What Causes AIDS in Kittens?

Feline AIDS, also known as FIV, affects up to 3 percent of cats in the United States, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center. An infectious agent called a lentivirus is the culprit behind the disease. If you're the caretaker of a new kitten, it's important to be familiar with the ways feline immunodeficiency virus can be transmitted.

  1. Understanding Feline AIDS

    • Like HIV in humans, cats can be affected with the feline immunodeficiency virus for years without presenting any signs or symptoms. Eventually, the virus weakens the immune system to a considerable degree, putting cats at risk for infections that their bodies aren't able to fight off. At this point, the cat may be formally diagnosed with FAIDS; however, the terms FIV and FAIDS are often used interchangeably. Weight loss, chronic infections, behavior changes, oral problems and conditions affecting the skin or coat are possible effects of the disease. Cats may live for years with FAIDS, depending on how fast their health deteriorates.

    Maternal Transmission

    • A kitten may contract the virus that causes feline AIDS from their mothers, although this is rare, according to authors Margaret H. Bonham and D. Caroline Coile, PhD, in their 2008 book, "Why Do Cats Bury Their Poop?: More Than 200 Feline Facts, Fallacies, and Foibles Revealed." This type of transmission occurs during the birthing process or while the kitten is still nursing on its mother's milk.

    Typical Transmission

    • Other methods of contracting feline AIDS are more common than maternal transmission. It is transmitted through bites from infected cats in most cases, although mutual grooming may also be a risk factor. Allowing a new kitten to come into a home with infected cats raises its chances of being exposed to the virus. Putting the kitten outdoors is also a significant risk as it may be interacting with strays or other neighborhood cats. Keep in mind that a person with HIV cannot transmit the disease to your cat, just as it cannot pass the virus on to a human.

    Prevention

    • No cure exists for the disease, so prevention is your best bet when it comes to protecting your kitten. The most important step to take is to keep your kitten indoors. Getting your kitten vaccinated can also lower its risk, but there are drawbacks to keep in mind. The vaccine does not protect cats from all FIV/FAIDS strains, cautions the Cornell Feline Health Center. It also will cause any future FIV tests to come back positive -- whether your cat actually has the virus or not. If this occurs, diagnosis would depend on your kitten's symptoms rather than test results.