My kitten tested positive for FIV. Is it dangerous for my senior cats?

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!

FIV is transmitted by bite wounds, so there is little risk to your adopted cat. If you want to be sure you can always have her tested when she arrives. FIV is only a cat disease as well, so there is no risk to your dogs.

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.

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

No, it's not cruel to keep Winnie confined in one room if this is what you need to do - many cats have living arrangements like this, and can still have a good quality of life as long as you spend time with her each day and she has a comfortable living area. I would definitely agree that it's a much nicer option for her than living as a stray or being taken to a shelter. For what it's worth, FIV is really only transmitted to other cats through deep bite wounds, not casual contact like grooming or sharing food or water bowls. So if she and Ellie get along, there's really no reason that you need to keep them separated - many cat owners have an FIV+ cat who is loose in the house with their other cats, with no problems at all. Just a thought, in case this is something you want to consider :)

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

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/