High Five for FIV Positively Adoptable Cats!
Remember back in the late 1980s, when there was so much unknown about HIV/AIDS? If you are too young to remember, it’s when people were so afraid of people diagnosed as HIV+, they thought they could get AIDS just by touching an HIV+ person!
FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), or “kitty AIDS,” understandably didn’t cause quite the same hysteria, but for those of us cat folks, we think it’s pretty close.
Sadly, some veterinarians still recommend euthanizing FIV+ cats, and it’s not uncommon for shelters to automatically euthanize healthy FIV+ cats upon intake at their facility, without even giving them a chance for adoption.
All of us at FieldHaven think it’s a bunch of litter dust. We’re celebrating FIV+ cats, not banishing them! For the first quarter of 2017, we are presenting FIV+ cats in our adoption center at FieldHaven Marketplace and Champy’s Catfé. We feel so strongly about debunking the myths, we’re expanding our capacity by building two additional condos for adoptable FIV+ cats.
You won’t know these cats are FIV+ just by looking at them: the only way to confirm is with a blood test. As standard shelter medicine protocols recommend, FieldHaven tests every cat over six months of age.
What Do We Do When a Cat Tests Positive for FIV?
Not much. The only real difference is that we house FIV+ cats with other FIV+ cats. It’s not because we are concerned about transmission to FIV-negative cats, but rather, because standard shelter protocols recommend housing them separately, mostly due to the fact that many veterinarians still have concerns about FIV transmission. The tide, fortunately, is turning.
Exactly how does a cat get FIV? Deep penetrating bite wounds, which means a very serious cat fight with fur and blood flying. It’s the sort of scuffle intact males get into when fighting over females, not something we expect to see in our households of fixed cats.
To learn more, visit this article on why FIV+ cats make great adoptees.
If you’re a person who wants to know everything about FIV, watch this informative webcast from Maddie’s Fund and it will answer all of your questions.
Meet Our FIV+ Adoptable Cats
If you cannot adopt, can you sponsor the adoption of an FIV+ cat? For just $50.00, you can sponsor the adoption fee. Your adoption sponsorship will save two lives – the cat you sponsor and the one we can intake the fill that space in our shelter!
Print Friendly