Recently
we took Sam to see the veterinarian for his wellness check and they
said he looks good considering his arthritis, FIV, and old age. Sam
is 13 years old and has had FIV since 2008. At the rate, he’s going
I am certain he will pass away from an old-cat-related health condition rather than Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.
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| Sam is almost asleep...trying so hard to keep his eyes open (cute) |
The thing about FIV cats is that yes they have a suppressed immune system
but if you keep the cat indoors, feed them high-quality food, respect
their “downtime” and have a stress-free house then chances are
your FIV cat will live a long life without being “sickly”.
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| Sam took the dogs ball and is daring the dog to get it (lol) |
There
is really no reason to pass up an FIV cat at the shelter. They are
just like other cats, the only difference is as stated, they cannot
go outdoors and are better suited in a low-stress home.
I
think Sam is doing very well because he has cat friends. At first, the
Veterinarian put the fear of FIV in me and made me think if my house
wasn’t sterile, with no dust, no dirt with perfect temp and if Sam had any contact with
other cats that he would become stressed, get sick, and die. I
listened to that for the first 10 years.
Then Sam got out of the office one day and I found him being groomed by one of my female cats and that was the end of his isolation. To this day Lucy doesn’t have FIV, and Sam has cat friends. He is a happy cat and I think that is why he is living a long life.
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| Sam and Lucy playing on the bed |
