okay, i'll try to answer your questions, but first i need some more info.



you say that all your cats were vaccinated: what were they vaccinated for?



if all your cats and all your friend's cats were vaccinated for FIV, then it is true that they will forever afterwards test positive for FIV.



the tests used for FIV test for the antigen for the virus, and the Fel-O-Vax vaccine produces the antigen in cats receiving it. currently, there is research being done to find testing methods to differentiate the vaccine-induced strain of FIV from "naturally occurring" ones. for this reason, MANY vets will not use the FIV vaccine, because if the cat is ever lost or otherwise ends up in a shelter situation, it will test positive and it's likelihood of being adopted is slim. it is highly recommended that cats who have received the FIV vaccine be microchipped with that information included, so that if it DOES end up in a shelter, it has a chance to survive.



false positives for FIV are very common, actually--about 40% of cats who test positive on the snap/elisa test will test negative on the western blot test, which is currently considered the definitive test for FIV. most FIV sanctuaries will not accept a cat as an FIV without a positive western blot.



FIV cats, once neutered, are perfectly safe around other cats as long as they are not aggressive. (95% of positives are males, as it's only spread through DEEP, PENETRATING BITES, usually during fights over girls. the few females who get it generally do so during mating.) in the very few cases where a neutered male remains aggressive, filing down or extracting the canine teeth renders them incapable of biting deeply enough to transmit the virus.



i can link you to groups of folks living with FIV cats, as well as other resources if you would like!



PHCatByte

(this is Jess, my maine-coon FIV!)

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