FIV Cat with Urinary Tract Infections

Recently the rescue FIV cat that I call Buddy showed signs of urinary problems; straining to pee, peeing outside of his litter box; And he had irritable behavior. Buddy has Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and whenever cats with this condition are sick it is very important to seek veterinarian care. We took him to the veterinarian clinic and Buddy was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and the treatment was to feed him a prescription diet food.

I was told that the special diet food had the right balance of nutrients for cats bladder to be healthy and that this food would put a stop to the urinary crystals.  

Buddy has been eating the prescription food for the last two months and we have seen minimal improvements. He has more energy and is not sleeping all day.  He is still hit or miss at the litterbox and still has a pink cast in his urine. 

We took him back to the veterinarian and they said his bladder was very tender and they could not examine him, he was given a round of antibiotics and we were told to continue with the prescription food.  The veterinarian also suggested the Feliway diffuser to eliminate any stress in the home. 

 Stray cats that are rescued then have to live in a home or in a cage at a shelter usually suffer from anxiety and this is one of the reasons for Urinary Tract / bladder infections.  

The prescription food that we buy for Buddy is very expensive 24 five-ounce cans for $56. The Feliway diffuser is $28 for one plug-in unit.  I am not sure if the prescription pet food is the best treatment for Buddy, as I have treated cats with the Hills Prescription Diet since 2009 and have my doubts about its effectiveness.  I follow Dr. Karen Becker and plan to search for her recommendations.

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.

My FIV Cat Has Kidney Failure

My cat Sam was rescued after he was abandoned in the woods by my home. It took us less than a year to catch him because he was so scared. By the time we got him, he was skin and bones and from the looks of his coat, he had been in one too many fights.

We took him to the veterinarian and he tested positive for feline leukemia and aides. The veterinarian at the time wanted to put Sam down but I said no and that was in 2008. To make a long story short I nursed Sam back to health and have enjoyed this talkative, playful, and very loving Siamese cat for the last seven years.

Everything was great in fact in August of 2014 his medical exam and blood work should not have changes, but come to the end of November it was clear that something was wrong. Sam who loves to eat, decided he was not going to eat anymore. We thought maybe he suddenly did not like his only natural food by Merrick.  We fed him the best-canned cat food; de-boned chicken canned cat food that was grain free and had no corn wheat, soy, or gluten so we spiced up his food and gave him Merrick Purrfect Bistro Surf and Turf canned cat food and my cat turned away from his food bowl.

The next day he went to the veterinarian because if Sam is not eating there is something wrong. Well sure enough he had fervor, and an infection from an unknown source, his blood work came back fine but his urine showed that his kidneys were not working properly. Sam was in the veterinarian hospital for 10 days and when he was discharged we were told that his teeth due to feline stomatitis had to be removed but the surgery day was unclear due to his renal failure.

Sam has been home now for two weeks and he is doing better, but the veterinarian told me that he needs a follow-up exam and then he will decide if they will go ahead to remove his teeth. I will know more on Tuesday as it is Sams's next appointment. 

FIV takes Another Cats Life

For three days I had to make the decision to end my cat's life.  A cat that when checked in August by the veterinarian showed no sign of illness. However, this cat got a cold and never recovered. Did not respond to medication and further examination indicated mass and the diagnosis was cancer.

Over the years my husband has taken in 6 FIV, feline immunodeficiency cats. All of them showed no signs of the illness as this virus is known to lie dormant for a long time.

We were told that some cats are carriers of the virus and may never become ill, while other cats may get sick starting at age five.  That it all depended on the lifestyle of the cat.  A cat with no stress may never get sick.

Photo of Sam diagnosed with FIV in 2008 he is a survivor

Out of the six FIV cats that we have cared for, three of them needed euthanasia due to a cancer diagnosis. They were aged 6, 13, and 14.  These three cats have abandoned adult cats that I had rescued and all had a happy and stress-free life with us for several years before becoming ill.  

Then three days ago FIV took the life of another cat and even though we knew that the cats would not live a full life we are still sad because all of the cats were taken so quickly and our hearts are broken. 

FIV Cats Develop Cancer

In 2008 I rescued a stray black and white kitten that was constantly getting into fights.  This little cat had a big heart but was no match to the feral tomcats, so I befriended him by feeding him twice a day and soon he became dependent upon me. Then I coaxed him into my mud room by leaving the door open. Once the cat came into my house he made no attempt to run out the door. He came indoors on his terms and I welcomed him to my home.

Manx cat outdoors

The kitten was approximately five months old. I took him to the veterinarian and he was tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the test came back negative. I had him neutered and he got all of his vaccines and rabies shots.

Black and white kitten rescued

All was well with this little black cat. He adjusted well with the other cats in my care and was sweet and loving. He was buddies with my Manx cat as they used to play and sleep together. Then one day my Manx cat got out of the house and he was gone for 28 hours, when he came back indoors we noticed fur was missing and suspected that he got into a fight.  I examined him there were no bite wounds.

My Manx cat was a gentle giant and never showed aggression so I was surprised when his behavior changed and he turned into a troublemaker.   His behavior changed for no apparent reason and he wanted to fight with my black cat. After two ruckuses where the fur was flying and Manx cat had bitten my black cat and caused an open wound, I took both cats to the veterinarian for a wellness exam because something was wrong.

The cat's teeth were the first system that my veterinarian noticed; they both had inflammation of the gums and dental disease, other than that my Manx cat had changes in his behavior. Even though our cats had the ELISA blood test which identifies the FIV proteins in cats' blood previously my veterinarian suspected that the cat had symptoms of this incurable disease. 

To my surprise, both cats were diagnosed with FIV.

We found out that our cats tested positive for FIV in December of 2013 and from that date forward their health seemed to fail due to a weakened immune system.   Both cats developed cancer and it spread very quickly.  My cats were put down in September 2014 they were both six years old.

 I suspect that my Manx cat was infected with FIV during the time he had gotten out of the house for a day and a half.  He must have had a puncture wound that I did not see when I examined him. 

This is why a recommend that everyone keep their cats indoors because there is no vaccine to prevent the feline immunodeficiency virus.  Know that FIV  is transferable by bite would. Even a mating love bite is enough to infect a queen cat and her kittens. 

I think it is better to keep cats indoors and be safe rather than sorry. 

Note: my Siamese cat named Sam has had no contact with these cats as he resides in another area of our home and only has contact with humans and with dogs.  Sam has no stress and is as healthy as an FIV cat can be. 

 

Sam my FIV cat hanging out with me in my office

Had I known that my Manx and Black cat were infected with FIV I would have taken steps to provide them with special care. I have learned that no cat is safe from catching FIV especially if they are permitted to go outdoors. 

Learn more about FIV at Web MD Pet Health

Photo black and white cat credit by Pixabay public domain