Adopting a cat exposed to FIV: Are my new cat and pets safe?

It would be safe to adopt another FIV+ cat. The risk of transmission of FIV is relatively low between cats that are friendly but the safest route would be to find another positive cat. If you decide to adopt another cat make sure to introduce the cats slowly and ensure you have adequate resources for both cats. This is a great source for introducing a new cat into your household: https://icatcare.org/advice/how-introduce-kitten-cat

Hopefully Bear will test negative for FIV when you take him back in 4 weeks. FIV is transmitted by biting, but not any other casual contact. So the concern in your house would be if Bear is biting your other cats. Certainly this would be unusual in a household situation, so it is not generally recommended to separate FIV positive cats in a household from the other cats. I am attaching a handout with additional information about FIV below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951815 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Gimli. He is so handsome! I love that you have adopted an FIV+ cat, many people will not do that. It shows the kind of person you are, very caring. Cats who are FIV- can live with cats who are FIV+ without issue. The method of transmission is through a bite, so if your two cats live peacefully with each other, it cannot be transmitted. The most important thing to do is get your FIV- cat vaccinated again FIV. That will protect the cat from getting it. I have personally heard of a number of mixed households where they lived peacefully with each other. Get your cat fully vaccinated against FIV before integrating them. I hope this helps!

You would need to check with your doctor to see if this would be a problem for you, as that's human medicine which we aren't qualified to answer. As for the cat, there are not very many illnesses humans and cats can pass back and forth, so the cat should be fine.

No. They have done studies on cats that live together and share water bowls and food bowls. The studies show after 10 plus years a few did turn positive but the risk is minimal unless actively fighting one another. As far as Felv, there is more of a risk but it does not live very long in the environment and each room and supplies are disinfected for such viral disease in between each patient. Felv is protective in the vaccine you routinely get to also minimalist the risk

FIV is primarily spread through cat bites, so that will not be passed to your cats via your clothes. Feline leukemia (FELV) is passed though cats grooming each other, sharing food and water bowls, and sharing litter boxes. FELV is a fragile virus, surviving only a few hours in a dry environment, but because of the potential that it could be on your clothes, I would wear something protective over your clothes when you are with the cat in your basement, and removing it before you come upstairs. To be absolutely safe, if you are going to continue to rescue cats, you should vaccinate your cats upstairs.

Hello, FeLV is transmitted through close, social contact generally via saliva, as in grooming each other or sharing food bowls. FIV is usually transmitted through bite wounds. Since your cat is leashed and not in contact with other cats, this shouldn't be a risk in theory. If she goes outdoors by herself, or there is a chance she could escape, I'd recommend getting her vaccinated just to be safe. Otherwise, keeping her core vaccines (FVRCP and Rabies) should prevent her from acquiring diseases on walks. :) I'm going to link you to a good site on more information about FeLV/FIV in case you want to learn more: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951934 https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951815 I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach.