We rescued our FIV cat in 2008 and he has been healthy for all of these years. His appearance has been normal and unremarkable when he went for his wellness checkups at the veterinarian until now.
Last week my husband and I saw a white cat being chased in the woods and I responded by running toward the predator, The fox was frightened and stopped pursuing the cat. My husband was able to pick up the terrified cat and we brought the cat to our heated shed. The cat was cared for in our shed for three days. On the fourth day, we returned the cat to the pet owners.
Whenever a cat leaves our shelter we will sterilize the entire area to remove any germs. What I did not realize is that my husband and I were exposed to the white cat which had a draining eye. We thought it was due to a scratch but later learned the cat had a cold.
I suppose we carried the stray cat's germs, bacteria, and virus in on our clothes and our shoes because 5 days later my normal FIV cat was sick with a cat cold.
Normally a cold will run its course just like a human and it is common for rescued or stray cats to get colds. Their immune system will fight off the virus and other than adding a humidifier to our shelter and feeding the cats food with lysine additive we do not take them to the veterinarian unless they stop eating. But with an FIV cat, any sign of a cold means a trip to the veterinarian.
Cats that are infected with FIV may be normal-acting cats for many years, then one day they may feel stressed, or they may be exposed to everyday normal germs, fungi, viruses or bacteria and they will get sick.
Sam was given a vaccine and we were told to put him in the bathroom when we took a shower as this would help to unclog his nose so he could eat again. We are to watch him to make sure that he eats and drinks and to watch his activity. For anything that is off from his normal routine, we are to call his veterinarian because an FIV cat can get seriously ill due to their immune deficiency.
Learn more about FIV here
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