FIV+ kitty needs a home

[beckms]

OK, I usually don't do this, but oh well...

A classmate of mine in vet school has been working really really hard all semester (as part of a project) to find homes for the animals that get dumped at our hospital. She has been amazingly succesful, but she's struggling with this one.

Domino is an extremely friendly adult male cat who is positive for FIV (feline immune deficiency virus). It is a disease that is ONLY transmissible between cats, and NOT contagious to humans or dogs. As such, Domino needs to go to a home that either has no other cats or has only other FIV+ cats. FIV+ cats can live normal, symptom-free lives, as Domino currently is.

He was brought to the hospital after being found at a construction site with a badly wounded paw, which is now healing. Today was his scheduled euthanasia date (because of the low hopes of finding him a home), so my friend took him home as a last resort. She has two normal cats (Domino is in a crate in a spare bedroom), and she is going home for Christmas and has nowhere to take the cat.

Long story short, Domino needs a new home OR a temporary foster home ASAP. If anyone would like more info, please PM. me.

My apologies if anyone thinks this post is inappropriate. I try not to push animals on people, but I thought this was a special case.

[newcook]

Don't worry about posting about it here. I think you would feel horrible if you hadn't done everything you can to find Domino a home. I don't think anyone will feel pressured. On the other hand, you never know, someone might be lonely, and Domino might be a Godsend.

Daniele

[wallycat]

OH how I wish we could take him!!
We have our stray kitty now....
though I wonder how transmissible this disease is...I mean, if Domino can lead a good, long life...so what if he passes it on to another cat....wouldn't that cat also live a fine life?? I am not really knowledgeable on FIV.

I'm saying prayers and sending good thoughts on the meow!!

[aggie94]

FWIW, FIV+ cats *can* co-exist with healthy cats with very low risk of transmission. I don't know if you were around back then, but a couple of years ago, I posted a desperate message on this board about an FIV+ cat that I was trying to find a home for. Otherwise, he was going to be euthanized. I couldn't give up on this one - he was the sweetest cat I had ever met, and I knew he would make a great companion.

Someone directed me to a Yahoo group for FIV+ cat owners and I found Tiger a home with a great couple in Dallas with several other cats, most (maybe all) of which are healthy. DH flew him down to Dallas (this is when we were living in Oregon) and delivered him to his new home. I still keep in touch with Tiger's new owners, and they frequently send me email updates and pictures. Tiger is healthy and happy in his new home, symptom-free.

Obviously, it's not the ideal situation, but all of the people I met on that Yahoo board were proof that healthy cats living with FIV+ cats can remain healthy, with very little risk that they will ever become infected.

Rebecca, good luck to you and your friend in finding Domino a home. I wish I could help, but DH would kill me if I brought home another pet, healthy or otherwise. :( Please don't feel bad about posting your plea on this BB - that's what we're here for! I hope this story has a happy ending.

[beckms]

FIV is very similar to HIV. It essentially causes suppression of the immune system, which opens the animal up to secondary infections by normally harmless environmental bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Just as a human can live for a long time with HIV but without full-blown AIDS, a cat can live for a long time with FIV before succumbing to some sort of infection. There is no way to know when or if that will happen, so there's no way to know what the life-span of an FIV+ cat will be.

They must be kept indoors, for two reasons:1)it is the responsibility of the owner to prevent spread of the disease to other cats; and 2)the infected cat could be exposed to many more pathogens outside the home than inside.

Cornell has a very good website about FIV (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/resources/brochure/fiv.html) .
Domino is a big lovey kitty (did I mention his tail is only about 3 inches long? He must have lost it a long time ago) and I hope we can find him a home!

[beckms]

Originally posted by aggie94
FWIW, FIV+ cats *can* co-exist with healthy cats with very low risk of transmission.

Yes. It is transmitted via bite-wounds, so as long as the cats don't fight, there's very low risk of infection to healthy cats. But the risk does exist.

Aggie, I'm glad your story had a happy ending. Was the Yahoo group only Dallas-based, or is it national? I'm afriad we can't fly Domino anywhere; he can only go as far away as my friend or I can willing to drive!

[aggie94]

Rebecca,

The old thread I posted is still around. The resources mentioned might still be helpful to you:

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8593&highlight=tiger

[aggie94]

Sorry, our posts must have crossed.

The Yahoo group was not regional - it was comprised of members from all over, and if I recall, there was more than one, but one was much more active. I'll see if I can direct you to how to join so you can post.

[aggie94]

This is one that I found, but I can't recall if this is the one I joined:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FivCats/

I think this might be the other, less active one:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FIV-Cats/

Another one:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FIVpositivecats/

This one is a Special Needs group for posting advertisements for finding homes for special needs animals, including FIV kitties:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FPTrailSN/

And finally:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/straycathouse/

appears to be a no-kill shelter in FL that accepts FIV cats. They also have a website:

http://www.straycathouse.org/

I know you said you can't fly him, but maybe you can arrange a caravan to transport him down. :)

[lhall]

(((Domino)))

I do hope you find the kitty a nice home.

I have a friend who had a FIV+ cat, and a FeLuk+ cat, and two healthy cats. Both sick cats lived long happy lives, and did not infect the other cats.

I wish I could take him, but not only do I have a cat that bites, I have a cat with kidney & heart disease who is already very expensive.

Leigh

[kbs]

How I *SO* wish I could, but I already have a cat in a "no pets allowed" apartment, otherwise I daresay I would be PMing you now.

When I was in high school we had a stray cat start coming around in the dead of winter. So I opened our outdoor storage area and put a blanket, food and water in it. He kind of moved in to that little space, but when it got unbearably cold, we managed to corral him and take him to the vet, with the intention of then taking him to a no kill shelter. Well, he tested postive for FIV, which crashed the no kill shelter idea.

We already had one very territorial indoor cat, but apparantly the sight of a 17 year old sobbing uncontrollably got to my mom and she let us keep the stray. The vet put him at about 6 years old and said he would probably only live 6 months. He grew to a plump 22 lbs, and lived for 4 years, until he developed diabetes. He was the absolute sweetest cat though- touch him once and he was your friend for life.

Our other cat hated him, but they never really fought- he pretty much just steered clear of her. The vet said as long as we kept up her FIV vaccinations then the risk of transmitting was pretty low.

We never regretted taking him in- at times he seemed downright grateful and showed it to you.

Sorry I can't help this poor kitty. :( but I hope someone else can.

-Kim