Feline immunodeficiency virus is a virus in the retrovirus family. The virus triggers in cats an immunodeficiency disease, which is colloquially referred to as feline AIDS, as it closely resembles the disease AIDS in humans. Transfers from the cat to the human are not possible. After years of research, experts believe it unlikely that transmission will be possible in infected cats, with the exception of bite marks. In the integration of new cats is therefore to ensure that they show no aggression. If possible, FIV cats are only kept in the home to prevent the spread of the virus. If they are already used to clearance, castration is indispensable to mitigate turf wars.
Animals infected with FIV live on average between five and 10 years without symptoms, but develop conspicuous features such as weight loss, fever, swollen lymph nodes, chronic infections, nasal discharge or conjunctivitis and gingivitis. The virus multiplies in the immune cells of the infected cat and destroys it. As a result, viruses, bacteria or parasites can develop and cause a variety of diseases. Even chronic infections of different organ systems can be triggered by the immune deficiency. Although the cats can regenerate temporarily, they are lifelong carriers of the FI virus. There is no possibility of elimination. The prognosis strongly depends on the age of the cat during the infection. Even in kittens the virus was already detected, but these were still antigens of the mother. Newborn cats develop thymic tissue wasting, leading to severe immune deficiencies and early death. Older cats with a mature immune system often show recurrent infections or milder forms.
In conclusion, most infected FIV cats do not show severe clinical symptoms and can still live years after infection without any health problems. Many FIV cats become as old as their FIV-free counterparts. Good nutrition, a stress-free environment and a steady build of the immune system with naturopathic supplements and targeted, bioidentical supplements (such as Q10 and OPC) help to make the life of a FIV cat as healthy and as long as possible. The food ideally has a high meat content and contains no preservatives, fillers, grains or even sugar. The kidney always weakening dry food is to be avoided altogether. By improving the general condition of the cat with these measures, the organism has forces and reserves to fight against the FI virus and to combat secondary infections.
FIV has no clear symptoms and can not be ruled out or diagnosed without a blood test. The vet can detect FIV antibodies by serological examination of the blood of the cat. However, care should be taken to ensure that the test is not done with whole blood, as is common in many veterinarians using a quick-test / snap-test. In order to rule out as much as possible a falsification of the result by the erythrocytes, the blood should first be centrifuged and the test carried out with the resulting serum. Falsifications often lead to false-positive test results, which means in plain language: The ELISA test does not overlook a positive cat, but it often misjudges negative cats as positive. A positive ELISA test should therefore always be confirmed by a subsequent laboratory test.
FIV positive animals do not necessarily have to develop broken cat AIDS. You can live asymptomatic for many years. If the disease comes to an outbreak, you can not cure them, but only treat the epilepsy or the symptoms and alleviate, so as to improve the health of the cats. A vaccine against the immune deficiency was already announced for the German market in 2003, but remained out because it was found that he did not bring the desired results. The vaccine available in the United States is not useful here in Germany, because it is different virus strains.
According to estimates by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), between 2 and 25 percent of domestic cats worldwide are infected with the FI virus. The highest rates are in Japan and Australia, with the lowest FIV infestations recorded in Europe and the US. The strains are higher among strays and wildlings, because the largest risk group are the uncastrated and homeless animals due to their constant territorial and hunger struggles as well as constant deck file. Castration is therefore the only preventative measure, as it significantly reduces the risk of biting.
For our FIV-Cats Adoptants, we recommend a quiet, stress-free home with plenty of time, harmony, quality nutrition and holistic care. So you will also have a lot of fun with a "FIVi"!
Sources: Wikipedia and cat info
