cats

Question
Hi Jana,
I have 6 cats various ages.  I have had them all tested for FIV and leukemia, which has been negative.  I also take to the vet twice a year for periodic exams and vaccines.  I have recently had to male cat show up in my yard.  They are 10 mos to 1 yr old, very friendly and lovable.  I took the cats to the vet to get their vaccines and get neutered as I was unable to find homes for them.  My vet did the combination Snap test to FIV and leukemia.  One tested positive to leukemia, but my vet showed me a very faint almost invisible spot on the FIV side of the strips.  Does this mean they have FIV?  Should I have them retested?

Thank you, Winona

Answer
You can and probably should have them retested- but remember these are fatal viruses that spread easily among cats in one household. They really need to be isolated completely from your other cats.

You cannot rely on their vaccinations to keep them from getting these diseases from the other two cats. No vaccine is 100% effective all of the time.

Some young cats may throw off the viruses as well, so you really need to retest in 6 months. Even without FIV these cats are carriers of FELV and that is more common and fatal then FIV, so keep them away from your negative cats!