billmanskills asked:
My cat recently got diagnosed with Feline HIV or Feline Aids, I am very close with my cat, and I am worried about catching it. My friend told me you can get it thru blood to blood contact. I was wondering if there were any other ways you could get it?
13 responses so far ↓
1 BPSKI // Nov 18, 2008 at 11:17 pm
You have to be kidding I have never heard of such a thing this must be a sick joke.
2 Currie // Nov 19, 2008 at 4:05 am
NO, but it is highly contagious to other cats!
3 heidi_1176 // Nov 21, 2008 at 8:52 am
I am so sorry about your cat. I read this info at a great web site: FIV affects only felines. Some of the pathogens (i.e., bacteria, parasites) that cause opportunistic infections in FIV-positive cats may be transmitted from animals to humans and could cause illness in people with compromised immune systems.
The web site is:
It has a lot of great info. The site also said that although FIV is not curable, many cats live for years with it. Just make sure your kitty is getting the vet care he needs to stay healthy for as long as possible! Good luck!
4 manjunath p // Nov 22, 2008 at 2:11 am
it can spread blood to blood, and also its saliva to humans. What ever it may be, please do not take risk for your self, other Family members, and other cats and dogs. Take it to your Vet. I am very sorry, he may suggest you to put your pet to permanent sleep.
5 oz_cat_downunder // Nov 23, 2008 at 3:28 am
No, the strain of HIV is specific to each species.
Go to the link below for more information.
6 ausblue // Nov 25, 2008 at 12:29 am
I’m pretty sure you can’t
but ask the vet they should have told you anyway!!
7 lizzy // Nov 27, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is genetically very similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). They are transmitted in simlar ways. However, ONLY cats can get FIV, and ONLY humans can get HIV. They are two completely separate diseases. These viruses are species-specific, that is they ONLY infect one species. So no, you cannot catch FIV from your cat, your dogs cannot catch FIV from your cat. But if there’s other cats in the house, or your cat goes outside, then other cats can catch the FIV virus. Your cat does not have to be euthanized because of this, but it should be kept strictly indoors only, and should NOT live with other cats. Like HIV, it’s not the virus itself that causes cats to die. It’s the secondary infections (bacterial and viral) that crop up over time as the FIV virus destroys the immune system. That can take anywhere from a few months to several years to happen.
8 2kats // Nov 28, 2008 at 8:07 am
My mother vet told us we can not catch feline HIV or even when it has gone to the full blown AIDS, my mother cat Boots has had feline HIV now for nearly 5 years.
Cats can transmit between cats bites, also cats that has this feline HIV is much different to the Human form of HIV, yet is it very similar.
If you let your cat outdoors, now is the time to stop doing the such for he or she will only spread it around to other cats that are not infected with it.
I hope this had help some.
9 Phoebhart // Nov 29, 2008 at 9:50 am
No. The Feline AIDS virus is host-particular. That means it cannot be transferred to a human - or rather, it cannot infect a human. The reverse is true too. The Human AIDS virus cannot infect a cat or dog.
10 boncarles // Dec 1, 2008 at 6:22 pm
No, feline HIV is not the same as human HIV and you cannot catch it. I am sorry to hear your kitty is sick.
11 Barbara // Dec 3, 2008 at 4:45 am
No way sorry about your cat. Mine had this got very sick at the end would only eat baby food. Cuddle your kitty and love her/him ’till the end.
12 Fizzle // Dec 4, 2008 at 6:58 am
FIV is not a rare disease so if there were ANY chance of it posing a risk to humans, especially considering the millions of pet cats we have, it would have made headlines in the news by now.
13 gypsyghost // Dec 5, 2008 at 8:21 am
FIV can in no way be transmitted to humans. Only other cats can get it. FIV is not as contagious as feline leukemia (FeLV). FIV is transmitted through bites to and from other cats (or from the mother to her kittens), and cats can live for ten years or more before they get sick. A lot of people confuse FeLV and FIV, but FeLV is faster in progressing and much more contagious.
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