I first heard of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (“FIV” for short) in the fall of 2022. Earlier that summer, we’d started feeding several feral cats that had been roaming our neighborhood. This was before I knew anything about feral cat colonies or TNR. My only goal was to leave food out in case they were hungry. As naive as it seems now, I didn’t really expect the cats to hang around any longer than necessary to get full.
Then one day, completely out of the blue, a black and white tuxedo cat appeared. I’d never seen this cat before, and when I moved toward him, he didn’t scamper away like the others. In fact, he didn’t act anything like the other cats we’d been feeding. He let me pet him, he rubbed against my legs, he meowed constantly, and almost instantly it became clear that he had no intention of leaving. Sure, he’d roam from time to time – he was an intact male and that’s what they do – but he napped in our garage and was home for breakfast and dinner daily. He also meowed outside the door leading to the garage, clearing indicating his desire to be inside.
This cat was no feral cat. He was a stray, and had either gotten lost from his home or had been abandoned by his owners. And now, he wanted to be our cat. So we did what all good animal lovers do…..we named him. Or rather, my then-seven-year-old named him. His name was Spookley, and he was ours…..sorta.
I noticed Spookley would often come home with scratches and minor wounds. Intact males often fight over territory or mates, so I knew I needed to have him neutered. The only problem was that Spookley didn’t like to be picked up. Even though he was friendly, it wouldn’t be easy to put him in a carrier. And he wasn’t necessarily easy to find. He came around daily, and sometimes he’d sleep in the garage all day, but other days, I wouldn’t see him until dinner time. So making him an appointment with a veterinarian would be difficult. Every veterinarian I called wanted to schedule a “new patient” appointment first, but I knew if I ever put him in a carrier once, he’d never let me do it again. No one seemed to understand that he was a stray cat that was unpredictable. Note: At this time I was unaware of Arkansans for Animals and their low-cost spay/neuter clinic. They are amazing and allow trappers to bring in feral cats without an appointment.
Then one day in late November, Spookley came home with a large, gaping wound on the right side of his face. Within days, the wound became infected and puss oozed everywhere. I knew it had to be painful, and I suspected he could die from this wound if he didn’t get proper veterinary care. So I snatched Spookley up and put him in a carrier (which he hated) and took him to a local urgent care veterinary clinic.
The urgent care clinic staff were amazing and very understanding of my situation with Spookley. They agreed to treat his wound and neuter him while he was there. They knew I planned to release him back outside when he was well enough to do so. I left him at the clinic, with the plan to pick him up later that day.
But just a few hours later, the veterinarian called. Spookley tested positive for FIV. I’d never even heard of this before. According to the veterinarian, there was no cure for FIV, and though it wasn’t exactly a death sentence, it was contagious among cats. The veterinarian advised me against releasing Spookley back outside because he could spread FIV to other cats. The veterinarian recommended that I either find Spookley an inside home with no other cats or have him euthanized.
I was heartbroken! It made no sense to me. He looked and acted perfectly healthy, except for his wound. I couldn’t let him be euthanized. I had to find him a home! And per the veterinarian, I had to do it that day or there would be no use in treating him.
I frantically reached out to a local rescue organization, Out of the Woods Rescue. We’d adopted Zoey from them the year before so I had a contact there. They referred me to Community Cats of Central Arkansas, an absolutely amazing organization that takes in and treats sick and injured cats from the community and pulls cats from the euthanasia list in local animal shelters. A frantic search somehow led me to the director’s phone number, and I texted her immediately. Her first response…..yes, she would take in Spookley and find him a home. But what she said next is what set me aback. It turns out there was quite a bit more to FIV than what I’d understood from the veterinarian.
FIV (not to be confused with FeLV, which is a different virus that is more contagious and and leads to a poor prognosis) is a retrovirus, similar to HIV in humans, that compromises a cat’s immune system. Although FIV is contagious among cats, it cannot be spread to humans, dogs, or any other species of animal. There is no cure for FIV, but infected cats can live long, happy lives. Infected cats often live years or an entire lifetime without showing symptoms.
FIV is spread through a cat’s saliva, most often through deep bite wounds between cats. This is why FIV is often found in intact males, because intact males fight over territory and female cats. Though not impossible, FIV typically doesn’t spread through mutual grooming or sharing food or water bowls. Contrary to what some veterinarians recommend, infected cats can share a home with uninfected cats as long they do not fight to the point of biting (and I don’t mean play biting, I mean biting to hurt). That’s why the biggest step you can take to prevent the spread of FIV is to spay and neuter your cats. Neutered cats are much less aggressive and much less likely to fight.
The traditional practice of animal shelters has been to test all cats that have been brought in to shelters and to euthanize any that test positive for FIV. This short-sighted approach overlooks three important issues: (1) there can be false positives and negatives with the traditional testing methods commonly used; (2) indiscriminate testing takes away from the already limited resources available to animal shelters; and (3) infected cats can be adopted and live normal, healthy lives. Given the low precedence of FIV infection in asymptomatic healthy cats, approximately only 3-5% of the total cat population in North America, testing every cat that enters a shelter is neither efficient nor productive.
A better practice for shelters would be to only test high-risk cats, which are cats who show signs of illness or have a history of potential exposure, such as those who have bite wounds or scars. Low-risk cats are better served by being tested by a family’s private veterinarian upon adoption. Additionally, cats who are spayed or neutered as part of a TNR program should never be tested, as this is not a good use of resources, and transmission from these cats is extremely low once released. And finally, asymptomatic cats who do test positive can and should be placed for adoption, as long as potential adopters are educated about the disease.
I am no veterinarian, and every potential cat owner should seek advice from a trusted veterinarian to know what is right for their pet and family, but far too many veterinarians are quick to recommend that FIV-positive cats be either completly isolated from other cats or euthanized. This recommendation is simply not supported by the current evidence surrounding transmission. In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the recommendations for testing and adoption from renowned animal welfare organizations, such as the ASPCA and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. These changes in recommendations are welcomed, but there is more work to do in educating the public about best practices surrounding FIV infection and transmission.
Things worked out for the best for Spookley. I had him properly treated for his wound and neutered, and he was placed in a foster home. I understand that he’s now in a loving forever-home being spoiled daily, just as he deserves. But it scares me to think that I almost had him euthanized simply because I didn’t know what my options truly were.
If you are the owner or caretaker for a cat recently diagnosed with FIV, please reach out to us or to another trusted organization that can help you determine the best steps moving forward for you and your feline friend.
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