The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus


by Jean Morgan - Date: 2007-04-20 - Word Count: 554 Share This!

The diseases suffered by humans and cats are very similar. Take for instance the feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV that has a strain very similar to the one found on those who are suffering from AIDS.

The FIV was first discovered in 1986. Studies have shown this is passed on to other cats after a fight or by licking the saliva of another feline.

Many think that this is a fatal disease once it has been diagnosed by a vet. This is not true because all it does is weaken the immune system making it vulnerable to other illnesses. A smart pet owner can prevent this from happening by watching the cat closely and bringing it to the clinic should there be signs of any threat.

The feline immunodeficiency virus is carried to the lymph nodes and reproduces itself in the white blood cells called the T-lymphocytes. This then spreads to other parts of the body causing the lymph nodes to enlarge that is often follows with a fever.

This is referred to as the first stage of FIV called acute and will occur for over a month or two with episodes of depression.

The second stage is called sub clinical because the symptoms in the first are gone but this just means that the virus is already in the system.

It is only when a cat suffers from complications that it has reached the third stage known as chronic. Some examples of this includes dermatitis, enteritis, gingivitis, periodontitis, odontoclasia, pneumotatis and stomatitis.

Studies show that 2% of cats in the US have this virus. This often occurs to stray cats than those kept indoors so owners have to make sure it does not come into contact with other felines from the streets.

This is the reason that those who want to have a cat are advised to get this from the store instead of adopting one from the wild. It is also possible that the FIV can be contracted to kittens from a nursing mother who has this virus. But since this doesn't happen often, the only way to be sure is by having the vet look at the offspring's after 6 months.

Male cats that have the feline immunodeficiency virus must be neutered. Regardless of gender, the owner should watch the food being given because this will increase the chances of cat suffering from either bacterial or parasite infections.

There are no vaccinations that will help prevent FIV's from happening to the cat. The only thing doctors can do is give vaccinations for the complications that may occur. If the cat is in the third stage and no treatment will able to alleviate the problem, the best thing for the owner to do is put it to sleep.

The person will be able to bury the remains and then get a new one without the need to wait for a few weeks or months. This is because there are no traces of the virus in the litter box or in the food and water bowl.

There are two kinds of tests that are designed to detect signs of the FIV. The first is called a polymerase chain reaction or PCR while the other is the antibody based test. Although this is most effective one around, vets recommend this to be done regularly since there have been incidents of false positive and positive false results.


Related Tags: cat, cats, cat health, feline immunodeficiency virus, fiv

Visit our web sites for more information about animal health care. To get a free home made pet recipe book plus money off pet product coupons visit http://natureshealthypet.com and sign up for the free pet food recipe books.

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: