Today I was reading over the New York Times list of what happened on this day in history. In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the first report on cases that would later come to be known as AIDS.
I remember the first time I heard about AIDS. 1984. I remember the first time I heard about a doctor testing a cat for AIDS. 1999.
“The vet tested my cat for AIDS. Is he crazy?”
Wayne and I were having dinner with our friends Thais and Wlad. As we often did, we swapped funny stories about various crazy encounters we’d had since we last met. Wlad (pronounced Vlad) was telling us about their experience taking their cat Pepi to the vet.
Wlad and Wayne shared many things in common. Skepticism and frugality among them. Wlad thought his vet had gypped him because he’d spent over $100 on vaccines and tests, one of them a Feline AIDS test.
Wlad was from Brazil and sort of sensitive about the topic of homosexuality (which he automatically associated AIDS with), so he took the vet’s test as an insult against his cat’s character. Wayne and I didn’t know what to make of it. This happened pre-Mr. Meow, so we didn’t have a cat yet. We had a dog, though, and I knew no vet had ever tested him for AIDS, so I wondered why only cats would be subject to it. I advised Wlad maybe he should consider finding a new vet. (Mistakenly I realize now.)
What FIV Is
Feline immunodeficiency disease (FIV) is real and serious. It’s similar to human immunodeficiency disease (HIV). It attacks the immune system and leaves the cat unable to battle infections and illnesses. Also like HIV, FIV is spread through blood. Some estimates place the number of cats infected with FIV at between one and 14 percent worldwide.
Prevention
The only surefire way to prevent it is not to let your cat come in contact with stray cats who might be infected or cats known to be infected. Fighting and bites are the most common way the virus is spread. A vaccine recently became available, but this is just to try and help prevent FIV, not cure already infected cases.
Also, some cats have tested false positive after receiving the vaccine because of antibodies in the vaccine. This could affect future tests indefinitely and make it difficult to determine whether or not the cat really has it should there ever be reason to question whether they’ve contracted it or not.
Cats with FIV
Just like AIDS in humans, FIV might not show up for months or years.
If your cat is diagnosed with FIV, don’t already start planning the funeral. No, it can’t be cured, but it can be treated. The treatments are similar to the ones administered to humans. If caught early, your cat could live happily and symptom free for many years.
FIV a Danger to Humans?
FIV can’t be spread to humans, so you don’t have to worry about your family contracting AIDS from your cat.
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