?
Would Mr. B then be a carrier?
I did quite a bit of research for the call I had the previous week, and I've not seen this addressed. Is it possible that we just don't know?
Any information appreciated.
Julie
"I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is
to protection by man from the cruelty of man. "
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged
by the way its animals are treated."
Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)
Paws Come WITH Claws - If you're thinking about de-clawing your cat, you need to re-think your decision to acquire a pet.
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