My FIV positive cat hasn't had a vet check-up in 2 years. Is it time?

I would tend to agree with your vet. FIV positive cats do not have a normal immune system, so vaccinating them may not be effective regardless and the vaccine itself can sometimes cause unwanted reactions. If Mikel's life-style is low-risk (indoor only, no new cats added recently to the household), I would not recommend vaccinating him as the downsides probably outweigh the benefits for him.

FIV and FeLV are two separate conditions. The main reason I recommend and FeLV vaccine is only for cats that will be spending time outside. If you have an FIV positive cat, it is not recommended that he spend any time outside at all since he will be at risk of spreading his disease to other animals. That being said, if he will be indoor only, it is probably not necessary unless you have other cats inside your house that might be exposed to FeLV.

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/

Poor Shadow! I strongly recommend contacting your veterinarian for an exam, possible diagnostics (for example a fecal, blood work, and/or x-rays), and medication. My biggest concern is that since he is FIV positive that his immune system will have a harder time fighting off the infection so the quicker you can get him on some medications the better. Also you can also get him started on Viralys gel which will sometimes help to boost his immune system during these difficult times. I hope he starts to feel better! Please feel free to contact us again on the forum or set up a consultation if you have additional questions or want more information. Thank you.

Without being him in person, I can't say how long you can expect him to live. Having him seen by a vet would be the best indication. Look, even if he only lives a few months, think about how much that would mean to him living in a loving home instead of in a shelter. You'd be giving him a great gift, no matter how long he lives.

This seems unusual - FIV is a viral disease and vaccines would not be considered a trigger. It’s difficult to know whether or not these symptoms are related to FIV without knowing the results of the confirmatory test or the other lab work. If she does have FIV it’s possible that she could live a normal life span although she will be predisposed to infections in the future. Your vet may want to run more tests to look for infections.

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.