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Semi feral cat with suspected feline aids

  • 28-10-2020 1:39pm
    #1
    RubyK
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭


    Hi, one of my semi feral work cats, who was a beast of a cat until getting him neutered 2 years ago, has in the last few months, gotten quite thin and the condition of his coat isn't looking great, although he grooms himself an awful lot. I noticed his gums are really red looking and he is drooling quite a bit. I can rub him, but can't lift him up. I took a picture of his mouth and the vet thinks he might have feline aids. He is starting meds today. I don't know how old he is, as he arrived as a fully grown cat, 7-8 years ago. He's calmed down to be a lovely fella, just wants food and a chat :) Anyone have experience of feline aids?


Comments

  • #2
    bb12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 886 ✭✭✭bb12


    hi yes one of my semi feral boys had feline aids. he'd be grand and then would have an outbreak with all flu-ey symptoms every now and then. the vets have some long acting antibiotic injection that they can give which lasts up to 3 months...can't remember the name of it now, but he'd get that any time his symptoms were really bad and it would settle everthing down for a while. he was always a bit scraggly looking but lived a decent life. in the end he got an abscess that we just couldn't get on top of and he died but he was around 12 years old so he had had a decent enough life up to that point.


  • #3
    RubyK
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭RubyK


    Thanks bb12 - I've been given antibiotics for him, and in the space of 2 days, he's looking better, I think.


  • #4
    loveisdivine
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,463 ✭✭✭loveisdivine


    It's slightly incorrect to call it Aids, the vet shouldn't really do that either. Aids is late /end stage HIV.

    What you're cat potentially has is FIV, the feline equivalent of HIV. 2 of our cats are FIV positive. It can only be diagnosed through a blood test. But common symptoms are severe stomatitis, often leading to full extraction of teeth. This is likely why your cat has inflamed gums and has lost weight because he's finding it painful to eat. In the early stages of stomatitis vets will often use steroid injections, which help a lot, but eventually a lot of FIV cats need extractions. I would talk to your vet about the steroids if he's not already been prescribed them. Theres only 1 type of stomatitis bacteria, as far as I know, that responds to antibiotic treatment, so it's often not much use.

    Also they can get runny eyes quite regularly, a powder supplement called L-Lysine can be added to the food and will usually help keep it at bay.

    Majority of FIV cats can live long and healthy lives. FIV itself doesn't kill cats, they simply get to a stage where the immune system can't function adequately, so if they get sick they unfortunately to succumb to whichever disease/illness it may be. But the time and circumstances under which this happens are different for every single cat.


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