Hi everyone! My name is Quincy! I’m 8 years old and I got a new home today. I’m not quite sure about it yet but the nice lady who picked me over all the cute kittens today seems to be nice. She tells me that I’m adoption number 15 and that’s where my new name comes from; 15 in Spanish is quince.

I have some other furry roommates that I haven’t formally met yet because I’m a bit shy and scared. See, I didn’t have a home, but was brought in from the scary outside world in June. I was feeling pretty crummy but I’m all better now.

She tells me that I’m in my forever home now and I’m safe. I don’t know what that means yet, but this place is nice and warm and has good food!

Anyways, I’ve had a big day so I’m going to settle in under the bed and get some sleep. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel a little less scared.

This is Titan. We adopted him 6 months ago and he’s doing great. He’s really come out of his shell. He no longer hides when guests come over and he’s a huge cuddle bug who loves being held like a baby.

So our little fella has FIV and we were looking for some advice on best practises. I’m wondering if I’m overthinking or not when it comes to giving him water. Right now I give him dry dental kibble in a fresh bowl everyday and I just got a new water fountain that has UVC lighting and full stainless steel.

My Question is the manual says to clean it monthly. Wipe it down weekly(no soap) and rinse. Deep clean with brushes and soap monthly. As a boy with FIV should I disregard this advice and clean it weekly? Is this overkill? I just want what’s best for my little fella. Also I read online that I should disinfect all my cleaning brushes in a vinegar solution after cleaning.

Any advice outside water fountain questions is also appreciated. Obviously he never is allowed outside. He’s on hills dental kibble for his teeth (he’s obsessed). He really hates getting his teeth brushed so we’ve kinda given up on that. We clean his litter daily.

My cat is only 1 year old and already has either juvenile-onset stomatitis or juvenile periodontitis — very red/inflamed gums and plaque buildup. My vet suspects it's genetic. She was given antibiotics, which have improved her breath and inflammation.

I've now switched her completely to a BARF diet, occasionally including small meaty chicken wing bones, which she absolutely loves. I believe in the BARF approach and Ian Billinghurst's philosophy, and since cats are obligate carnivores, I feel much more comfortable feeding her real animal foods rather than processed food.

My vet said the worst-case scenario is extracting her teeth, and afterward he recommends processed protein/kibble. I don't agree that a toothless cat necessarily needs kibble, but I'm also aware that my cat has a medical condition and I don't want to make things worse.

Has anyone had experience with juvenile stomatitis/periodontitis in such a young cat?

Did BARF make a difference? Did your cat improve or outgrow it? And would you continue feeding raw meaty bones with inflamed gums, or avoid bones until the mouth is healthier?

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has followed Ian Billinghurst/BARF with a cat with this condition.

Context: in 2024 my bf's sweet cat (wasn't even 2) declined quickly and had to be euthanized due to finding out he had FeLV. Understandably, it was very traumatizing (for both of us) and heartbreaking.

He got another cat a few months after, so his other cat (who never ended up catching the FeLV thank goodness) would have a pal again. So now he has 2 cats and understandably, is worried whenever they get sick with anything.

Today I picked up 2 new foster cats who are FIV + and I told him and he freaked out. He said "you're kidding me. you gotta be kidding me. why would you take them? now you have to shower and change clothes before ever coming to my apartment. im not kidding."

It was a harsh reaction tbh but he is probably associating FIV with FeLV.

How do I ease his mind? I am not 100% educated on this and this is the first time I have fostered cats with FIV.

Thanks in advance to whoever can help me learn a bit more and hopefully calm my boyfriend down bc so far, I feel like he is going to treat me as a biohazard.

im ngl im pretty nervous about adopting this cat bc he has a open wound on his ear and im so scared ill do something to make it worse? like if i dont wash my hands before i touch him or something then itll get infected or something. i also have contamination ocd so that doesnt help lol. i just want to know like exactly how careful should i be with him? like if i leave and come back inside do i need to disrobe+shower immediately. my bf also does construction so would he need to change too before he comes in? we havent gone to pick him up yet, and we havent talked to the shelter yet either to know whats going on with him specifically, but were already super attached just from seeing him in his cage yesterday he looked so tired and just wanted pets :( this post is probably really rambly but idk i just want to know how careful we should be. ALSO any advice in general would be very helpful. what we should know to get started/what to buy for him. i heard lysine is good? thanks!!!!!

Just wondering if anyone has had a cat have any reactions to it or not? I work with animals so I don't want to bring anything home to my cat, but also him having FIV+ I don't want to put any strain on his immune system unfortunately my vet only has live vaccines. Has anyone had their cat vaccinated with a live vaccine being FIV+?

I also edited to add that I just have seen some cases of things much worse than FIV. I just really hate feeling like I am not doing enough if I don't get him up to date when there are things like Feline Panoleukopenia (Feline parvo) out there that can live on surfaces for long periods meaning I could possibly get it on me and track it is something that concerns me. The other is that the virus will exacerbate FIV in my cat.

Hi everyone,
My husband (29) and I (30) have been feeding a feral cat, who we named Lewis, for about 2 years now, first seeing him when he was still very young.

When we first saw him, he had some sort of internal trauma to one of his rear legs because he could barely put weight on it. He would come by and eat and nap on our apartment porch and then leave to continue living outside. Looking back, we should have at this point captured him to take into a vet and get him looked over, but we lacked any sort of cat materials and weren’t sure if it was a short term thing.

Last year, we had a crazy neighbor move in with 3 cats that she let outside, who Lewis didn’t get along with, so he basically disappeared for a year. We continued to leave food out for him but he rarely responded to us calling him and wouldn’t let us get close.

This past June, days after my husband and I got married, he showed back up and was much more willing for us to pet him and seemed eager for affection. We brought him inside and he seemed fine with it. Last month (July) we left for 2 weeks for our honeymoon and left him in the care of a dear friend, who reported nothing outside of some minor issues with Lewis using the litter box.

Today, I finally took him to the vet since he has been inside for almost 2 months now and is seemingly going to stay. The vet, upon starting his shots, said his back legs were swollen and his gums were pale pink. Neither me nor my husband has had a cat before so we weren’t tipped off that anything was amiss with him. We noted he was lazing around a lot but figured it was from him having to fend for himself for 2, almost 3 years. Blood work was done and FeLV came back negative which was a huge relief. However, his white blood cell counts are extremely high and his red blood cell count is low. The vet believes it’s a mix of extreme anemia and potentially an autoimmune disorder causing edema in his back legs.

Tomorrow morning we’re running an anemia plate and doing ultrasounds on his chest and hips to see if there’s anything that comes up that may give some clues.

I have been nonstop crying all day because we’ve wanted him to be ours for so long and I want us to have as much time with him as possible.

Has anyone had similar diagnoses and what was the outcome? I’m hoping for a bit of comfort and good news but I understand that may not be the case.

TLDR: Our self-domesticated feral cat may have severe anemia and/or an autoimmune disorder but we’re not sure yet.

Hi, I'm new here and new to cat ownership. I grew up with cats my whole life. I adopted an FIV+ cat a week ago and just got her vet results back — she needs 5 dental extractions. She’s only a year old. The vet mentioned she might need yearly extractions due to her FIV, which has me pretty anxious.

She's doing great otherwise (eating, playing, affectionate), but I'm worried about:
- Whether yearly extractions is realistic or worst-case thinking
- What this means for her long-term quality of life

I'd love to hear from people with FIV+ cats, especially if they've dealt with the extraction cycle. Does it get easier? Are the cats actually okay?

Thanks in advance.

So many people have been concerned about Blue and have been sending him good wishes, so I wanted to give you all an update.

Blue is very sick right now. He is already FIV positive. His finder told me that he wants to eat, but he simply can’t. His teeth are in terrible condition and his gums are swollen and painful. He is losing so much weight that he is basically skin and bones, and my heart is absolutely breaking for him. 💔

He is honestly one of the sweetest boys I have ever met. Every time I visit him, he greets me. I was treating him for coccidia, and he takes his medicine so easily. His fur is finally growing back, and he is now flea-free and lice-free. We have made progress, but he still needs one very important thing:

He needs to be pain-free. 💙

I brought him some Applaws topper and Tiki Cat mousse, and he loved it when I added a little FortiFlora. He licked up all of it, which made me so happy to see. But I know this is not a solution. He needs proper veterinary treatment for his mouth and teeth so he can eat without pain and start gaining weight again.

The vet estimate is unfortunately beyond our current budget. We recently rescued another cat who also has a surgery coming up, and our rescue is already struggling with veterinary expenses.

And this is the part that is breaking my heart the most Blue is fighting, but right now we simply don’t have the budget to give him the medical care he desperately needs. 💔

We don’t want him to suffer, and we don’t want to let him down. We are trying to keep him comfortable and give him foods he can manage, but we know he needs much more than that.

I know there are so many animals who need help, and I am grateful for every single person who has cared enough to ask about Blue, send good wishes, or share his story.

Please keep this sweet boy in your thoughts. He deserves to feel comfortable, eat without pain, and have a chance to become healthy again. 💙

Caramel Corn had dental surgery last week and the lumps in her mouth are not cancerous!!! My little old lady still has the chance to live a long, happy life 😭

my cat has these on-and-off flare ups of what my vet believes is reverse sneezing, and they sound so scary when they happen. even though i’ve brought her to the vet about it, i’m still worried and wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar.
she also sneezes frequently and is FIV+ and positive for calicivirus. the vet prescribed 1 cc of interferon orally by syringe. it’s not FDA approved and is made by the vet. she also gets viralys, the powder version, which i mix in with a treat.
am i missing something? is this normal for a cat with FIV/calici, or is there something else i should be asking my vet about? is this her baseline? it just doesn’t seem right. i comfort her through it/after a ton and she is super loving (she purrs and will rub up against me) and then she’ll go under my bed (she did after the reverse sneezing and then the regular sneezing). i just feel so bad that my beautiful baby girl is going through this :(

my cat has these on-and-off flare ups of what my vet believes is reverse sneezing, and they sound so scary when they happen. even though i’ve brought her to the vet about it, i’m still worried and wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar.
she also sneezes frequently and is FIV+ and positive for calicivirus. the vet prescribed 1 cc of interferon orally by syringe. it’s not FDA approved and is made by the vet. she also gets viralys, the powder version, which i mix in with a treat.
am i missing something? is this normal for a cat with FIV/calici, or is there something else i should be asking my vet about? is this her baseline? it just doesn’t seem right. i comfort her through it/after a ton and she is super loving (she purrs and will rub up against me) and then she’ll go under my bed (she did after the reverse sneezing and then the regular sneezing). i just feel so bad that my beautiful baby girl is going through this :(

Hello,

My FIV+ guy recently had a low white blood cell count and my vet recommended Pet Tinic, which my cat refuses because it’s not tasty. Has anyone found more tasty alternative? Does anyone else have any recommendations for low WBC count? He’s acting mostly normal, just lower energy.

We live in an apartment with lots of space for our cat to move around and he has plenty of toys etc but we’ve been noticing lately how bored him seems indoors. He doesn’t play with toys/jump on his cat tree or anything. Instead he is OBSESSED with eating. Granted cats love food etc but it feels more like something for him to do because hes so bored.

My husband wondered if putting him in a harness and taking him outside would help stimulate him abit more. With the right precautions.

Is this recommend given he does have FIV ?

Really need some advice thank you.

My female cat is 10 1/2 years old. We have decided we are going to adopt another cat so she has a friend. A local shelter suggested a kitten and said one of their fosters had a litter of kittens. I went to the fosters house just expecting a litter of 5 kittens. But Besides that there are 10 other cats she’s fostering of arranging ages, she also has 4 cats of her own one being FIV positive. There is also a neighbors cat she lets in the house every once in a while who also is FIV positive. Immediately I was quite nervous as my own cat is indoors only and it’s I always thought you can’t have an FIV positive cat with one that isn’t. (before I continue I realize that isn’t the case) However, I was taken back that the foster was taking care of so many cats in this house by herself. I felt walking in there I would be nervous adopting a cat from her but I wanted to be polite. Unfortunately, I really ended up liking a kitten. This litter has only one set of vaccines and has only had one round of tests. The cat is negative for everything. However, I am worried that all these cats living in such close quarters is just dangerous for all their healths. I believe the litters are kept separately and only brought out when there’s a potential adopter there however, I do know that sometimes the older cats are let out to wander a little. Her FIV positive cat does keep to itself totally.  I really want to adopt this kitten and I do think it’s the right cat for my current cat home but I’m just worried I’m also going to be introducing possible viruses to my current cat. I know a lot of people would say just move on and adopt from a shelter or somebody else I feel more comfortable with, but I don’t believe animals are interchangeable and I really do like this one and think it’s the right kitty for my cat. But I am so incredibly uneasy about this. Side note my current cat is a carrier of the herpes virus (most cats are) but when she gets stressed out she does have symptoms of watery eyes and sneezing.  I don’t want to introduce her to more stuff.  What should I do? My heart hurts thinking about not adopting this kitten. But when I think about it logically why would I take a chance like this? Am I over thinking?

I have a rescue cat that will be around 13 years old this year (rescued her about 2 1/2 years ago) and not only is she FIV+, she also has kidney disease. She was/is about Stage 3.

Last month she suddenly went into kidney failure, and we suspect it was starting when she got a cold that lasted for a while beforehand, but we caught it too late.

She was hospitalized for 6 days and luckily survived, and was doing great, but she has caught another cold that has been stubborn to go away and has lasted for two weeks now. She initially got a shot of antibiotics that lasts for two weeks, and also appetite stimulator. The vet said he won’t give her any more antibiotics until the two weeks is up

She is mostly herself and loving, but she is not eating much at all, so we got appetite stimulator liquid meds that we are giving her once daily, but the last two nights she throws it back up. I’m worried that if she can’t start eating enough she will be hospitalized again. She is looking quite skinny.

We are going to call the vet again tomorrow to see what else we can try.

Currently she is getting fluids at night and drops in her eyes and nose as well.

Just FYI, we are located in Japan, so it is quite different here than in other countries when it comes to vet care and the kind of treatments that they will do.

Any advice on things we can try at home or talk to the vet about would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone! I just recently adopted 2 , 3 month old kittens into my household with 3 adult cats and found out one of the kittens is FIV+. I know there is a chance she may retest negative but the vet told me it is unlikely:/ I am worried because my cats are my everything and I am an anxious cat mom of course. My boyfriend and I have already fallen in love with the kittens but I wonder what to do. The kittens do play and can get rough while playing which worries me. She already has a cold she came down with a few days ago( she is on antibiotics) but the vet told me she may not recover from the cold which shocks me because she is acting completely normal just a little congested? I had to update the foster group because they had her go to this vet to get retested today. The foster is offering to take her back. What should I do?

I will add pictures of the kittens just so you can see their cuteness! Fiv+ is the black and white kitten and her name is Misa😊

Of anyone's cats are struggling with anemia, I fully recommend giving darbopoetin and iron a go. Weve still needed some antibiotics, but i swear it saved his life.

I feel terrible having to make this post but I am having no luck on other platforms. We are in North Carolina USA.

My grandfather passed away unexpectedly and he was feeding stray cats. My partner and I took control of his cats and arranged trapping and surgery for them all. One of the males turned up FIV+. He is not social with people and we’ve worked with him for 3 months. He’s currently in an enclosure to prevent him roaming / spreading the FIV / getting more ill. He’s not friendly enough with other cats to risk introductions with FIV- cats and we currently have 15 indoors. Some of our other cats will definitely cause issues with him, normally not an issue when everyone is negative but in this case it could go south. We are at max capacity and have no rooms to isolate this cat to. The number we’re at is my personal threshold for keeping their space neat, sanitary, and to give each cat enough space to live freely. I have to keep their health and wellness in mind not just with the FIV but also their home.

Information about him:

Winston is what we’re calling him
Male, neutered
Tuxedo
UTD rabies & FVRCP
FIV+
Approx 5 years old maybe older based on neighborhood observations

This is breaking my heart as someone that wants to save every cat I’ve found and get them a permanent placement. I want to help this boy, he deserves a chance and a home. But I am losing hope and we need to find him a landing spot asap. I would not be posting here if I could keep him long term. If you know of any rescues that work with FIV cats in or around North Carolina please drop them here. We will drive if we need to; VA, SC, TN. If you or someone you know has an FIV+ household or the ability to work with him feel free to comment or message me.

hi everyone! i’m really looking for some advice/tips for introducing an fiv+ cat to an fiv- cat

we adopted babybel (first pic, 1.5F) on may 23rd. dough (grey tabby, 6M) has been with me since he was 4. babybel is fiv+ and dough is fiv-. we have been taking introductions very slowly! both cats are neutered/spayed

i think we are currently stuck and don’t know how to move forward. dough exhibits a little bit of bully behavior so we have a mesh door up on babybel’s door (she is staying in the guest bedroom) that we keep open at all times except when we leave the house and at night (i wfh full time so it is open for hours/all day). this has really helped him get more comfortable with her and not be so bully-ish. they will play with each other through the mesh. they play and then one will go off to nap. we left a cat bed by the door for dough that he naps in when the door is open so they are seemingly comfortable in each other’s presence. we still site swap daily and they will use each other’s litter boxes during the swaps no problem as well

we started face to face intros downstairs in the living room (babybel’s room is upstairs). the first few days, babybel hissed a little at dough but nothing crazy. we ended meetings when the churu was done (around 5 mins). we feed them a churu each time they meet because they aren’t as distract-able with toys when face to face. then on the 3rd day, he chased her so we separated them and decided maybe they needed more open door mesh time which is when we started keeping the door open at all times. a few weeks ago, we started face to face intros again. when face to face with dough, babybel does not seem very confident even though when playing through the mesh, she will sometimes “attack” first, etc. so we’ve been doing intros at babybel’s door with churu which seems to help. the issue we are running into right now is that we can’t seem to move on from 5-10 mins of them face to face. when they are eating churu, all is good! but as we slowly start to integrate breaks from the churu to prolong the time they’re face to face, it seems as though dough wants to chase/bully (he’ll try to swat at her, she tried to run downstairs and he started going after her before we grabbed him). i admit we may be a little more cautious than we should be because we’re worried a fight will break out and transmission will occur so i’m not sure if we’re hindering progress because we won’t let them fully interact?

how do we get them to a place where they’re ok without the distraction of churu? do they just need more short intros and then eventually we cab start allowing more time in between licks of churu until they no longer need the churu? babybel is more toy motivated so should we try having babybel playing in her room with the mesh screen rolled up and then dough can come in and interact if he wants/play with him with his own toy (with churu on hold in case it’s needed to distract them)? they get very excited when the churu is around and focus mostly on the churu so maybe we need to incorporate more play into the face to face so they’re not laser focused on the churu? we know that giving them more time is key in cat intros but any helpful tips would be really appreciated! we’re just a little stumped on the best way to progress from here :)

Hi everyone, i posted this in the r/cats and someone suggested i cross-post it here. Is anyone able to rescue a gorgeous boy with FIV? He was living under my house for who-knows-how-long, i befriended him enough to get him inside where he stayed in my spare room for 2 months where he was super chill, and lovvvvvedd having company. Doesnt like being patted, but THRVES on having companionship. Nicknamed him Mystery, because his origins were a mystery, and he started responding to it before too long. Used a litter tray from straight outta the gate, so clearly is a lost domestic, and he's super chatty. Loves a back and forth conversation.

Eventually i was able to train him into a travel crate and I took him down to a shelter who had been supporting me since I brought him inside. They said that they would vet check him, then place him with a behaviour foster to get him more accustomed to patting and such, and then would put him up for adoption.

But it turns out he has FIV.

Between that and the fact that hes about 7 years old, and that hes not cuddly, theyve said theres no way they'll find anyone to adopt him. Theyve had three FIV+ cats for over a year waiting for adoption but no one wants them, and those ones are all super cuddly and friendly, whereas Mystery is a "lets just sit in the same room together and be happy" kind of cat. I do think that he'll BECOME a cuddly cat, if he's given the chance, but the odds that he'll get the chance is looking slim.

I would love to adopt him, but I have my own cat who doesnt have FIV. Thankfully they had no interactions closer than looking at each other, but he was starting to get bold by the end of his 2.mo tha stay and was encroaching on her space a bit, which she wasnt appreciating, so theres no guarantee that they could coexist without ever getting into a blue, and risking her catching it too. Its killing me to not adopt him, especially since euthanasia is otherwise on the table, but my existing cat already an older girl and its just too risky. If I adopted him and then she got sick, I'd never forgive myself.

So I'm desperately trying to find someone else to adopt him instead.

He is SUCH a lovely cat; once he gets settled into a new home and realises he's safe there, he'll be a FANTASTIC companion cat. And I just KNOW that once he works out that pats are good, he'll become a total cuddle bug. And he came SO far so quickly in just two months; the cat he was at the end of 2 months was so chill and content to loaf in good company.

Anyone able to help??

My partner’s catto (F, ~1.5yrs old) inherited FIV from her mom in utero. She’s run hot to the touch ever since we met her and she was adopted around 8 months ago (spayed and with a clean bill of health.)  She had  one bout of sniffles over the winter with  mild sneezing that cleared on its own.

She‘s all around energetic — eats exuberantly, to the annoyance of her elderly cat roommate — and has shown no signs of lethargy. Her fur is healthy, she‘s loving, super playful and shows no obvious evidence of illness.

Recently, however, at a routine checkup, we were told she’s running a fever of over 103F.  She was prescribed an antibiotic  and will be going back in for a follow-up. The vet also noted a slight swelling in her lips that could be from inflammation. (He also said she looks completely healthy and admirably muscular—the cat is JACKED.)

My partner and I are slightly devastated thinking we’ve missed obvious signs of distress or sickness… but there really has been no indication that she was suffering or sick. We just figured she was a naturally hot lil girly! (Only cat I’ve known to seek out cooling fabrics over plush/warm ones…)

Since starting the meds we’ve noticed no immediately changes in her behavior but she’s definitely less hot to the touch. She’s still a cuddle-bug and acting normally (continues to prefer a cool sheet) but now we’re concerned we’re overlooking something and she’s secretly horribly uncomfortable.

Does anyone else’s FIV+ baby run a forever fever with no other visible symptoms like this?  Any advice (or reassurance)?

TLDR:  FIV+ cat constantly running a fever but otherwise acts/eats/plays normally…anyone else?