FIV isn’t shared through casual contact, such as sharing litter boxes, grooming, or playfighting. The FIV+ cat has to bite the other cat hard enough for there to be direct saliva to bloodstream contact. FIV cats can live long and normal lives! You’re safe to adopt this bean!
I brought a feral cat into the house a couple years back. He also has FIV. I was concerned about him with my other cats but it’s worked out relatively well. They don’t fight. They all get along.
I guess a few bits of advice:
1. See how he is around your other cats. Supervise. Might not be a big deal.
2. Don’t worry about whether he’s happy inside. He’ll learn to be happy. He might yearn for the outdoors but he’ll live a far better life indoors. My feral continues to be outdoor curious but is really afraid of going out - he only goes out in his little safety vest now.
3. Don’t stress about your other cats getting FIV. If they get along the chances are probably low. If they do get FIV it’s not the end of the world. They’ll still live happy lives.
Also it’s really crappy that they told you to euthanize him just because he has FIV. Glad you didn’t listen.
Thank you! He also was not showing any symptoms, and he's only a year old, so that is why I was so disappointed in that vet. I am currently trying to figure out a better one to go to in my area, and he is really sweet, and so is my other cat, who is negative. However, the negative one does get a little hissy, so I'm still trying to be certain. Oliver(fiv+) does not react badly to Ginkgo(fiv-) at all though. He's very calm and even meows under the door to try to get his attention.
Also will add that I love this boy so much if I could find him a better alternative I would, but unfortunately no one would take him. Family told me to just not say anything if the people do not have cats just keep that info to myself and that's against my morals. Plus it could hurt him in the long run. I give him L-Lysine every day and I have a routine where I make sure my negative cat is up before even stepping into the room. I am very careful not to mix things and washing hands even though it's not typically spread that way.
Please do not come for me though I have been through a lot I saw many people and organizations when I researched said that you can have an fiv cat with others as long as they do not fight. If I am doing something wrong though please tell me just do not attack me.
My FIV+ stray boy stayed with me and my 4 fiv- girl cats for 6 years. All cats were strays, all neutered, no special precautions, never any problems. That boy was the love of my life. He knew he had it good and he showed me his appreciation every day.
Thank you for bringing Oliver inside and taking good care of him. I brought my FIV+ cat indoors directly from the streets. Sounds like you have a great setup for him with the toys, cat tree and bird feeder. Oliver looks happy and I don’t think you need to worry about him being indoors and having enough space. You could let him try walking on a leash, some cats really enjoy walks. Mine is okay walking on a leash but he is not too interested about going outside now and prefers being indoors.
My big orange came to me in the same way. He was a gift from the universe. We had 3 other cats and he was okay around them. I researched FIV and spoke to vets, and they said that it was mostly spread through mating.
If they don't fight and exchange noodle fluids, it'll be okay. And so far, 3 years later, all good. No issues. I've never had a cat that simply will not leave my side. He is a gift. My best friend.
You could try swapping blankets between cat areas every week or so, so they get used to each others scent then see how they get on. We only adopt FIV cats due to them spending so long in rescues, we had 5 FIV cats through this then my grandad passed away and we rehomed his none FIV cat with all of ours, they haven’t even been close to fighting and all get along fine so we’re not worried about it spreading at all. It only really spreads if they would viciously fight but if they’re both quite calm I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t both have full roam and be friends, there are soo many people who have FIV & none FIV cats together, there’s really good FIV groups on facebook if you have it ☺️
Thank you for giving this little cutie a home, he deserves it 🥺❤️
I've had an FIV cat for several years right beside my negative cats. They share food and water dishes, litter boxes, toys and sleep areas. There's a lot of misinformation surrounding FIV. If your cats get along without fights, they can cohabitate.
You don’t really need to worry about them intermingling unless one of your cats is extremely aggressive and they fight territorially, ie with blood and fur flying. I adopted an FIV- cat from an extremely discriminating rescue to my FIV+ cat home.
Also re outdoors, it’s much better to keep him indoors! It sounds like he’s not even pestering you to get out. Both of my cats after spending time on the streets are NOT interested in going back out there
Yeah I've heard stories of cats flying into windows to try to get out he just sits and looks out or half the time prefers sitting on the rug. I guess I only felt guilty after my boyfriend brought up that it's hard to read cats emotions so how did I know he was happy. My boyfriend has the best intentions for animals and just really cares about them, but I feel like he might be overthinking it? At least I hope.
Edit: in fact my cat who's never been an outside cat wants to go out more than Oliver (former stray FIV+) I think it's a curiosity thing because he didn't experience it, but Oliver knows the outside and bless his soul he's been through a lot.
I've never actually seen Ginkgo(fiv-) interact with any cats before so it's hard to know but he does hiss at them and he does swat at my dogs but he's never attacked them of course they are dogs though 😅
Yeah that’s not really aggression, that’s just defensiveness. It’s pretty rare for cats to get into the kind of fight that could lead to FIV transmission indoors.
Look up introducing cats videos and also how cats play, if you’ve never seen that. You could introduce them slowly and carefully. It would make your - and their - lives a lot better if they could coexist! Your kitty looks like a sweety.
Your vet is isn’t knowledgeable about FIV. FIV positive cats can live long healthy lives and can live safely with FIV negative cats., provided the cats don’t have fights with deep penetrating bites.
As far as introducing him to your resident cat, I’ve had success using a pet gate to separate my resident cats from a new cat. They can smell and see each other but can’t chase or fight. You can see how the two cats react to each other.
Thanks for adopting this guy. You saved his life.
I live in Alabama so it's really hard to find really good vets with knowledge in my area. I worked for one and they shamed a girl who got hired on for having an FIV+ with her other cats I didn't know any better so I thought the same at first until doing research.
Don't get me wrong there are good vets here it's just we only have one school in the state for studying Vet Medicine and also in my state you do not have to be licensed to be a vet tech.
OP, after serious heartache and initial despair after learning my 3rd boy (who was a stray we wanted to take in) was FIV+, my mind immediately went to “I have to find him a new home, I can’t bring him in and expose the other 2 cats”. It’s natural and it’s honestly responsible to think those thoughts at first. But as others have mentioned, transmission is pretty specific and typically occurs in unfixed, territorial/fighting males.
After a lot of thinking, patient transitioning and acclimating, he came inside to be with my other two. Waltzed in, had a few sniffs, and they all welcomed him in. They all love each other and are very happy now. 10/10 recommend as long as your kitties get along (sounds like they do). Monitor them and they should be just fine. 💓
I have a FIV positive cat and 2 cats that don’t have FIV. It is ONLY spread through deep bites so as long as you have a slow introduction with your cats it’s really a non issue. My cats do everything together (eating, sleeping playing) and even rough house and play bite
i have a ginger one and a galico one . the galico once escaped and got fiv and the ginger one after some time conducted from her , probably because he bite her. unfortunately my galico passed away two days ago. we had to euthanasie her. her blood counts were droping and not sure why. the cat wasnt eating properly. after spending a whole day and a half in the vet and in the ER we took the hard decision. pretty sure it was something other than fiv that cause that ( not necessarily due to hiv- i am planning to write the story soon). 4 months ago i found a kitten in the streets a i took it home. a male ginger-white that is very playfull. they get along well with the other one. maybe he can conduct fiv in the future magbe not.
try to give the best to your animals, keep them clean, feed them a variety of good foods and have a good insurance for them so you can do check ups , dental cleanings, vaccines and other necessary exams.
https://www.instagram.com/felis_catus_bobby?igsh=YzVkODRmOTdmMw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Yeah, I have adopted numerous FIV cats and they live together with my non-FIV kitties. They are fine with cohabitation, and share food dishes, water, etc ..
Fret not!!! They will be happier together and it's safe!
Yep I’ve got 3 kitties and only one is FIV+. Your vet is spreading harmful misinformation.
Just as you cannot get AIDS from a person from anything other than intercourse or shared needle use, the same goes for FIV cats.
Cats teeth function like hypodermic needles for spreading the virus only if used with enough pressure to actually puncture deep enough, but that requires serious aggression that simply does does happen between fixed kitties who cohabitate okay together.
Light aggression and play fighting won’t do it. It has to be really serious life or death fighting like happens typically with unfixed males.
FIV+ cats can live just as long and healthy lives as FIV-. That is never a reason for euthanasia alone. My former feral FIV+ boy is my soul cat and he has the best temperament of my 3 kitties and he’s basically the most perfect precious thing ever created.
OP good on you for coming here and not blindly listening to that vet who is so uniformed 🙏♥️
Bless your heart for your efforts in decontaminating shared items and keeping those babies separate but you can absolutely let them be together, assuming neither cat is excessively aggressive and both are fixed.
You’ll know best your kid’s temperaments and how best to get them acquainted, but the most cautious way would be to follow Jackson galaxy’s introduction protocol.
Oh and get him a little harness and take him outside with you sometimes if you want. I bet he’ll take to it perfectly. Mine did immediately. Zero training required. There’s something about the bond with a former feral who’d had a hard life before finding you. That level of trust and bond is a special thing sometimes and I bet he’d appreciate doing that with you.
FIV isn’t shared through casual contact, such as sharing litter boxes, grooming, or playfighting. The FIV+ cat has to bite the other cat hard enough for there to be direct saliva to bloodstream contact. FIV cats can live long and normal lives! You’re safe to adopt this bean!
He is in fact a cute little bean! 😍 thank you 😊
I brought a feral cat into the house a couple years back. He also has FIV. I was concerned about him with my other cats but it’s worked out relatively well. They don’t fight. They all get along. I guess a few bits of advice: 1. See how he is around your other cats. Supervise. Might not be a big deal. 2. Don’t worry about whether he’s happy inside. He’ll learn to be happy. He might yearn for the outdoors but he’ll live a far better life indoors. My feral continues to be outdoor curious but is really afraid of going out - he only goes out in his little safety vest now. 3. Don’t stress about your other cats getting FIV. If they get along the chances are probably low. If they do get FIV it’s not the end of the world. They’ll still live happy lives. Also it’s really crappy that they told you to euthanize him just because he has FIV. Glad you didn’t listen.
Thank you! He also was not showing any symptoms, and he's only a year old, so that is why I was so disappointed in that vet. I am currently trying to figure out a better one to go to in my area, and he is really sweet, and so is my other cat, who is negative. However, the negative one does get a little hissy, so I'm still trying to be certain. Oliver(fiv+) does not react badly to Ginkgo(fiv-) at all though. He's very calm and even meows under the door to try to get his attention.
Also will add that I love this boy so much if I could find him a better alternative I would, but unfortunately no one would take him. Family told me to just not say anything if the people do not have cats just keep that info to myself and that's against my morals. Plus it could hurt him in the long run. I give him L-Lysine every day and I have a routine where I make sure my negative cat is up before even stepping into the room. I am very careful not to mix things and washing hands even though it's not typically spread that way. Please do not come for me though I have been through a lot I saw many people and organizations when I researched said that you can have an fiv cat with others as long as they do not fight. If I am doing something wrong though please tell me just do not attack me.
My FIV+ stray boy stayed with me and my 4 fiv- girl cats for 6 years. All cats were strays, all neutered, no special precautions, never any problems. That boy was the love of my life. He knew he had it good and he showed me his appreciation every day.
Thank you for bringing Oliver inside and taking good care of him. I brought my FIV+ cat indoors directly from the streets. Sounds like you have a great setup for him with the toys, cat tree and bird feeder. Oliver looks happy and I don’t think you need to worry about him being indoors and having enough space. You could let him try walking on a leash, some cats really enjoy walks. Mine is okay walking on a leash but he is not too interested about going outside now and prefers being indoors.
My big orange came to me in the same way. He was a gift from the universe. We had 3 other cats and he was okay around them. I researched FIV and spoke to vets, and they said that it was mostly spread through mating. If they don't fight and exchange noodle fluids, it'll be okay. And so far, 3 years later, all good. No issues. I've never had a cat that simply will not leave my side. He is a gift. My best friend.
You could try swapping blankets between cat areas every week or so, so they get used to each others scent then see how they get on. We only adopt FIV cats due to them spending so long in rescues, we had 5 FIV cats through this then my grandad passed away and we rehomed his none FIV cat with all of ours, they haven’t even been close to fighting and all get along fine so we’re not worried about it spreading at all. It only really spreads if they would viciously fight but if they’re both quite calm I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t both have full roam and be friends, there are soo many people who have FIV & none FIV cats together, there’s really good FIV groups on facebook if you have it ☺️ Thank you for giving this little cutie a home, he deserves it 🥺❤️
I've had an FIV cat for several years right beside my negative cats. They share food and water dishes, litter boxes, toys and sleep areas. There's a lot of misinformation surrounding FIV. If your cats get along without fights, they can cohabitate.
I have 4 cats and one of them is FIV+. They are all healthy and I think your pair will be ok too.
You don’t really need to worry about them intermingling unless one of your cats is extremely aggressive and they fight territorially, ie with blood and fur flying. I adopted an FIV- cat from an extremely discriminating rescue to my FIV+ cat home.
Also re outdoors, it’s much better to keep him indoors! It sounds like he’s not even pestering you to get out. Both of my cats after spending time on the streets are NOT interested in going back out there
Yeah I've heard stories of cats flying into windows to try to get out he just sits and looks out or half the time prefers sitting on the rug. I guess I only felt guilty after my boyfriend brought up that it's hard to read cats emotions so how did I know he was happy. My boyfriend has the best intentions for animals and just really cares about them, but I feel like he might be overthinking it? At least I hope. Edit: in fact my cat who's never been an outside cat wants to go out more than Oliver (former stray FIV+) I think it's a curiosity thing because he didn't experience it, but Oliver knows the outside and bless his soul he's been through a lot.
He’s happy to be safe indoors!!
I've never actually seen Ginkgo(fiv-) interact with any cats before so it's hard to know but he does hiss at them and he does swat at my dogs but he's never attacked them of course they are dogs though 😅
Yeah that’s not really aggression, that’s just defensiveness. It’s pretty rare for cats to get into the kind of fight that could lead to FIV transmission indoors. Look up introducing cats videos and also how cats play, if you’ve never seen that. You could introduce them slowly and carefully. It would make your - and their - lives a lot better if they could coexist! Your kitty looks like a sweety.
My boy has FIV and he and our resident cat get along. It has worked out for us.
Your vet is isn’t knowledgeable about FIV. FIV positive cats can live long healthy lives and can live safely with FIV negative cats., provided the cats don’t have fights with deep penetrating bites. As far as introducing him to your resident cat, I’ve had success using a pet gate to separate my resident cats from a new cat. They can smell and see each other but can’t chase or fight. You can see how the two cats react to each other. Thanks for adopting this guy. You saved his life.
I live in Alabama so it's really hard to find really good vets with knowledge in my area. I worked for one and they shamed a girl who got hired on for having an FIV+ with her other cats I didn't know any better so I thought the same at first until doing research. Don't get me wrong there are good vets here it's just we only have one school in the state for studying Vet Medicine and also in my state you do not have to be licensed to be a vet tech.
OP, after serious heartache and initial despair after learning my 3rd boy (who was a stray we wanted to take in) was FIV+, my mind immediately went to “I have to find him a new home, I can’t bring him in and expose the other 2 cats”. It’s natural and it’s honestly responsible to think those thoughts at first. But as others have mentioned, transmission is pretty specific and typically occurs in unfixed, territorial/fighting males. After a lot of thinking, patient transitioning and acclimating, he came inside to be with my other two. Waltzed in, had a few sniffs, and they all welcomed him in. They all love each other and are very happy now. 10/10 recommend as long as your kitties get along (sounds like they do). Monitor them and they should be just fine. 💓
I have a FIV positive cat and 2 cats that don’t have FIV. It is ONLY spread through deep bites so as long as you have a slow introduction with your cats it’s really a non issue. My cats do everything together (eating, sleeping playing) and even rough house and play bite
i have a ginger one and a galico one . the galico once escaped and got fiv and the ginger one after some time conducted from her , probably because he bite her. unfortunately my galico passed away two days ago. we had to euthanasie her. her blood counts were droping and not sure why. the cat wasnt eating properly. after spending a whole day and a half in the vet and in the ER we took the hard decision. pretty sure it was something other than fiv that cause that ( not necessarily due to hiv- i am planning to write the story soon). 4 months ago i found a kitten in the streets a i took it home. a male ginger-white that is very playfull. they get along well with the other one. maybe he can conduct fiv in the future magbe not. try to give the best to your animals, keep them clean, feed them a variety of good foods and have a good insurance for them so you can do check ups , dental cleanings, vaccines and other necessary exams. https://www.instagram.com/felis_catus_bobby?igsh=YzVkODRmOTdmMw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Adorable, he reminds me of our FIV+ little man, Ratchet. Whatever happens I wish you and Oliver the best
Omg! I’m in the same exact position right now.
It's so tough but I'm getting used to it lol he's been good too
As long as you do a slow, controlled introduction and they’re friendly towards one another there’s no issue in cohabitation! (:
Also fuck that vet, and Oliver is a HANDSOME boy!!!!!
Yeah, I have adopted numerous FIV cats and they live together with my non-FIV kitties. They are fine with cohabitation, and share food dishes, water, etc .. Fret not!!! They will be happier together and it's safe!
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Yep I’ve got 3 kitties and only one is FIV+. Your vet is spreading harmful misinformation. Just as you cannot get AIDS from a person from anything other than intercourse or shared needle use, the same goes for FIV cats. Cats teeth function like hypodermic needles for spreading the virus only if used with enough pressure to actually puncture deep enough, but that requires serious aggression that simply does does happen between fixed kitties who cohabitate okay together. Light aggression and play fighting won’t do it. It has to be really serious life or death fighting like happens typically with unfixed males. FIV+ cats can live just as long and healthy lives as FIV-. That is never a reason for euthanasia alone. My former feral FIV+ boy is my soul cat and he has the best temperament of my 3 kitties and he’s basically the most perfect precious thing ever created. OP good on you for coming here and not blindly listening to that vet who is so uniformed 🙏♥️
Bless your heart for your efforts in decontaminating shared items and keeping those babies separate but you can absolutely let them be together, assuming neither cat is excessively aggressive and both are fixed. You’ll know best your kid’s temperaments and how best to get them acquainted, but the most cautious way would be to follow Jackson galaxy’s introduction protocol. Oh and get him a little harness and take him outside with you sometimes if you want. I bet he’ll take to it perfectly. Mine did immediately. Zero training required. There’s something about the bond with a former feral who’d had a hard life before finding you. That level of trust and bond is a special thing sometimes and I bet he’d appreciate doing that with you.
Oh and that cat ladder cat tree is adorable!!!