My FIV+ cat is very sick. Should he be treated for bacteria? Can he recover?

Radiographs of your cat's chest and abdomen will reveal any abnormalities with his heart, lungs, will show if there is fluid accumulated, any tumors or anatomical changes that signal heart or pulmonary disorders or other conditions that could be adversely affecting him. You can try to stimulate his appetite by adding some water or low sodium chicken broth to dry food, mixing in a little wet food and'or warming his food. Warming makes it more aromatic and therefore more appealing to a cat with a depressed appetite. It is vital that he continues to eat, as cats can experience liver damage after only a couple of days if not eating. Work closely with your vet, call and ask questions, get him in for rechecks, this helps them keep on top of Bunlot's condition.

Poor blue, it does sound like his immune system may be quite weak and blood tests for felv, fiv and fip would be worthwhile to fully assess what is going on. I also recommend a high quality kitten food to try and rebuild his strength and antibiotics may be required if he develops a fever

I agree, those symptoms are concerning for intestinal, oral, or kidney disease. Unless the test was falsely positive, cats don't outgrow FIV. There is also no cure for the virus, though not all cats that have it will develop disease. I would recommend that Tiger get checked out by the vet. After a thorough physical exam and review of his symptoms, the vet may recommend bloodwork, urinalysis, or x-rays to see what is going on. Here is more information on FIV in cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/feline-immunodeficiency-virus-fiv-in-cats/

His condition sounds very severe, a biopsy of the enlarged lymph nodes and tests for FELV and FIV viruses may provide more diagnostic information and guide treatment options but it is possible that such a severe presentation may not be curable.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Silvester. Since he has FIV, the recovery period may take a little longer for this URI. If this was a suspected or confirmed herpes virus infection URI, I would advise using famciclovir if it doesn't start resolving. Famvir is an antiviral and helps to disrupt viral replication, thus directly treating the viral infection if that is the cause. Another thing I would try is humidified air treatments. Turn on a hot shower in a bathroom and let the room fill with the steam. Place Silvester in there for 10-15 minute treatments. This will help to hydrate his respiratory system. Sounds like everything else you are doing is exactly what I would recommend. I definitely prefer Doxy especially in these stubborn URI cases. You may also consult your vet about using some type of saline nasal drops also. Good luck with Silvester. I hope he gets over this soon. Another thing I always try to address is the intestinal parasite issue because intestinal parasites will affect the nutritional status of the pet, which will ultimately affect their overall health and their ability to fight off disease.

Hello, sorry to hear about Greg. GI signs in cats can be caused by infections, ingestion of foreign material and less likely by a dietary indiscretion (cats don't often eat other types of food they should not). Other common causes in middle or older cats include inflammatory bowel disease IBD or even GI lymphoma in older cats. With Greg having FIV, he is even at more risk of developing infections or other diseases such as IBD. He would require further diagnostics (in addition to blood and urine tests) to confirm these. It may include stool samples and an abdominal ultrasound. Even more, GI biopsies may be recommended if your veterinarian suspects that Greg may have IBD or GI lymphoma. You may try however, offering Greg a bland diet in case this is consistent with a dietary indiscretion. The bland diet could consist of plain white rice, skinless and boneless boiled chicken, and/or low fat cottage cheese. If these help then perhaps Greg may have a dietary indiscretion and will be ok within a few days. However, if he does not improve, has persistent diarrhea, develops a decreased appetite, lethargy, or vomiting then he should be seen by his veterinarian sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Cats shouldn't catch any human viruses, it's probably just coincidence that everybody starting getting ill at the same time - or it could be related to allergens in the air. Cats with FIV have a harder time in general with any infection - if your positive cat is having a rough time, he may need to be hospitalized for oxygen, fluids, medications, or antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections.