Pet Care Corner: Be aware of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is a virus that affects cats worldwide and it is generally caused by infected cats fighting and biting other felines.
Sometimes it can be passed from an infected mother to her kittens during the birth process or by them drinking her infected milk, but this is not common.
According to the Boksburg SPCA manager, Maggie Mudd, feral cats and free roaming, unsterilised, aggressive cats are the most frequently infected and these animals can appear normal for years but the virus eventually leads to an immune deficiency that then leads to the cats falling ill.
Signs that a cat may have FIV are a coat that is in poor condition, a lack of appetite, inflammation of the gums and mouth and chronic or recurrent infections of the skin.
“The cat can also have diarrhoea that will not respond to antibiotics and they can also lose weight,” said Maggie.
To diagnose if a cat has FIV it is necessary to have a vet carry out an antibody test and the presence of antibody indicates that a cat is infected with FIV.
If it is discovered that your cat has FIV it is important that they be confined indoors to prevent the spread of the virus to other cats in the neighbourhood and they should be sterilised.
FIV is a feline disease and it cannot be passed onto dogs or to humans.
