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One of our neighborhood cats have been diagonsed with Feline HIV and we know the cat that has the symptoms and has been in fights with all the neighborhood cats. The cat literally pulls her hair out on her back her corneas look enlarged. She has discharge from her eyes. Should we have her put to sleep or leave her alone. I am afraid that she will infect more cats if she has not already done it. She has been much more agressive over the last month. I do not know how we would ever catch her, she is a stray and rules the roost.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: catGender: femaleAge: ?Name of Cat: PC
Hello, I would advise that any FIV positive cats that are aggressive and outdoors are trapped and euthanized or rehomed. If it's not a cat that can be an indoor cat in a 1 cat home, then I'd take her to an animal shelter and have her euthanized. The disease is spread from mom to kitten or from direct saliva to blood bite wounds- any cats she could have bitten should also be tested 6 months after any possible bites. They too should either be transitioned to indoor cats or euthanized to prevent spread of this disease. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
It is all very sad. I do not know if any of these cats have owners, there are 3 of them. The cat that I know is sick fights with all of the cats, so I guess that would mean that they are all probably infected. I cannot take care of these cats in my house, because I have a dog that will not tolerate cats and I am allergic to cats. This is the first time I have ever taken a liking to cats and it breaks my heart, but I know what I need to do to stop any other cats from suffering. I do not want PC (the cat who is ill) to suffer and I am sure she probably is hurting,
Thank you Dr. Gary for your help.
I would not euthanize any until they are FIV positive, but if they are then it really is the best thing to prevent others from becoming infected. You're welcome and sorry for the situation you're in.
Experience: DVM, Emergency Veterinarian, BS (Physiology)