Hi all, sorry for such a sad first post. My baby boy, General Whiskers Von Litter, went to the vet for a check up + shots today. We ended up testing him for FIV and FeLV and he tested positive for BOTH of them. He’s 3 years old, he has been neutered, and he’s in otherwise good health, however he does throw up his food every now and then (is that a symptom of FeLV?). Normal weight. I rescued him as a stray when he was just a kitten. He’s an indoor/outdoor cat and pretty much does his own thing. These diagnoses have brought me much anxiety and stress today after doing some research and I have some questions that I haven’t been able to find the answers to.
1) Is there any way of knowing what stage he’s in of FeLV or how much longer he has left? Do I just have to sit around and watch him deteriorate until he needs to be put down?
2) This sounds insane and I KNOW he’s wrong, but I just need closure. After telling my father the news today, he’s pretty adamant that the FeLV + FIV tests are sort of just a money grab for vets and it’s not anything to be seriously concerned about, since (in his words) most cats live 10+ years with the virus’ and show little to no symptoms in reality. He’s wrong, isn’t he?
3) Will my cat have a significantly harder time with BOTH FIV and FeLV than a cat who just has one or the other? Since they both effect the immune system, does this severely decrease his chances of a long and happy life?
4) How can I make him as comfortable as possible with such a drastic change to living JUST indoors? He spends a lot of the day outside and he also goes to the bathroom outside. We have a litter box and he uses it occasionally, but he definitely prefers not to. He scratches at our walls/doors when he wants to go out, and cries until we open the door for him. It breaks my heart that he just won’t understand why he can’t leave. Is this just going to be something he’ll have to deal with?
Thank you for even just taking the time to read all this. I know it’s a lot. I’m just so stressed over this and I only want what’s best for him. I’d appreciate any advice, answers or feedback so much!
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/i8vfvr/cat_tested_positive_for_both_felv_and_fiv_advice/
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