The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus And What It Means For Cat Health Care

The Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is an untreatable cat health care problem which is not uncommon in the UK since there is unfortunately no vaccine for it at the moment. The virus is passed from one cat to another through biting because saliva caries the virus, so this serious cat health care problem is more common in non castrated male cats, who are more inclined to fight.

The virus is similar to HIV in humans, so it works by attacking and even killing the white blood cells in the cat. This is dangerous to the cat because the white blood cells are responsible for fighting off infection. As a result, cats which have been infected by the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus are more susceptible to developing infections which are more likely to lead to further complications.

All cat owners should be as vigilant as possible about their pet’s cat health care, so it is wise to look out for the symptoms of FIV. Swollen lymph glands, eye and nose discharge, gum disease known as gingivitis, reduced appetite, anaemia and skin infections are some of the more common symptoms. Owners often fail to realise the scale of the threat to cat health care posed by FIV because infected cats can often appear to be healthy for years, despite being susceptible to infection.

Cat health care researchers have yet to find a treatment for the virus, but infections can be treated with antibiotics in order to make the cat as comfortable as possible. There is not sure fire way of avoiding the disease because there is no vaccine, but keeping cats from mixing and fighting with other cats helps. Because cats which have been castrated are less likely to fight, it is a good idea to ensure you cat is castrated or neutered.