• Many FIV-positive cats live out their entire lives healthy and happy, never showing any symptoms at all.
• FIV can’t be spread casually between cats, such as in water or food bowls, or in litter boxes. Cuddling, playing and other forms of casual physical contact do not spread the virus.
• FIV is a cat-only disease. It cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.
• FIV is a slow virus that affects the immune system over a period of years.
• FIV is spread almost entirely through serious, penetrating bite wounds. This type of bite wound is seen most often in feral, intact tomcats. The virus can also be spread through blood transfusions and badly infected gums, and on occasion a mother may infect her kittens while they’re in the womb or through her milk after they are born.
• The FIV virus was discovered in 1986. Before then, FIV positive cats and non-FIV cats lived together peacefully all the time.
• The ELISA snap test is the most common test for diagnosing FIV. The ELISA test is very reliable, but the most accurate check for FIV is the Western Blot test.
• FIV cats should be kept indoors, fed a nutritious diet, and should see a vet at the first sign of any illness.

Lucy

Buff Baby

Princess Tilly

Honeydew

Rusty