Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

What is Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)?

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is a retrovirus that is related to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); however, FIV is not the same as the Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). As HIV does in humans, FIV suppresses the immune system of cats rendering them unable to fight off disease and infection. As with humans infected with HIV, cats infected with FIV do not immediately show symptoms. The FIV can live in the host cat’s body for months or even years before the cat begins to show signs of a weakened immune system. Once this happens, the cat will be vulnerable to a wide range of diseases.

What are the symptoms of FIV?

Due to the immunosuppressive nature of this disease, clinical symptoms can vary. Some cats may be carriers of the disease and not show any visible signs of the disease. In others, noticeable signs can include reoccurring infections, weight loss, chronic diarrhea, or chronic gingivitis (bad breath).

Prevention

Currently there is no vaccine to prevent cats from getting FIV and there is no cure for cats that have already been infected with the virus. The only preventative measure for a cat that has not been exposed to FIV is to have it spayed or neutered and to keep the cat indoors and away from other cats.

How Is FIV transmitted?

Biting is the primary method of spreading FIV because the virus is present in the infected cat’s saliva. Cats who are at the greatest risk for contracting the virus are those that live in an environment where they are more likely to take part in battles over social dominance, territory, or mating partners, seen in groups of stray cats and feral colonies. The two other most common forms of transmission include mother cat to kittens in utero and through milk during feeding. The virus can also be transmitted when a healthy cat comes into contact with certain mucosal tissues of an infected cat such as the oral, vaginal, or rectal tissues.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of the disease is achieved through a series of tests that can detect the presence of antibodies to the virus in the cat’s blood.

Treatment

Once the virus enters the cat’s system it spreads to the lymph nodes where development and maintenance of the immune system takes place. There are several stages that the cat’s body will go through before the virus reaches its final stage, which is full-blown feline AIDS.

Once FIV develops into AIDS, the cat’s health becomes increasingly worsened. A marked decrease in the cat’s weight is noticeable, and the cat may be stricken with a multitude of diseases ranging from mange to forms of cancer.