Page 12 - Rescuecats E-Magazine September 2015_Neat

12 SEPTEMBER 2015 RESCUECATS E- MAGAZINE

FIV-POSITIVE CATS

MAYBE YOU SHOULD CONSIDER
ADOPTING ONE!

“ Being involved with cat rescue alongside Monika's DoggieRescue
we are finding a number of cats we screen are FIV positive. This

means they are carrying the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and this
scares a lot of people and so these cats get overlooked while their
FIV negative friends get adopted.” Dee

Dr Deirdre (Dee) Clack
BVSc (hons).

The Cottage Animal Hospital
Ph: 9890 7220

A close member of my family recently Fergus (with his Mum Carole) is now living a happy, spoilt life...
adopted a 3 year old FIV positive boy
named Fergus. He is healthy, and they the facts are;
love him to bits. Luckily I was able to
talk to them at length about FIV and 1. FIV is not transmissible to humans!
they adopted him without hesitation 2. FIV is about as transmissible as HIV - not very. Cats in the
and feel especially proud that Fergus
will live a happy spoilt life, despite his same household cannot transmit the disease from one to another
FIV condition. except by mating behaviour or by inflicting bite wounds (not typical
even among housemates who don't like each other much ).FIV can
FIV, the feline immunodeficiency also be passed in utero and from milk from an infected mother cat.
disease is often referred to as
“feline AIDS". 3. Cats with FIV can live very long, happy lives.

These cats become less adoptable
and overlooked because 1.the word
AIDS is scary 2.There are definitely
special health considerations and 3.
because it’s a disease that’s
transmissible to feline housemates
via skin puncturing bites.

FIV-positive cats can live a long time
without suffering any related illness.
That’s why many veterinarians,
including the feline medicine experts at
the American Association of Feline
Practitioners (AAFP), suggest
owners never euthanase based on a
positive test alone.