FIV/FeLV-Positive Cats Can Cuddle, Too
Written by: Erin Harty, Associate Editor @ Vetcentric.com

Most cats don't want much. Food and water. Shelter. Companionship. And, if you can spare it, a little extra love.

Some cats, however, need a little more from their owners. An open mind. A willingness to take chances. Optimism. An ability to live in the moment.

These cats need additional understanding from their owners because they've contracted the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) or feline leukemia virus (FeLV) . Both diseases are communicable to other cats, and there's no cure for either virus. Although infected cats live varied lifespans, in many cases, the viruses strike them down before their time.

Neither virus is necessarily an immediate death sentence, but infected cats are often considered "damaged goods" by potential adopters and adoption agencies. Not many people are willing to take an animal that might die sooner rather than later. Few shelters or rescues can afford the luxury of housing such a cat for an extended period of time, especially if the space could be used to keep other, more adoptable cats.

The result is that many perfectly sweet, happy, and loving cats are euthanized because it's just too difficult to find homes for them.

Some adoption groups, though, will take on the challenge. They diligently point out these special-needs cats to potential adopters, in the hope of finding one of those rare people who fits the description above.

More often than not, though, people politely decline.

Sam Hatman of the Arizona Feline Network  ( http://www.azfelines.org/ ) sees it happen all the time. "People see a cat and fall in love with it, and I remind them that the cat is positive," she said. "They say, æOh. I don't want the cat to die on me in a couple years.'" And they walk away.

Doug Eader of the SAFE Haven for Cats  ( www.safehavenforcats.org ), a no-kill shelter in Raleigh, N.C., estimates that the shelter takes in three to five FIV- or FeLV-positive cats in the course of any given year. They have managed to find homes for all of their positive cats, but it often takes quite a while.

"[FeLV- and FIV-positive cats] don't fly off the shelves," he said. "They're very, very difficult to adopt. Not everyone who walks in the door, obviously, is looking for a special needs cat."

A positive cat is certainly a tough sell, but there are owners out there willing to take them in. Some generous people are particularly looking to save a cat that's hard to adopt. Others have never considered a special-needs cat, but just happen to fall in love with the way a particular cat looks or acts, and the cat just happens to be positive.

"The thing about it is [that] the cats aren't showing any symptoms. They make wonderful pets. You can't look at them and say, æThat cat has FeLV or FIV," Mr. Eader said.

The key to getting these cats adopted is education, Mr. Eader said -- shelter workers explain to potential adopters what these diseases are and what the ramifications might be.

One of the most important facts to get across is that FIV and FeLV are not transmissible to humans. As one might suspect from the name, FIV is in the same family of viruses as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and that instantly triggers suspicion among potential adopters. But all evidence suggests that neither FIV nor FeLV pose any risk to humans, or other non-feline pets.

As far as daily care, non-symptomatic FIV- and FeLV-positive cats don't require anything different from cats that don't have the disease. There's no special food and usually no medication, said Mr. Eader, although he stressed that a high-quality diet is very important. "You can't feed them the grocery store junk," he said. Routine medical and dental care also are crucial.

Both FIV and FeLV have an adverse effect on a cat's immune system, however -- infected cats are much more susceptible to other diseases or infections that other cats would be able to fight off. It's often these secondary infections that eventually prove fatal to FIV- or FeLV-positive cats.

For this reason, Ms. Hatman strongly recommends a low-stress environment for any positive cat. "They can live as long as non-positive cats under the right conditions," she said. An ideal home would be one where the owners worked a regular schedule, and any children are old enough or responsible enough not to play rough or unintentionally torment the cat, she said.

"A nice, loving environment -- a family, or a single person who wants a best friend, or a young couple. Not someone who moves every two years. Just a steady environment," she said.

It's also important to be vigilant about veterinary care, Mr. Eader said. As long as positive cats are healthy, they'll just need a thorough checkup every year. But if a positive cat ever develops a cold or other ailment, it's important to get it to a veterinarian right away so the illness can be controlled quickly, he explained, since the cats will be less able to fight a sickness off on their own.

Since both FIV and FeLV can be transmitted to other cats, potential owners should not have any other cats, unless they're likewise positive with the same virus.

Of course, there are lots of stable, loving, educated, cat-less homes out there -- that's not the problem. It's finding potential owners who can overlook those pesky words: "potentially fatal."

It's impossible to predict the life span of any animal, and FIV- and FeLV-positive cats are no exception. Estimates, when given, vary widely. Some cats don't live as long as expected, some live much longer.

"An FIV cat can live 5, 6, 10 years and be happy as anything," said Mr. Eader. "FeLV is tougher. The life expectancy, if the cat is positive as a kitten, is probably no greater than 2 or 3."

Cats will always defy expectations, of course. Ms. Hatman knows of a trio of cats who were surrendered when their owner was evicted. Two were positive for FeLV, the more serious of the two viruses. They were 18 and 13 years old; the cat that tested negative was 16.

"There aren't any guarantees. You can adopt a æhealthy' cat that doesn't have FIV or FeLV, and that's not a guarantee," said Ms. Hatman, adding that there are any other number of reasons why a cat might die before its time.

"We like to say that a cat that's positive for FeLV or FIV just takes away the illusion that these cats are going to live forever," said Mr. Eader. "These cats need a good home too, for however long they live. And they can be the best cats, the most loyal, loving cats, you could ever have."

Of course, it's easy to understand potential owners' hesitation. Losing a pet is difficult, and no one wants to endure it more often or earlier than they have to. We all hope that our pets will be with us for at least a decade or even two.

"There's the fear that the cat is going to die tomorrow, especially if the people have recently lost a pet -- they can't face it. And I can understand that," Mr. Eader said. It takes an "extra special" person to knowingly open his or her heart to a pet that may not be around very long.

Mr. Eader just recently received an email from a family who had adopted an FeLV-positive kitten from the shelter in May of 2000. The cat had just passed away over the Thanksgiving weekend. The family wanted to remember the good times they'd had with the cat, he said, and when they were ready, they planned to come adopt another.

But he doubted they'd take another FeLV- or FIV-positive cat -- it's undeniably difficult. "They did their part," he said. "I cannot say enough good things about these families."

"It would be nice if more people would give [an FIV- or FeLV-positive cat] a shot. It isn't a death sentence. They can live a full life," said Ms. Hatman. "If people are open-minded, and they don't have another cat, why not give them a chance?"

"I don't know what it is about these cats, but they're the most loving cats -- they seem so appreciative to have been given a second chance," she said.

For more information:

SAFE Haven for Cats http://www.safehavenforcats.org/

Arizona Feline Network http://www.azfelines.org/

Cornell University Feline Health Center information on FeLV and FIV

Pets With Special Needs Give Owners Special Rewards

*Article courtesy of VetCentric.com
Originally published December 01, 2005
Written by: Erin Harty, Associate Editor
For more information on this article, please visit http://www.vetcentric.com