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[quote=Anonymous]I have an FIV-positive cat that formerly belonged to an elderly relative.  She had him about 3 years with no health problems (she found him as an adult stray).  I've had him about 3 years myself and no problems thus far (he's estimated to be about 8 years old).  He has the lowest grade (sorry, not sure of terminology but I mean the least problematic) heart murmur, which the vet monitors, but it hasn't caused any issues.

I took him in with a few other of her cats and I had them all combo tested to see if he'd passed it on to any others, since he'd been with them for a few years at least.  All of them were negative for FIV and leukemia.  My understanding per the vet is the only way FIV can be passed to another cat is through deep bites, not sharing food/water bowls, or even grooming.  He has a "girlfriend" and they mutually groom, eat together, and cuddle all the time, and she's negative, so if you have other cats, and all are non-aggressive (especially the FIV cat), there should be a very low chance of transmission.

He's a strictly indoor cat, of course, since that's healthiest for him and no chance of fights with any stray toms.  I am pretty careful, though to make sure all the cats have low stress, to lower the chance that there is any fighting (plenty of litter boxes, no competition for food, lots of toys to share).  He's very sweet, fluffy and healthy looking (a tad plump even, but he's more interested in cuddling with his lady friend than playing for exercise)!  You'd never tell he was FIV positive.

My vet says cats with FIV can lead perfectly normal lives, but can be more prone to dental disease than regular cats, and usually when they start to fail (due to old age or any kind of disease), their prognosis is not as good as a FIV-negative cat, causing them to fade more quickly.

Hope this info is helpful, OP.  Wishing you the best, whatever you choose.

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