Hi Everyone,

My name is Dan, and I am a veterinarian. Today I am talking about FIV or feline immunodeficiency virus. FIV is a disease I see on a regular basis at the veterinary hospital, but most pet parents are not super familiar with it.

FIV is contacted by cats in most cases by a bite wound. This happens when cats are outside the usually male cats get into fights and bite each other. The saliva and bodily fluids from the bite cause the spread of the virus.

When a cat gets FIV over time their immune system will become compromised. There are three stages to the FIV disease, but the progressive if the final stage when the cat's immune system is no longer doing its job leading to secondary bacterial, fungal, or other viral infections.

FIV cats can leave quite normal lives. Most of them do have more infections than other cats, but they can live years very happily. If you are looking to adopt a FIV cat, that cat should be an only cat in your house, and that cat should not go outside. By doing this you are preventing the spread of the disease to other cats, and you ave giving a cat with FIV a great life.

FIV cats are more likely to develop secondary infections like stomatitis, upper respiratory infections and eye infections. These infections should be treated by your veterinarian as a secondary infection to the FIV.

FIV was first diagnosed in the 1980s. About 15% of the cat population has been exposed to FIV or feline immunodeficiency virus at sometime in their lives.

To diagnose FIV a veterinarian will complete a blood test at the veterinary clinic. This will be an Elisa test. The Elisa test is an antibody test. If this test is positive, the veterinarian can run a second test called a western blot or PCR.

The Elisa test is very reliable. If the Elisa test is positive with a kitten, the veterinarian will want to retest to make sure the antibodies were not just from mommy cat causing a false positive.

Disclaimer: This video does not replace veterinary care. Always see your local veterinarian for all medical concerns you may have regarding your cat.