Most commonly cats will experience a severe infection affecting the gums, just around the teeth. Also, any wounds that occur could be quite slow to heal.
Cats with FIV often have similar life spans to cats without it: Studies conducted in 2010 and 2022 found that an FIV diagnosis wasn't associated with decreased lifespans. In fact, cats can remain asymptomatic for years or even their entire lives.
Can FIV be cured? Although there's no cure for FIV, some infected cats are able to live long and happy lives and can make wonderful pets.
Cats infected with FIV may live for months or years. On average, life expectancy is 5 years from the time of diagnosis depending on how active the infection is.
Although cats infected with FIV may appear normal for years, they eventually suffer from immune deficiency, which allows normally harmless bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi found in the everyday environment to potentially cause severe illnesses.
Although the ability of FIV or HIV to establish a latent infection in the CNS is controversial, several studies have reported a sustained proviral burden in FIV-infected cats in the brain [72,89] even in the absence of significant viral RNA.
There are three stages of FIV infection in cats: the acute stage, the latent stage, and the chronic clinical stage.
FIV-positive cats that become clinical for the disease usually succumb to secondary infection, cancer, or immune-mediated disease.
Though there is no known cure, FIV is far from a death sentence. They have weaker immune systems, but cats who test positive for FIV can live fulfilling and happy lives like any other cats, and can live for many years, often without harmful symptoms.
Cats infected with FIV should never be euthanized, unless they are actually experiencing a severe, debilitating illness that cannot be treated (as we would with any other cat).
Treatment for the feline immunodeficiency virus is quite expensive. According to estimates, the cost range from $150 to $2,000 per treatment.
FIV infection was significantly linked to extreme aggressive tendencies and the extremely aggressive FIV‑infected cats were more likely to have an unhealthy status compared to the non‑aggressive individuals (p = 0.022).
FIV causes a lifelong infection and gradually progressive decline in immune function that leads to an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Manifestations include chronic weight loss, opportunistic infections, chronic inflammatory conditions, and increased risk for malignant neoplasia.
It can be used to distinguish an FIV infected cat from an FIV vaccinated cat. The FIV vaccine has been withdrawn from the U.S./Canadian market, not for safety reasons but because it has never been widely embraced by the veterinary profession because of the testing ambiguity situation.
FIV is most commonly diagnosed in outdoor cats, and once a cat is diagnosed as FIV-positive, they remain infected for life. It seems logical that you would just need to get an FIV vaccine to protect your cat, but the vaccine is no longer used.
Street Paws opposes euthanizing any feral/street cat simply because he or she tests positive for FIV (feline immuno-deficiency virus) or FeLV (feline leukemia virus). If the cat shows no active signs of ill health, we believe he/she should be released back into his colony regardless of the test results.
The terminal phase of FIV infection is commonly associated with moderate to severe periodontal disease, lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis (Figure 21-4 ), gingivitis, and feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions,52 which may result from opportunistic bacterial and viral infections.
During this stage, FIV cats are generally asymptomatic. Phase 3: In the final stage, the virus progresses to its fullest point. It is known as Feline Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (commonly referred to as FAIDS or feline AIDS). It is similar to how HIV progresses into AIDS in humans.
The progressive phase typically occurs later in life when the cat's compromised immune system can't fight off usually harmless bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi common in the environment; these can cause secondary or opportunistic infections and severe illnesses.
An FIV-positive cat can live with an FIV-negative cat as long as neither cat is a fighter, or if the FIV-positive cat has no teeth. (FIV-positive cats commonly have severe dental disease, which often means it is necessary to remove all their teeth.)
During this third phase, FIV‐infected cats are predisposed to chronic and recurrent infections of various types. Gingivostomatitis is often present and is classically more severe and refractory to treatment than in FIV‐uninfected cats, and oral resorptive lesions are more common in FIV‐infected cats (Figure 4).
Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is much more devastating than FIV. This is because FeLV typically results in cancer (e.g., lymphoma), leukemia (e.g., cancer of the bone marrow or circulating white and red blood cells), and severe bone marrow suppression (e.g. anemia) in young cats.
Symptoms of a worsening FIV infection vary but often include oral inflammation, lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, and neurologic disorders. Call your veterinarian immediately if you notice any change for the worse in your FIV positive cat.
Cats who test positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) are often quickly euthanized or considered unadoptable. The truth is, cats who test positive for FIV generally live long, healthy lives. FIV positive cats can live with those who are negative for the virus.
Question: Can FIV be spread through casual contact, such as cats sharing the same food or water bowls, or cats grooming each other? NO! FIV is transmitted to other felines primarily through deep, penetrating bite wounds.