FIV Vaccine

[BlackDog17]

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Does anyone have any experience with the FIV vaccine for preventing FIV in cats that are currently FIV- ?

Backstory: In early September I rescued a stray cat who turned out to be FIV positive. He was pretty dirty and scratched up so it was obvious he'd been on the streets for a while and had gotten into a few fights. I spent over a month looking for an owner with no luck. I didn't want to take him to a shelter, where he would likely be euthanized because of his FIV, so I kept him and began looking for a home for him. Unfortunately, as many of you know, it is extremely difficult to rehome an FIV+ cat, and I haven't found anyone to take him. I really would prefer to rehome him with someone I know or a "friend of a friend" so that I know he will be well cared for. A few people have suggested putting out a "Free to a good home" ad, but I hate the idea of giving him to some random off Craigslist. Suffice to say that I've become incredibly attached to this cat, and I want to make sure he has the best life possible.

I recently had him pcr tested, which confirmed that he is definitely FIV+. The problem is that I just graduated undergrad and plan on moving back home as soon as possible, and my mom has three FIV-free cats at home. I asked my vet whether it would be possible to vaccinate my mom's cats with the FIV Vaccine, then bring my cat home with me. She said she didn't see a problem with it, as long as my mom's are healthy enough to mount a good immune response to the vaccine. I still need to contact my mom's vet and discuss this with him first, but I was wondering, have any of you used or seen the FIV vaccine used before? Any thoughts on it?

Obviously I don't want to do this unless I can be reasonably certain that my mom's cats won't be infected.

 

[shortnsweet]

The problem with the FIV vax is the efficacy of it is unknown (Hence why it isn't used in the UK yet). And once you give it, all of your mom's cats will test positive.

Is there any way to keep them separated in your mom's house?

 

[BlackDog17]

My cat could be confined to my room or the guest bedroom (which is what I planned on doing while we introduced them to each other) but keeping him locked up all the time doesn't seem like a good long-term solution to me.

I should clarify that if I do get in to vet school, I will most likely take this cat along with me, but it could be several months to a year before that happens.

 

[shortnsweet]

My cat could be confined to my room or the guest bedroom (which is what I planned on doing while we introduced them to each other) but keeping him locked up all the time doesn't seem like a good long-term solution to me.

I should clarify that if I do get in to vet school, I will most likely take this cat along with me, but it could be several months to a year before that happens.

Yeah, it's def not ideal to keep him locked up. Just wanted you to be aware of the risk of the vax not protecting all 3 cats in case of a bite. Unless they really go at each other though, there shouldn't be a problem. And it's not a mother passing it along to kittens, so no risk there.

Talk to your vet though...she/he will probs have some good suggestions!