I understand there is now an effective vaccine for FIV (the feline equivalent of HIV). Please, please, be sure to have your cat(s) vaccinated if they ever go outdoors or if you bring a new cat into your home.
I lost my big blue Gonzo to the disease several years ago. He was not an outdoor cat, but probably picked up the virus when he had surgery at a local university veterinary hospital. This was before FIV was recognized as a widespread threat. He was with me for a year after his diagnosis and mercifully passed on in his sleep before he started developing cancers. I have a wonderful, exceptional veterinarian, Dr. Margaret Swartout, to thank for that final year with him.
It is a heart wrenching way to lose a companion, and now it is needless. The modern outdoor world is a dangerous place for cats; please give yours all the protection you can.
I understand that the development of the FIV vaccine has gotten us significantly closer to one for HIV.
I lost my big blue Gonzo to the disease several years ago. He was not an outdoor cat, but probably picked up the virus when he had surgery at a local university veterinary hospital. This was before FIV was recognized as a widespread threat. He was with me for a year after his diagnosis and mercifully passed on in his sleep before he started developing cancers. I have a wonderful, exceptional veterinarian, Dr. Margaret Swartout, to thank for that final year with him.
It is a heart wrenching way to lose a companion, and now it is needless. The modern outdoor world is a dangerous place for cats; please give yours all the protection you can.
I understand that the development of the FIV vaccine has gotten us significantly closer to one for HIV.