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If you have a cat that has tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV+) or Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV+), you may have a situation in which you need to give up this cat. If you have other cats that have tested negative for these diseases, most veterinarians recommend that you do not house FIV+/FeLV+ and FIV-/FeLV- cat together, due to the risk of infection.
Following are our best recommendations if you are faced with this tough situation.
Get a Definitive Diagnosis
First make sure you have a definitive diagnosis of the disease, or diseases: your cat may be FIV+, FeLV+ or both. FIV and FeLV are often confused by people. While these diseases are related from a biological point of view, they are very different diseases in practice.
The most common test for FIV and/or FeLV infection is via a simple, cheap blood test performed in the veterenarian's office.The results are available in about 15 minutes. While the results of this test are very reliable, your vet may suggest repeating the test (possibly after a waiting period1) or even sending out blood for further testing.
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Become Knowledgable about the Diseases
Once you have a definitive diagnosis, we highly recommend that you become knowledgable about the disease. Here are some of our favorite resources:
- The Cornell Feline Health Center of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is a world leader in feline medicine. They have informative concise pages on FIV and FeLV that we consider required reading.
- The Winn Feline Health Foundation has a nice article on FeLV.
- For more technical information on these viruses, the American Association on Feline Practioners has a brochure that is well worth reading, if you can handle the technical jargon.
- Online groups can be excellent resources for learning about the practical aspects of these diseases, as well as getting advice on finding a new home for an infected cat or just being able to talk to someone who understands.
- FIVCats · FIVCats: Support for FIV+ Loved Ones is the most popular group we know of for people with an FIV+ cat.
- PurringPixieCatResource · Help for FELV & FIV Positive Cats is a group for people with an FIV+ and/or FeLV+ cat
If the cat is less than 12 weeks old
- Speak with your vet: as always, your vet is your best resource for medical concerns. You should discuss the possibility of keeping this cat with your other cats. For example, if you just discovered that one of your cats is FIV+ and has been living with the other cats, your vet may feel that the risk of infection is extremely low. This is a personal decision that you should make carefully.
- Contact friends, neighbors and relatives: maybe you know someone who has no cats, or only cats that are FIV+ or FeLV+.
- Search for Other Sanctuaries: while Tabby's Place does have an FIV+ Suite, the room is always full and the waiting list is several years' long. We are not adding cats to the waiting list at this time. Tabby's Place is not able to accept FeLV+ cats.
You should, however, consult the following table, which lists other facilities that we believe accept FIV+/FeLV+ cats. Note that Tabby's Place is not affiliated with any of these organizations. In addition, we do not know their intake policies and cannot comment on their desirability for ill cats. We provide this information as a service.
| Name | Location | Contact Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL | Phone | ||
| Best Friends Animal Society | Kanab, UT | http://www.bestfriends.org/ | 435 644-2001 |
| Best Little Cat House | Harrisburg, PA | http://www.thebestlittlecathouseinpa.com/ | 717 469-2540 |
| Fitzhugh B. Crews FIV Cat Sanctuary | Cordova, TN | http://www.fivcatsanctuary.com/ | |
| Kitties from Heaven | Webster City, IA | http://www.kittiesfromheaven.com/ | 253 912-2089 |
| Saving Paws Animal Rescue | Appleton, WI | http://www.savingpaws.com/ | 920 886-2287 |
| Crash's Landing | Grand Rapids, MI | http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI275.html | |
| Just Cats | http://justcatsinc.org/ | ||
| All Creatures Animal Rescue & Sanctuary | Buffalo, MO | http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MO123.html | 417 345-5002 |
| Froggie's Landing | Battle Creek, MI | http://froggiespond.org/ | |
| Celia Hammond Animal Trust | Wadhurst, East Sussex (UK) | http://celiahammond.org/ | |
| Cat Tail Farms Feline Sanctuary | Webberville, MI | http://www.cattailfarms.org/ | |
| Southern Animal Rescue Association | Seguin, TX | http://www.sarasanctuary.org/newsite/index.php | 830 401-0280 |
| Shadow Cats | Round Rock, TX | http://www.shadowcats.net/ | 512 388-3909 |
| Precious Lives Animal Hospital & Sanctuary | Akron, OH | http://www.preciouslives.com/homepage.html | 330 633-3393 |
| Catwork | Nether Stowey, Somerset (UK) | http://www.v63.net/catwork/ | |
| 9 Lives Cat Rescue | London (UK) | http://www.nine-lives.org.uk/ | |
| Dog & Kitty City | Dallas, TX | http://www.dognkittycity.com/ | 214 350-7387 |
| PACT Humane Society | Downers Grove, IL | http://www.pacthumanesociety.org/ | 630 375-7017 |
| It's Meow or Never Animal Rescue and Sanctuary | Woodinville, WA | http://www.itsmeowornever.org/ | |
| Purrfect Pals | Arlington, WA | http://www.purrfectpals.org/ | 360 652-9611 |