Gandolf—who tends to grunt instead of meow—is a long-haired, orange and white cat with a commanding 22-pound figure that make him seem as though he’s used to royal treatment—gourmet cat food from a crystal goblet and grooming by a white-gloved human. In truth, Gandolf was rescued from a cat hoarder after being found in crowded living environment with almost 100 other cats.
Gandolf is also FIV-positive—a diagnosis known to make some people react with fear, disgust, shock or anguish.
Joy Eubanks, president and founder of the Marley Fund in Greenville, N.C., adopted Gandolf after his rescue. The Marley Fund is an organization that works to eradicate the cycles of feline retroviruses, so Eubanks was well informed about FIV and no stranger to taking in animals in need.
“They all have their quirks and personalities, but (Gandolf’s) defines how thankful he is to be with me,” Eubanks says. “He has to put his paw on me somewhere, from arm to face to leg, as if he is giving me a hug or saying ‘you are mine’.”
Like Eubanks, all over the country pet owners with FIV-positive cats experience little to no difficulty caring for them. And, 31 million cats are at risk for exposure to FIV each year, according to IDEXX Laboratories, manufacturers of FIV test kits. Yet, many more Americans have no idea of the possibility of felines contracting such a virus, and the ignorance can be costly for both owners and pets, as well as animal rescue organizations.
Common Reactions
What is FIV and how is it contracted? Cats can get AIDS? Can humans get it too? Is the test accurate? Will my cat die? These are all common questions asked in reaction to a FIV-positive diagnosis.
According to Dr. Mark T. Hayes, DVM, of 10th Street Animal Hospital in Greenville, N.C., owners also ask whether they could have prevented their cat from contracting the disease.
With regard to prevention, the answer comes too late for many. Fortunately, though, for veterinarians who have stayed up to date on retrovirus information, the other questions are easier to answer. FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, a type of virus that typically progresses slowly, gradually affecting a cat’s immune system. Although similar in type to HIV in humans, the two viruses are not the same and FIV is not transmittable to human beings. It can also not be spread to other domestic species of animals, such as dogs or birds.
Still, not all veterinarians are well educated about FIV even though it was discovered in cats 20 years ago. Many of these vets recommend euthanasia. But, Eubanks and others warn that a decision for euthanasia should never be made solely on the basis of whether a cat is infected.
Seeking Support
If their veterinarian is unable to provide them consolation, the initial shock and fear that their pet has just been given a death sentence can be very hard on owners. Fortunately, the Internet has made it easier for those seeking information about FIV to find answers and even organizations, such as The Marley Fund, that offer counseling.
“The Marley Fund is the only one out there with an abundance of material on retroviruses such as FIV (with exception to veterinary universities) on call to speak with pet owners on a daily basis,” says Eubanks. “We are very proud of this and live to help others understand that FIV is not so bad.”
Eubanks says the counseling process usually involves helping alleviate owner panic by discussing the facts about the virusas well as the caution thattesting positive on a screening test means that the kitty has been exposed to FIV and not necessarily that the cat has FIV.
Eubanks also provides the following facts from Best Friends Animal Society:
· The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is a “slow” virus that affects a cat's immune system, often over a period of years, meaning FIV cats often live long, healthy lives with minimal or no symptoms.
· FIV is not easily passed between cats through casual contact in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing.
· FIV is rarely spread from a mother cat to her kittens.
· The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, and penetrating bite wounds.
· FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible through living indoors and free from stress, a high-quality diet, and treatment of any secondary problems as soon as they arise.
According to Eubanks, 95 percent of the time owners express relief and say they feel reassured.
Lori Jones of Summerville, S.C., found the Marley Fund after her son brought home a stray who tested positive for both FIV and feline leukemia—although feline leukemia is often confused with FIV, it is a completely different retrovirus and can be spread more easily than FIV.
“The Marley Fund was a godsend to me in educating me about FeLV and FIV and instrumental in my decision to not only adopt and love my first kitty but to enable me to do the same for others,” relates Jones. “I have loved and lost several now but do not regret one minute with any of these kitties.”
Jones currently has 5 cats, none of whom are only FIV-positive, but several who are combo FeLV/FIV-positive and FeLV-positives.
“Every day that the cats from Marley Fund have been with me is a joy,” Jones states. “They are happy and healthy and live life like any other cat—that said I have found that when either FeLV or FIV hits ‘full force’ (for lack of better terminology) there many times is nothing that medical intervention can do to help and it can be a very quick onset of symptoms.”
In spite of the ups and downs of loving and losing some of her felines, Jones would absolutely adopt more positive cats in the future. She does not have any cats without viruses because it is recommended the FeLV-positive cats not live with negatives.
“These kitties need and deserve love just as much (and have as much or more to give) as non-infected cats,” Jones adds.
Effects on animal rescue organizations
Although the facts often alleviate fears, ignorance is still causing challenges for animal rescue organizations and individual pets.
Achilles, for example, who was sold as pure bred Maine Coon and left outdoors by his owner, was thought to be infected with FIV from a neighboring cat. He was then abandoned by his owner at the veterinarian office. One of the employees found a rescue group that placed Achilles in a foster home, which included dogs. His dog-like actions and great size made him an instant hit with the family. Ironically, Achilles was re-tested eventually and received a negative result.
Achilles turned out to be very lucky in spite of being uprooted from his first home. According to Carol deOlloqui, program director of Marley’s Cat Tales, the adoption division of Marley Fund, many other cats are not as lucky. It is not uncommon for shelters to euthanize a positive cat.
No-kill shelters are often faced with additional costs.FIV kitties are isolated individually in a cage, which takes up space where more than one animal could be housed. Those that don't keep the animals in cages usually isolate FIV-positives in a separate room.
“This means that even the volunteers or employees that work with the animals will have the belief that this is a terrible disease that is highly contagious and will kill the cat in a short time,” deOlloqui relates. “This also costs us all in time, money and effort to work to educate against these ideas of necessary separation. The result is that shelters and rescue spend much time and money housing these animals separately and not educating public since they don't have the time with the extra effort they take for housing.”
Those willing to adopt a positive kitty usually don’t already have other pets initially. And deOlloqui says that, for most adopters, FIV quickly loses its stigma.
“Once they adopt a positive, they almost always want another,” she notes.
People who already have other “healthy” cats are much less likely to adopt a positive. This is not always the case, though, and the few who do integrate one into their home (being sure to do so slowly, systematically and with supervision) never complain about the FIV kitty, relates deOlloqui.
In spite of the successes she has seen with adoptions, deOlloqui feels that it’s important for the original owners to think very carefully before considering giving up a cat for adoption based solely on FIV status.
“Giving up your cat because it tests positive for FIV is like giving up your child because he contracts the measles,” deOlloqui states. “The cat is still your furry friend that you loved before the test and will continue to give you love and is likely to be healthy for many, many years.”
Testing
Eubanks stresses that Achilles’ story is a good example of how a happy ending can take place when proper testing protocol is followed. Indeed, in spite of challenges for animal rescuers, pro testing organizations—such as the Marley Fund and the American Association of Feline Practitioners—stress the importance of testing felines for retroviruses.
These and other organizations emphasize that there are often no symptoms of retroviruses until it’s too late, so knowing whether an animal is positive can allow an owner to take steps to keep a positive animal healthy or to prevent a negative animal from ending up positive. Currently, while millions of cats are at risk, currently only 4 percent of cats, according to IDEXX Laboratories, are tested yearly. But, testing can be done simply and quickly at a veterinarian’s office. IDEXX Laboratories manufactures a FIV/FeLV Combo Test, which tests for both viruses at the same time. Results take only 10 minutes.
It is recommended by The American Association of Feline Practitioners that testing be done yearly, especially in cats that have been exposed to cats of unknown status or who have spent time outdoors. When a cat is adopted it should also be tested before being brought into the home.
Full lives
Jones states that there are differences between raising positive and virus-free cats.
“All of my babies are strictly indoors...however, their indoors is a haven for them — full run of the house, a large screened in porch with cat towers, ledges and trees to climb in,” Jones says, adding that she takes other precautions, such as giving them L-lysine twice a day for their immune systems and is looking into a newly released product called Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator.
Eubanks relates that, since its inception six years ago, the Marley Fund has learned of many FIV-positive felines living long, full lives and she hopes Gandolf, a.k.a. Biggie, will be no exception, especially given his extremely affectionate manner.
“Quite a few friends and volunteers have wanted to adopt him immediately after being in his presence. But I say, absolutely not. We have many other FIVs to help out; I can definitely find you another! Biggie stays with Momma!”
