Common medical problems for FIV cats



	close Please Login or Register Meow - We'd love to share this portion of Catster with you, but first you'll need to login. If you don't have a Catster account yet, you can register in about 60 seconds. Registering allows you to use all our free features while allowing us to create a safer, more meaningful environment for the community as a whole. Registering is fast, free and lets you create your cat page(s), find adoptable cats, save your favorites, connect to your Feline Friends and more. Login now or Register for free!

FIV Positive >

Because I said- so & Mom will- back me up

Purred: Fri Sep 29, '06 4:43pm PST


	I thought I'd start a thread about common medical problems FIV cats have. Mama has rescued several FIV cats over the last 6 years. Some of the problems we've seen are: Teeth and Gum problems - FIV cats are more prone to these. We have one who has to take antibiotics from time to time for this, and another who had to have all his teeth removed. Another problem we are dealing with right now is neurological issues with Casper (not yet on catster). The vets can't decide if he has had mini-strokes, or if the neurological issues are due to the FIV. One boy, Johnny, is also have bone marrow issues from the FIV. This is probably the scariest thing we are dealing with right now because we can't reverse that. For now, he is stable and happy, but we are keeping a close eye on him.

Singing- Sensation

Purred: Sat Mar 31, '07 4:44pm PST


	Pangur has the gum problems, but he is on antibiotics right now and it seems to have been wiped out for the moment. He also has persistent diarrhea, but I think that may be because of the FeLV.

Sketchie

Purred: Tue Apr 10, '07 9:48am PST


	Yes, I'll vouch for the teeth and gum problems. In the years before I went to kitty heaven, I had to have all of my teeth pulled out due to decay and pain. The vet says FIV is transferred via saliva -- maybe there's something to do with the virus being active in the saliva that affects the teeth? I'm just a cat so I really have no idea, but it's an interesting thought... I also lost my eyesight there at the end and my vet said that blindness seems to occur more often in FIV-positive cats. I was 16 though, which isn't a short life by any means, so it's hard to say if my blindness would have happened even if I were healthy. I think FIV-positive cats, especially those who have been rescued, know how special they are. We know that there are people out there to love us in spite of having a silent disease. Since I left for the Rainbow Bridge my mom has adopted 2 more FIV-positive cats. And I'm glad she did because it is hard for us to find homes.

Cool and Smart

Purred: Fri Aug 10, '07 5:07am PST


	I was diagnosed FIV+ because I came down with toxoplasmosis. Normally cats don't get toxoplasmosis (we're healthy hosts to the toxoplasma parasite), but immunodeficient cats like me do.

I am Tedtastic.

Purred: Sat Aug 18, '07 8:20pm PST


	Hi Guys, I am pretty new here, me and all my brothers and sisters are FIV +ve. I have had health problem all my life, gums, intestine, eye infections, you name it, I have had it and now I am battling Lymphoma in my kidneys, which is more commonin FIV cats. But my two brothers and sister show no signs at all and have been healthy all their lives. But we definitely know we are very special. Teddy and co

144262

Purred: Fri Sep 21, '07 7:27pm PST


	The only FIV-related issues Thomas has experienced so far have been neurological. He had some seizure-like episodes in November '06, and in July '07 he experienced some behavioral changes followed by a loss of balance and the temporary paralysis of his right forelimb. After two days, his behavior normalized. Four days after that, he spontaneously recovered his ability to balance and the use of his leg. Despite numerous tests, his vets were unable to determine the cause of the seizures or paralysis. They suspect that both were probably FIV-related. Thomas is otherwise quite healthy, aside from the fact that he is FIV+ and diabetic.