URGENT-Himalayan needs home!(long)

Please help...we rescued a flame-point himalayan young male who is a wonderful guy. He has a terrific personality, has great manners (he welcomes baths!), and is extremely loving (and smart!). He is fine with dogs & children, also. This sweet, handsome guy has just tested positive for FIV, however, and I've just been told that as long as he is the ONLY cat in the home, or is adopted into a home that already has a cat with positive FIV, he can live a long life. There are other suggestions for a FIV+ guy (like only-indoor cat and keep him current on vaccinations). We ADORE 'Miles', but we already have a cat that would be at risk. We just HAD to save him, tho; he was living under a tire in some farm backyard by someone who got tired of him and dumped him(he has papers;they bought him to breed, got tired of the 'hassle', and were threatening to kill him the next day. He's turned out to have 'personality+' more than anything. Do you have room in your home for such a special guy or do you know someone who might, or a place that takes in FIV+ kittys? Thanks so much...we're keeping him separate right now & he's miserable; he LOVES to hang out with the family.

If this cat gets along well with your other cat, there is no reason that you should need to give him away. There are many people that have FIV cats that live with uninfected cats and they do just fine. I have a friend that has an FIV cat living with two other cats and there have been no problems. FIV is transmitted through deep bite wounds, and if the cats cohabit peacefully, I wouldn't worry about the healthy cat being infected. One other thing to consider is that often FIV tests give a false positive, so you should definitely have a confirmatory test done as well before making any decisions.

Megan

'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.'

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:

I will second what Megan says. Read up on FIV. Do NOT believe the scare tactics the vets use with FIV. Transmission rates - even in feral colonies - are very low as long as the animals are fixed and fed. Please, before you give up this beauty, consider him in your household.

If this cat gets along well with your other cat, there is no reason that you should need to give him away. There are many people that have FIV cats that live with uninfected cats and they do just fine. I have a friend that has an FIV cat living with two other cats and there have been no problems. FIV is transmitted through deep bite wounds, and if the cats cohabit peacefully, I wouldn't worry about the healthy cat being infected. One other thing to consider is that often FIV tests give a false positive, so you should definitely have a confirmatory test done as well before making any decisions.

Megan

'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.'

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:

I have one FIV positive cat, and 4 who are not. These are my personal cats. The FIV+ has been so since she came in as an abuse case. I knew that FIV was a death sentence in the shelter she was at. I questioned my vets and even had a couple conversations with vets at the vet school in Madison, WI. They all said the same thing......in a colony situation, the rate of FIV spread is low. They advised however, that the + cat be boostered on vaccinations every 9 months instead of 12.

I also have an FIV+ cat that lives w/ 9 negatives. He is now 3 yrs old, perfectly healthy & all my other cats are fine as well. My vet, who is a feline practitioner was not at all concerned about the cats mixing, as FIV is transmitted via bite wounds, so unless aggression is an issue, positives & negatives can live together safely. Also, I had a consultation w/ the Cornell Feline Health Center (1-800-KITTYDR) & they recommend NOT vaccinating FIV+ cats at all, b/c their latest research has shown that vaccinations actually cause an increase in viral loads. This is b/c the FIV replicates when the immune system is activated, whether it be by an illness or by vaccinations. This is the most up-to-date info I have received, so I no longer have Simba

This list consists of people with cats who are living w/ FIV. Good luck!

Me again...I forgot to mention that the kitty should be started on low dose oral interferon ASAP to help keep him healthy. It is inexpensive & easy to administer. It costs me about $10.00 per month. You just squirt it into their mouth w/ a syringe. It can be hard to find a vet who has it, depending on where you are. Your best bet would be to find a feline practitioner if you can't get it from your current vet. Good luck to you & Miles!