Sick cat diagnosed with FIV today (advice?)

Ray Burkes Pension

We've taken our cat abroad (Germany) and today had our first experience with a German vet.

Cat was sleeping most of the day on wednesday, it was 29 degrees out of nowhere and we figured the heat was affecting him. Thursday he wasn't really eating and seemed lethargic. Late thursday night he started to eat properly again, and seemed to be recovering on friday (even jumped up on the dinner table in an attempt to scrounge what we were having). Saturday I was woken up to be told there was blood in his poop. He was back to not eating and very lethargic. We couldn't find a single vet open here on a saturday. Eventually found an emergency number late saturday night.

So today we brought him in. The vet found he had a high temperature. Did some tests for FIV and FELV and he turned up positive for FIV.

The vet enquired whether we wanted him tps.

Of course we opted instead to give him an antibiotic and an IV to rehydrate him. He's been kept in and they are supposed to be calling us tomorrow afternoon to tell us if he's responding.

The whole vet experience seemed off to me. Of course it was conducted in German which I am only getting bits of and then being told what the vet said after the event. Here's the things that seemed weird to me:

At the start the vet seemed to thing the cat was older than we think he is based upon the curve of his long claws? is this a thing? (we have no idea of his real age as we never had him as a kitten).

The vet then wanted to clip the claws because they would be dangerous when getting tests? cat of course didn't take well to the clipping in the state he was in, considering he's never had it done before and went for the vet half way through.

Then the vet decided he would need to be sedated if he was gonna have an iv.

Then we were told he had FIV the vet immediately wondered if we wanted him tps right then.

So I'm now wondering will he be in any mood to eat after being sedated in any case.

I've been reading up on FIV since and see cats can live with it without a problem. He is now an indoor cat since moving here so there's no risk of transmission of FIV.

kathleen37

I don't know why your Vet would recommend PTS for FIV? We've had cats with FIV that have lived happily into their 20's. We have one left at the moment, and she's still going strong.

The main thing is to keep them in, as you are already doing, to remove the risk of any infection to other cats.

The only real issues any of ours had was gum problems - once teeth were removed, problems solved. Cats have no issues having no teeth - ours still ate their cat biscuits with no problems.

Again, have no idea what the claw clipping was about either? As long as the claws aren't growing into the paw, then ????

I think you need to be clear to the vet that FIV is no reason to PTS. You want to make sure you cat is ok so please can they treat him for his symptoms. I would be concerned about the blood in his poo, so the cause of that needs to be found.

I hope he's ok. I think the big heat would affect his eating and I certainly lie about when it's really hot. However, cats cannot go without food for long periods of time - 2 or 3 days can cause issues. The fact he was eating again after a day, is a good sign.

Hopefully the hydration will help and they'll be able to sort out his other issues.

Good luck.

Ms Doubtfire1

FiV cats can live long and healthy lives. Change Vet. German Vets should know better and usually do.

boomerang

Doesn't sound like a cat-friendly vet to me, if they wanted to sedate for catheter placement and they wanted to clip claws so they wouldn't get injured if he scratched! And they are behind the times if they felt FIV was an automatic death sentence.

Yes FIV+ cats can live long and healthy lives, or at least have years of health before deteriorating. Unfortunately if his immune system is no longer optimal then PTS comes into the picture if he doesn't respond to treatment. It's a question of quality of life. Hope he bounces back OP.

Ms Doubtfire1

I have a 19 year old FIV cat. He does sneeze regular and is on AB about 3 times a year.Other than that no problems. Once symptoms stop respond to antibiotics treatment, that's when you need to re consider. until than, business and life as normal.