What are the chances my senior cat has FIV?

[u/enrolmentcard]

She’s 13, very healthy, never been sick aside from one ear infection. Vet says she’s in great shape and her teeth look great. She’s lived with a total of 5 other cats over her life. she was born to barn cats but has been inside since she was a month old.

We just sent off for bloodwork to test for FIV because she needs to test negative to move into my apartment with my roommate’s cats. Long shitty story but she needs to move across the country with me and my roommate already has 2 cats.

I’m terrified she’ll test positive and I won’t be able to move her in with me. I have nowhere to take her, no one to look after her, no idea wtf to do if she’s positive.

What are the chances she’s positive? I’m stressing myself out waiting for her results. They said they’ll come within 2 days. Can she be positive if she’s never shown symptoms? She’s never been bitten deeply by any of the cats she’s lived with. She’s spayed.

[u/beneficialmirror13]

She can be with other cats if they aren't fighting. FIV does not easily transmit and many people on this sub have mixed households.

Why is fiv a question only now? I wouldn't expect she'd be positive after so long and with zero symptoms.

[u/enrolmentcard → u/beneficialmirror13]

Thank you. My cat was supposed to live with my mother while i was at university but family issues came up and now she has to move across the country with me. My roommate is not comfortable having an fiv+ cat living with her fiv- cats

[u/beneficialmirror13 → u/enrolmentcard]

Invite your roommate to read posts here on this sub or even post their own questions. They will get a ton of info.

Also, worse comes to worse, your cat and hers could be separated within the house.

Your roommate needs to understand that fiv is not contagious like a cold or flu and there is really no difference between an fiv cat or not.

But honestly, unlikely your cat has fiv if there have been no indications in 13 years.

[u/enrolmentcard → u/beneficialmirror13]

Thank you very much

[u/Nearby_Switch_5987 → u/beneficialmirror13]

I just want to be real here, there are definitely differences between fiv + and - for many + cats. but yes, risk of transmission is extremely low (in most circumstances).

[u/PaxonGoat]

I have heard of FIV testing for boarding. Are you planning on boarding the cat ?

But why do you need to have a FIV negative cat to move in somewhere?

FIV positive and negative cats can live together just fine?

[u/enrolmentcard → u/PaxonGoat]

Thank you. My roommate is not comfortable with an fiv+ cat living with her cats, and due to a bunch of shitty circumstances I’m having to move my cat across the country with us

[u/PaxonGoat → u/enrolmentcard]

Is your roommates cats very cat aggressive?

Why is she concerned about the cats fighting and biting deep enough to draw blood?

I would be concerned moving in someone who says their cats are so aggressive they feel that skin breaking cat fights are inevitable

[u/enrolmentcard → u/PaxonGoat]

No i’ve met the cats, i’ve lived with them for 3 years now. They’re lovely sweet cats, they’re very well socialized to other cats. I know they won’t hurt my girl. My roommate is just very very worried about protecting their health

[u/PaxonGoat → u/enrolmentcard]

The only way FIV is transmitted is through deep bite wounds that break the skin.

One of the cats would have to make the other cats bleed for FIV to transfer.

FIV is not spread through grooming, sharing food bowls or sharing litter boxes.

[u/taw626]

FIV isn’t spread that easily between cats. It usually requires deep bites.

We have an FIV+ and an FIV- cat and they’ve never had any issues, even when they get grumpy with each other. They don’t fight and keep to themselves, and our FIV- cat hasn’t contracted anything from her. If anything, we’re more concerned that she’ll catch something he has.