Can cats also get AIDS? Symptoms, diagnosis, and therapeutic measures in cats with the disease

Cats can also contract a form of AIDS? Symptoms, diagnosis, and therapeutic measures of FIV.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is a disease caused by the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, similar to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in humans, and belongs to the Retroviridae family. Once infected, it is a lifelong infection, and in the future, it may lead to various infections and neoplastic diseases due to immune system dysfunction.

Although it leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), it is also known as AIDS, but the FIV is only contagious to cats and does not infect humans!

How do cats contract FIV?

The primary mode of transmission for FIV is through wounds caused by bites, transmitting saliva containing the virus and infected white blood cells. Even cats that do not fight have a risk of infection when living in the same environment. Vertical transmission from mother cats to kittens or infections caused by mating are relatively rare.

Bites are the main route of transmission!

What happens when cats get AIDS?

During the acute phase of initial contact with the virus, there may be brief fever and lymph node swelling. After a few weeks, the body begins to produce enough antibodies to suppress the circulating virus but cannot completely eliminate it. Subsequently, the cat enters a long asymptomatic period that can last for several years. During this period, immunity gradually decreases. Finally, when immunity drops to a certain level, pathogens that would not normally cause infection begin to pose a threat, entering the so-called end stage.

Cats infected with AIDS are more susceptible to chronic, recurrent infections and immune system disorders, causing symptoms in the mouth, nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, and eyes, and are more likely to develop tumors.

Although the stages of FIV in cats are similar to those of human AIDS, they are actually much milder. Some cats in the end stage of infection can return to the asymptomatic phase, and some cats infected with AIDS can live for a time no shorter than uninfected cats.

Compared to human AIDS, feline AIDS seems to be slightly milder.

Diagnosis of FIV in Cats

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends screening for FeLV/FIV in the following situations:

1. When you first acquire the cat.
2. Before administering the feline leukemia vaccine.
3. After potential exposure to an infected cat, such as if it goes missing.
4. When symptoms are suspected, including fever, lymph node enlargement, blood abnormalities, etc.

The principle of FIV rapid screening is different from that of feline leukemia. It detects the “antibodies” produced by the body’s AIDS virus, not the “virus” itself, because AIDS is a persistent infection from which cats do not recover. If antibodies are detected, it usually confirms the infection with AIDS. However, since it takes time for antibodies to be produced, there is a 60-day window period after exposure to the virus. During this time, the amount of antibodies has not yet reached a detectable level, but the cat is already infected with AIDS.

• If the rapid screening result is positive
  • It usually indicates an infection with feline AIDS.
  • Special attention should be paid to [kittens] because antibodies may be passed from the mother cat to the kittens, causing kittens under 6 months old to test positive in rapid screening.
  • Some countries produce vaccines for feline AIDS, but rapid screening cannot distinguish whether antibodies are produced due to vaccination or actual infection. There is currently no vaccine for feline AIDS in Taiwan, and special attention should be paid to cats imported from abroad.
• If the rapid screening result is negative
  • It does not rule out recent infection, and it is necessary to retest after 60 days from the most recent possible exposure to the virus.
  • At the end stage of infection, the virus load increases significantly, and antibodies are also consumed in large quantities, reducing the antibody concentration to undetectable levels.
  • If there is a risk of AIDS infection and typical clinical symptoms, it is recommended to confirm with other testing methods.

How to prevent feline AIDS?

A brief review: The main route of transmission for feline AIDS is through wounds caused by bites, so avoiding conflicts with other cats is the first step in prevention. Compared to feline leukemia, the chances of non-conflict close contact and transmission from mother cats are much lower.

There is currently no vaccine available for feline AIDS in Taiwan, so avoiding infection from the environment is the most important!

Preventing Transmission at Home

• Cats infected with AIDS should all live indoors, not only to prevent transmission to other cats but also to avoid being infected by other pathogens.
• If there is a cat diagnosed with AIDS in a multi-cat household, the best way to prevent transmission is to isolate it from other cats. If it is really impossible to isolate, at least all cats should be neutered and provided with appropriate environmental needs to reduce conflicts and stress between each cat.
• If the cats at home get along well, there is not much to worry about being infected by a cat with AIDS. However, it should be known that if the cats at home fight, the probability of getting AIDS will increase.
• Since introducing new cats increases the chances of conflicts between cats, if there is a cat with AIDS at home, no new cats should be introduced.
• Although it is rare for mother cats to directly transmit AIDS to kittens in the natural environment, it is not recommended for infected mother cats to give birth. If the situation allows, it is recommended to neuter to reduce stress during estrus.

What to do if a cat has AIDS?

Cats infected with the AIDS virus may not have any symptoms. However, when the cat is in a stressful environment (such as drastic changes in the environment), the virus may awaken from the dormant phase or begin to replicate in large quantities, leading to subsequent symptoms. When there are no symptoms, we must regularly track the condition of the cat so that we can detect and handle it early when problems arise.

How to prevent feline AIDS?

Preventive Measures

• Basic health check-ups: every six months;
• Complete blood count: annually;
• Serum biochemical tests, urine tests: annually;
• Weight: measured every 2-4 weeks. Changes in weight may occur earlier than any other symptoms;
• Regular prevention of internal and external parasites and [heartworms];
• Regular administration of core vaccines;
• Maintain a balanced diet, prohibit raw food;
• Neutering is recommended.

Therapeutic Measures

When cats with the disease have developed symptoms related to feline AIDS, medical intervention is required. Veterinarians need to distinguish whether these symptoms are caused directly by the feline AIDS virus or are secondary after AIDS has caused immune dysfunction. The direction of treatment for the two may be very different.

If it is a secondary disease, it may be more difficult to handle than cats without AIDS and requires more frequent monitoring. Inflammatory oral diseases may require full mouth extraction to achieve long-term control.

For the AIDS virus itself, there are currently antiviral drugs and interferons available for use, but more large-scale studies are still needed to verify their effectiveness.

Summary

Compared to feline leukemia, feline AIDS is relatively simpler, except for the 60-day window period after initial exposure, the accuracy of rapid screening is quite high. Infected cats will not recover and may develop a variety of symptoms after a period of asymptomatic phase due to decreased immunity. Therefore, it is very important to do everything possible to prevent cats from being infected with feline AIDS!