Feline Immunodeficiency Virus:
FIV FIV, Feline AIDS
Affected Animals:
Cats. Outdoor male cats are at increased risk of being infected by FIV due to territorial fighting.
Information and Overview:
Feline immunodeficiency virus is a disease of cats that is of the same subfamily of retroviruses as the human HIV virus. The FIV virus is transmitted in the saliva or blood, commonly through the bite wound from an infected cat. Once inside the catīs body, the virus will invade the cells of the catīs immune system, preventing the cells from performing their vital role of fighting off infections and diseases. As a result, cats that contract FIV generally succumb to a wide variety of secondary diseases. The timetable for when a cat with FIV actually becomes ill from the infection will vary. Typically, the virus goes into a dormant state for several years, during which a cat will not show signs of disease. Once the virus comes out of dormancy, however, the cat most likely will die from a terminal disease. Strictly a feline disease, FIV cannot be transmitted to humans. There is a vaccine currently for FIV, but its effectiveness has not been proven. A cat is tested by antibodies present against the virus, and if present there is an infection with FIV. With vaccination for FIV, antibodies are produced and the test is no longer effective for identification of disease. If the cat has not been vaccinated and tests positive, FIV is present. If the history of a cat(stray or not) is unknown, and a positive FIV test is found, we cannot discern a reaction from vaccination or real disease.
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