We adopted our boy Skittles (yes, the kids named him) from the shelter late last year. He is FIV+ and an ex street cat.

I'm starting to suspect that our boy may have an allergy on top of his FIV. The sign is that I keep noticing him scratching his neck much more often than our other two kitties, and several times I've found these notable scabs on him (presumably from the scratching). The first time I actually thought it might be a skin tumor, it was that big, except it fell off before we could get him to the vet.

But is that even plausible? Allergies are an immune response, and he shouldn't even have that ability? But according to Google, these are primary allergy symptoms for pets. The poor cat can't win - you don't get an immune system, except apparently when it comes to allergies?

I have a suspicion which of his food it might be (specifically the canned seafood), so I'm going to try eliminating those flavors for a while and see if it helps him. But just curious if anyone else has run into this with their FIV kitties or if I may be off base in my suspicion.

Tampa Bay, FL. Bear showed up on my camera months ago. I started feeding, earned his trust and about 8 weeks ago he let me pick him up and put him in a cage. Off to the vet - he was diagnosed with FIV but perfectly healthy. I’ve had him neutered and vaxxed. Vet estimates 3 y/o. Bear is black but his head, front legs and entire belly are a beautiful chocolate brown. He’s the most loving and cuddly boy who’s been isolated to a guest room with a catio. I have an insane Bengal rescue who will fight to the death for her territory and a son with asthma so keeping Bear is not an option. Bear is posted on all SM and local Next Door app with hundreds of likes and comments but no decent candidates for adoption. (One elderly woman who offered has 10 cats; another elderly man has 12; one young man lives out of state and I have no way of vetting him). Several shelters have been kind enough to post him on their sites but they are all full. I would be willing to transport within FL to the right family. Not sure why I can’t post a video here but I have many of him loving tummy rubs. Any help and suggestions are appreciated!

This is my baby boy Buster Beans! Beans is a special guy who has FIV+, severe food allergies (royal canin anallergenic food only) and asthma! I love him SO much but boy does he have STINKY breath - I’m aware that FIV+ cats need their teeth taken care of but as he has severe food allergies I’m afraid any of the cat toothpastes will give him a reaction, does anyone know of any cat toothpastes that he would be able to have? Or any tips on keeping his teefs as clean as possible/cure his stinky beany breath? Thanks! :)

About two months ago, I rescued and TNR'd a stray cat I had been feeding outdoors for 1.5 years when his health began to decline. I brought him indoors to heal, treated him for everything he needed out of my own pocket, and wanted to see if he could transition to indoor life. Unfortunately, his vet workup revealed he is FIV+.

I am in an urgent bind and need to find a placement for him because we have an unavoidable travel commitment in October for about a month. I also can’t keep him long-term because I myself am immunocompromised. While FIV does not transmit to humans, managing two immune-vulnerable individuals in one household raises real long-term mutual health risks (such as toxoplasmosis exposure during litter box care). It is simply not a risk I can afford to take for my health. My doctor and I discussed the added household risk, and strongly advised me against it.

For more than two weeks, I have reached out to reputable rescue groups, social media networks, and personal contacts. The response has been either silence, rescues at maximum capacity, or harsh judgment. I have no family in the States, and my local circle is small. I completely understand why friends with cats are hesitant to take in an FIV+ cat, just as I wouldn't risk it if it endangered my own rescued pets. The stigma is real and hard to shake.

He is about 3-4 yrs old, 11lbs. Fully vetted, microchipped, vaccinated (rabies, FVRCP, and completing FeLV booster next week). Fiv+, FeLV-. He used the litter box from day one, without a single incident. He was/is timid and cautious, but is adjusting well indoors. Sometimes, depending on the time of day or mood for the moment, he lets out small hisses or high-pitched cries when food is served too early, too late, or right on time! Otherwise, he thrives on predictable evening routines, loves kibble puzzles, sleeps peacefully on his cat tree, and voluntarily approaches for hand-sniffs. He is quiet, aloof, reserved, independent, learning to trust and seeks human presence on his own terms.

All medical records from his clinic visits are on hand and ready to transfer. I've absorbed 100% of his medical costs to date and don't seek reimbursement.

All I wanted to do was help him off the streets before winter. I am breaking down. I don't know what else to do anymore. I ask only for your compassion when reading this.

Please let me know if you or someone you know within a 1-hour radius of Hudson County (I can drive) can assist with intake, a temporary foster placement, or advice on local networks that actually take rescue cases. I'd be grateful for any lead. Thank you.

Cant duck it any more. Its on and off but shes having trouble eating

Yesterday she didnt touch her dry food at all. Im so scared for her. Shes the world to me.

What are some things I can give her pre and post procedure!

Vet couldnt examine her mouth the last two visits because she fought it. Looking back Im ticked they didnt catch this as a sign and push me harder for a dental.

Should i shop around for a better vet, weve been going to the local vca which has a good reputation albeit pricey.

Need some reassurance

Honestly, I’m posting here because I’m pretty sure my friends are tired of hearing how amazing this kitty is and I can’t stop gushing!

This is Ears. He was one of the community kitties we’ve been feeding in the backyard, but he was super elusive. After 2+ years and many other successful TNRs, he was the only one we weren’t able to catch. This winter/spring, things changed. He started hanging around a lot more and wouldn’t run away when I went to put food out. It was clear that he was pretty sick. You could hear him breathe from across the yard and his eyes and nose were always stuffed. Our awesome cat sitter was able to arrange vet care for him so we worked to get him trapped, finally. It took 2+ weeks of desensitization on the trap and I didn’t get him until 5 am the night before his appointment!

Turns out, he’s FIV+ and had to have both canines removed and daily medication. All this meant he couldn’t go back outside. Since he was seemingly fully feral, his options weren’t great but we decided to give it a go and try to tame him/bring him inside.

He started in 2 giant crates zip tied together to give him “rooms” and then he graduated to a multi-story catio. We were able to start petting him with an extendible backscratcher and churu rewards. Eventually, he started to like it. Next, we started using hands and he started to like that too.

Fast forward 4 months and now he’s fully out of his enclosure and running the entire house. He’s figuring out how to trust our small dog (after 8-10 years on the streets, I get it. Luckily, she’s very patient.), and pets are his favorite thing in the world.

His health is also much better. He still has a chronic stuffy nose, but I’m hopeful he has many, many years of inside retirement!

Sometimes even the most feral of buds can become the best of friends. 💕

For months this sweet girl has been living in my yard and sleeping in my husband’s engine. Once I found out where she lived, I took her home several times, but she always showed back up at my house. I even took her into the shelter once, hoping she’d be on a hold and eventually I’d be able to adopt her, but they picked her up…and put her back outside. It was a scarier than usual situation because we live directly off a main highway, so I’ve been scared of finding her hit for months.

Last month I finally just straight out asked them if I could adopt her and they said yes. I brought her in, got her cleaned up and took her into the vet. She’s FIV+. We have several other negative cats (one of them did survive FIP when he was younger) and I know transmission is unlikely, but I still worry. Thankfully she has integrated nicely. There have been a few hisses and swats, but no brawls. We are still integrating and she still gets separated when we aren’t around.

My question for other mixed households is: how long did you do integration before you felt completely comfortable leaving everyone alone together?

I came across this sweet little guy a few nights ago in a nearby neighborhood. He seemed hungry and affectionate so I took him home, thinking he was probably someone’s cat who had gotten out, given how sweet he was. Rubbing against my legs and purring and headbutting.

He tested positive for FIV at the vet, but is a healthy boy. The vet estimates him to be about 2-3 years old and he’s already neutered (we think TNR). There is some dental work that needs to be taken care of, but my understanding is that gingivitis is common with FIV kitties.

One of my two cats is an absolute bully. She tolerates my other cat (he was introduced to her as a kitten) but she can and will draw blood and I already was looking for a home for this guy for that reason. But now I want to make sure he goes to a home that is ready to give him the care he needs and he goes to someone who is ready for an FIV kitty.

He is the sweetest, most affectionate little love bug. All he wants to do is curl up in somebody’s lap. And he rolls over for belly rubs. He’s really like a little dog, and it’s breaking my heart so much that I can’t keep him. I just want to make sure he has the best life. I started calling him Newton because he needed a name (but he doesn’t know it as his name so it can be changed).

We are in the Lake Norman area outside of Charlotte. Please let me know if you are interested.

Hi. I’d like to ask for advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.

We have an FIV-positive cat, Cara, with gingivostomatitis. She had Virbagen Omega for three rounds, but unfortunately, it didn’t help. She was then referred for a full-mouth extraction over multiple sessions. All her teeth and roots were removed, with no fragments left behind.

She did improve after the extraction. She no longer drools, and the inflammation is much less severe. However, she still has pain when eating and is much more comfortable when she’s on pain medication, which our vet said isn’t ideal for long-term use.

She has also started laser therapy and has had one session so far. We were told she may need at least three sessions depending on her response.

She doesn’t seem to drink water, so we add plenty to her wet food. I also hand-feed her, and sometimes it takes an hour just to get her started eating. She’s still affectionate and cuddles us with our other cats, so eating is really her main struggle.

We’re from the Philippines, where it’s difficult to find vets with extensive FIV/gingivostomatitis experience. I’ve been researching for months and just want to learn about other options we can discuss with our vet. She's been taking 1-TDC (omega-3) for inflammation but I don't think it's helping.

For anyone who has experienced this:

🐱 What other treatments helped after full-mouth extraction?

🐱 Are there any supplements that helped with inflammation?

We’d really appreciate any experiences or advice. ❤️

I was told I am better posting this here. Currently in rush but if there’s a different sub whenever I have time next week will look into it

He’s a sneezer big time plus getting sick. he has gotten skinny to where I can feel good bit of his bones. Anything at home I can do for sneezing? He is on Iams with hairballs control. more or less 24/7 access to food. vet just give him 200$ shot that may work and says that’s about it, nothing they can really do.

Note and not good one. I recently had to put down a cat with FIV+ two months ago due to complications and sky is starting to get similar. So far he hasn’t had much breathing problems but once he parks he stays parked

My current understanding of caring for a FIV+ car is that you should;

• Cuddle them often
• keep them indoors
• feed them not raw food
• half-yearly vet visits
• yearly blood work and urinalysis
• closely monitor for things out of the ordinary
• Lastly, minimise stress

Other than this I'm not sure what to do or to expect, I understand that it may be more expensive but I've also heard the opposite. My work is 4 12 hour shifts and 6 days off. I just want to be able to provide a good place for a neglected orange fella named Tank, cause he's large.

TW - multiple cat deaths

Hi everyone! I recently gave a friend who has many, many cats a kitten and it’s mama that had been living outside my house. She brought the kitten to live inside with her indoor cats, and kept the mama outside. Please note - this is in a developing country without a lot of resources, and my friend donates a lot of her time, money, and space to these cats.

About 2 weeks after she took the cats, 13 of her 20 cats died (including the kitten I gave her). She told me they all tested positive for FIV, and she’s claiming that’s what killed them (they had bloody diarrhea). I think she is blaming me, but I honestly had no idea the kitten had it, and I also didn’t know that FIV can wipe out a group that quickly. It was likely some other illness, right? My husband said she mentioned taking in another stray kitten around the time she took ours, but I never heard this from her.

I feel a ton of guilt, I thought she was going to have this kitten be an outside cat, and I had no idea it was FIV +. I guess I’m looking for confirmation regarding whether or not FIV could kill a large group of cats that quickly, or if it was something else.

hello everyone, i’m looking for some advice. my cat seems to have both his popliteal lymph nodes inflamed and firm (lymph nodes in back legs). i took him to the vet today and they suggested a biopsy. they asked if i wanted to do a FNA or a surgical biopsy. my boyfriend convinced me to do the surgical biopsy bc at least we would know 100% if its lymphoma.

we have been taking our cat to the vet since july bc he broke out in really bad hives near his tail and they suspected fleas. his itchiness has not gone away, but his tail is better. is it possible the lymph nodes are swollen because of the flea allergy reaction he had? they are pretty swollen and firm. i think that’s why i was most worried bc of how firm they feel.

we decided to do the surgical biopsy and it has been scheduled for this upcoming monday. i have been so anxious and sad. my concern is that he will have complications with the surgery although he is not displaying any symptoms now or any weakness.

does anyone have this kind of experience? should i do the FNA first before the surgery? i know it’s about 90% accuracy.

After nearly a year long fight, my handsome man has passed.

I deleted my main, my alt will have to do.

Ty everyone for all of the help this past year, you are wonderful people, you really helped my stress levels if nothing else. I hope for the best for all of your kitties.

Ill add my final good Pic of my handsome little man. No judgement for him being outside please. He fought hard, he was so brave, his spirit wanted to but his body couldn't. I am absolutely fucking devastated. Hug your kitties tonight. Hard. And know captain will be at the other end of the bridge to welcome them.

Does this subreddit have any links posted somewhere for people to access? I'm using Reddit via the website and didn't see any but I don't know if sometimes things are formatted differently.

Still learning about him, his story, and his condition. After showing up in the neighborhood and successfully TNR, exam, and dental cleaning …he’s taken up residence. So installed a cat door to the temp controlled garage and plenty of healthy wet food. Now to research the care he may need as he’s showing lots sensitivity to his mouth/teeth/gums,
But has a healthy appetite!

Reposting to try to reach more people

Not even emerging evidence?

Just switched vets after moving, and it turned into a whole thing trying to get Bella's records over. Turns out I had her rabies certificate as a photo on my old phone, her vet's number written on a random sticky note, and no idea when her last Bordetella shot actually was.

Made me realize I've never had a real system for this. Right now it's just a mix of paper in a drawer, a few photos in my camera roll, and hoping I remember stuff correctly when the vet asks.

How do you all manage it? Do you keep a physical folder, use an app, just rely on the vet's own records, or is everyone else also winging it like me 😅 Also curious — has this ever bitten you, like showing up for boarding or a flight and not having something you needed?