What Is Fiv In Cats

Fiv is a retrovirus that only affects cats and can be treated but not cured. Feline immunodeficiency virus fiv is a lentivirus that affects cats worldwide with 25 to 44 of felines being infected. Once a cat is infected with fiv theyre infected for life.
what is fiv in cats what is fiv in cats mean

As a result cats with fiv are likely to have a shorter lifespan than healthy cats but they can still be wonderful pets.

What is fiv in cats. Fiv typically causes a weakening of the cats immune system. Feline immunodeficiency virus is known as a retrovirus and can cause a syndrome in cats similar to aids in people where the immune system is damaged by the virus over time. It attacks a cats immune system weakening it over time and leaving them vulnerable to secondary infections. In cats the virus is most commonly spread via saliva and so if your cat can roam outdoors and gets bitten by an infected cat during a fight then they too can become infected.

Fiv is short for feline immunodeficiency virus which is an infectious retroviral disease in cats. Fiv stands for feline immunodeficiency virus. Fiv is a lentivirus a slow progressing virus that can compromise a cats immune system reducing its ability to fight off illnesses. Fiv differs taxonomically from two other feline retroviruses feline leukemia virus felv and feline foamy virus ffv and is more closely related to human immunodeficiency virus hiv.

However only cats can get fiv. In infected cats feline immunodeficiency virus fiv attacks the immune system leaving the cat vulnerable to many other infections. It is the same class of virus as hiv a lentivirus. People and dogs cannot.

Fiv is a lot like hiv in humans. Although the virus is slow acting a cats immune system is. It attacks a cats immune system weakening it over time and leaving them vulnerable to secondary infections. Unlike some forms of virus that infect cells and then kill them retroviruses actually alter the genetic material of the infected cell and turn cells into little virus factories.

Fiv is a lot like hiv in humans. In the us infection rates among healthy cats are less than 3 percent. Both feline leukemia virus felv and feline immunodeficiency virus fiv are retroviruses. Fiv is short for feline immunodeficiency virus which is an infectious retroviral disease in cats.

Cats who are infected with feline immunodeficiency virus fiv may not show symptoms until years after the initial infection occurred. The virus has a long latent period then progresses so slowly that it may never affect a cat. Once a cat is infected with fiv theyre infected for life.