FIV Positive Cats Can Live with Other Cats

When I rescued my FIV cat named Sam the veterinarian told me that he was contagiousness. That I had to keep my cat away from all other cats because they would get sick from any close contact, saliva, grooming or play bites. That was ten years ago and today my FIV positive cat shares our home with four other cats that are negative to the disease.

Initially, I did keep Sam separated from my other cats. He lived in my office and the other cats had the rest of the house. The cats would look at each other through a glass doorway and that is the extent of contact that they had with one another for eight years. 

Then one day my friend surrendered to me a kitten that tested positive for FIV and I introduced this kitten to Sam. Sam‘s entire disposition changed as we observed him playing with the kitten, grooming and even sleeping with the kitten. Then when the kitten was about 9 months old she developed a cold and I took her to the veterinarian. 

I told the veterinarian that she was surrendered to me due to FIV diagnoses when she was a 9-week old kitten and they asked if she was ever rechecked. I said no and they informed me that it could have been a false positive. The FIV test was done and Lucy tested negative.

Since Sam got along with Lucy I was not about to remove her from her room. Even the veterinarian said that I should not separate the two of them. As long as there were no deep puncture bite wounds there would be no worries of her ever getting feline immunodeficiency virus.

Sam and Lucy were roommates until the day I decided to socialize him with one of my other cats.

I bought the Feliway plug-in diffusers because this product mimics a cat's natural facial pheromones and creates a calming environment. You have to allow your cats to get used to the Feliway. It takes about a week, then you can introduce any cat to them and they will love each other. I added the plug-ins to every room of my house so the cats would stay calm. By using the Feliway diffusers I was able to introduce Sam and Lucy to my other four cats without a ruckus, snarl or a hiss.

That was four years ago, and they all live under the same roof with FIV Lucy and Sam.

*Note I still use the Feliway plug-in diffuser because it helps to keep my cats calm. In the past, they would get stressed out if I moved the furniture or used the vacuum. They still do not like the vacuum but instead of taking out on one another they now all run under the bed and huddle together. Most of the time they get so comfy under there that they fall asleep.

Two FIV Cats Are Better Than One

My cat Sam has FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus and has lived a life without other cats since 2008.  Our veterinarian recommended this because socializing Sam would cause him to have stress and our veterinarian thought the stress might make him sick.  But that changed when I took a friends FIV cat as a last resort.

Know that prior to rescuing Sam he was accustomed to being with other cats, he was outdoors and did hang out with my neighbors cats,  So  there was no problem with him getting along with cats.  We just did not want  him to have any stress.

So Sam has lived on one side of the house away from my other cats.  There is a door that separates them and an inch opening at the bottom of the door and this door allows the cats to touch each other with their paws.  None of them have played roughly and I  wondered if socializing would be that big of a deal.

Sam is a good cat, an affectionate cat but I suspect that he longs for another cats company.  My thought is that two FIV cats would be better than one because they could sleep together, play and groom each other.  Recently my friend surrendered her FIV cat to me and I decided to try and socialize Sam with this new little FIV young adult cat.

The socializing consisting of the cats getting used to each other scent but they were separated by a closed door.  The NEW cat played paws with Sam from under the door and all was well.  Sam was meowing and seemed very happy.  I allowed the two cats a few more days of getting to know each other from a distance before I opened the door to Sams side of the house.

The introduction was supervised and Sam was calm with the new cat.  There was no hissing, however at one point Sam did go into the closet and leaped to a lower shelf.  The young FIV cat meowed for him to come down and play with her, but Sam ignored her.  

It did not take long for the cats to get accustomed to each other.  In an hours time they were eating out of the same bowl.  Both my husband and I agree that two FIV cats are better than one, because now Sam has more energy, he is very happy.  

The young adult female cat climbs all over him and he does not mind.  I suspect they will be best friends for the rest of their lives.

Hanging Out With My Cat Sam

Only a cat owner will know what I mean by "hanging out with a cat". Unlike dogs, cats are intuitive and sense when they need to be calm or caring of their owners. Today I am sick and staying in bed and my cat Sam has been hanging out with me.  Normally he is very busy but instead of playing with the dog or watching the birds he is lying next to me.

Cats can be playful and make their owners laugh and then when you do not feel good they sense your emotions the cat is really affectionate and are good company. For instance, when I do not feel good my cat knows it and he will bring all of his toys to me and set them close to me. He will not insist that I throw the cat ball far, instead, he will be happy playing with me while I lie in bed or on the sofa.

Hanging out with my cat Sam is fun because he lies next to me as if he is keeping me warm and when I nap he naps.   When I awake I usually find Sam under the fleece blanket or on top of my head purring.

Today I do not feel good so I have been lying on the sofa in the living room because my husband has a nice warm fire going in the fireplace and the heat sure feels good, Sam is hanging out with me on the sofa and so is the dog. When I do not feel good my cat is good company.

Note: Sam has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and so he does sleep more, which means when you are sick and have to stay in bed, an FIV cat is good company.