Kitty Should Make Love not War Beware! Feline AIDS Epidemic
Out There
What you may not know is that animals have been getting
AIDS a lot longer than we have, and that includes our pets.
Don’t worry they can’t give it to us. Cats for
example get FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) invariably
through fighting, not loving. What you probably don’t
know is there’s an FIV epidemic out there. Why would
you? It was only discovered 15 years ago and most vets still
don’t know about it. Cats sicken and die over long periods
from combinations of opportunistic diseases. These can be
treated with some success but in the end FIV is a death sentence.
But it’s not all gloom.
There is an effective vaccine to prevent it and a drug that
can cure it. Trouble is most vets don’t know that.
My partner and I have already had one cat die of FIV, we just
didn’t know it. Now we’ve found out our second
Bali cat has it. Our pre-Bali cats, a Siamese female and a
Burmese tom, both lived within a month of 20, so we are pretty
well attuned to the wellbeing of our cats. But we lived in
a house in Hong Kong with a roof and a large patio. Our cats,
though not exactly housebound, weren’t out there on
the street. In Bali it’s different. Our Bali cats have
the run of the garden (and beyond) during the day but sleep
in at night. That doesn’t prevent them from getting
savaged by marauding toms cruising through, or territorial
spats with neighbouring females. We see the toms come through
bold as brass (they know we love cats so they don’t
take our menaces seriously), we hear the noise of battle and
we put the antibiotic creams on the bloodied wounds.
Both Bali Cats FIV+
“Spotty “, our all-Bali tortoiseshell came into
our lives one rainy blustery night on Menggis Beach. It was
New year’s Eve 1994. Tiny, abandoned by her mother,
mouthing silent mews, it was clear she wouldn’t last
the night. We took her to our room and back home the following
day. She lived with us for 11 years before she died. From
the age of 9 on it was clear things were not all well with
her. Always sweet, she became a bit withdrawn and her behaviour
eccentric. She developed a spasmodic twitch. She went off
her food, lost weight and her tooth and gum problems became
progressively worse. Her teeth were cleaned, she was given
antibiotics. She got better for months at a time, but the
mouth problems always returned. For the last 2 years she wouldn’t
eat by herself, and we had to hand feed her. Finally, while
we were away she became so ill we had to agree from afar to
her being put down. If there’s one thing sadder than
losing a loved animal, it’s not being there when they
go. What killed “Spotty “ was the mouth problem.
Stomatitis, an auto immune disease of the gums and the lining
of the mouth and throat. Not be confused with chronic gingivitis,
caused by tartar build up. What you need to know is that stomatitis
is often, though not always, a secondary symptom of the greater
underlying viral infection FIV.
Our second Bali cat, we call her “Krystal” for
her snobby airs, is a perfect Siamese, except the colouring’s
gone a bit awry. Obviously a Bali tom got in there somewhere
along the line, but she don’t know that. She came to
us via our vet at a little under a year. She’d had a
rocky start. Found in a ditch by the vet as a kitten she was
taken in by an expat family, who got shot of her after several
months handing her back to the vet for reasons not fully explained.
Something to do with the children I gathered. Probably scratched
them when they abused her. (Well, Good for Her!). She was
a bit difficult at first it’s true and feisty with it,
but it didn’t last long. Supremely self-involved she
is also very loving, in her fashion. Like so many Siamese
you can talk to her for hours and she’ll usually have
the last word. Now seven she started getting minor gum problems
about 2 years ago. “Krystal” has a wonderful ocean-going
purr and right from the start she had the alarming habit of
whooping when she got really transported during the morning
and evening love-ins. The vet told us it was some upper respiratory
infection. Treated with antibiotics it would retreat for a
while but always came back. Just six months ago “Krystal”
started losing weight. At the onset she still ate healthily
but kept losing. She’s now lost 25% of her body weight,
lacks her usual vitality and lies around a lot more than ever
she used to. Our vet, suspecting FIV, tested her and as we
feared she tested FIV+.
What is FIV & What to Do?
FIV is similar to human acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS), but it is not the same virus and cannot be passed
to humans. This fatal virus attacks the immune system, causing
various symptoms. This includes chronic, non-responding infections,
respiratory problems, appetite loss, persistent diarrhea and
severe oral problems. FIV is passed on through bites and is
species-specific. People and other animals cannot catch FIV.
Once infected there is no cure, but with good care and knowledgeable
treatment your cat can live a nearly normal lifespan, they
say.
There are 3 stages of infection. Acute, when the animal is
first infected. Symptoms are usually missed and go away after
a few weeks. In the second latent stage there are no symptoms
and it can be years before the chronic stage develops. At
this stage the cat’s immune system can’t cope,
leading to chronic inflammation and infection. Mouth infections
are characteristic: gingivitis, stomatitis and periodontitis.
Other classic conditions include: respiratory, skin and intestinal
tract infections; fevers, abscesses, sinusitis, mental abnormalities
and cancer.
There are three tests to see if your cat has FIV: The ELISA
test; the IFA, and the Western Blot. There can be false positives.
Test positive kittens again, once they are clear of mother’s
milk, which contains natural antibodies.
The standard recommended care for an FIV+ cat is to check
with your vet about vaccinations appropriate to latent and
symptomatic stages. Good diet, including vitamin supplements
and fresh food. Avoid the canned filth they peddle as pet
food, use dry foods as incentive toppings only. Prescribed
antibiotics to control infections.
Don’t Buy it! Get a Vet who Knows....
OK, that’s the official version and it’s true,
so far as it goes. But that’s not very far. If you follow
the standard treatment your cat might just live a nearly normal
lifespan.
But don’t bet on it. Once the chronic stage has been
reached you will probably lose your cat within 2 years.
Reason being, most vets just aren’t aware of the FIV
problem and will just treat the isolated symptoms. Even fewer
of them know there is an effective vaccine against getting
FIV in the first place and will tell you there is no cure.
If you go to any of the veterinary sites online they will
tell you the same thing.
What they don’t know and cat lovers do, is that:
1. There is an effective vaccine to prevent your cat getting
FIV in the first place. Insist on getting it.
2. There is an effective drug INTERFERON to combat FIV
Your cat has every chance of regaining weight, become resistant
to infections and live a decent lifespan. Cats have even tested
FIV- (negative). The drug is inexpensive and small doses orally
or by injection work. It is not approved for veterinary use
and you’ll be given a whole load of cobblers about availability.
It’s not hard to get hold of, if you’ve a mind
to.
Here’s what to do:
First get your cat tested for FIV. If negative look into getting
the vaccine, which can now be got here.
Find a good vet! There are some. If FIV+ follow recommendations
as to diet, vaccines and medication.
Then, find a supply of Interferon.
Finally, if you have an FIV+ cat, join an online group. They
are knowledgeable, supportive and you’ll soon know if
your vet’s up to speed. Yahoo has a good one.
I just wish we knew all this in time for poor “Spotty”,
at least “Krystal” is in with a chance....
