Feline AIDS Treatment

The term "feline AIDS" is something of a misnomer. The actual term for the disease is FIV, or feline immunodeficiency virus. This disease suppresses the cat's immune system, leaving it susceptible to secondary infections. Posing no threat to healthy cats, relatively harmless infections become life threatening in cats with FIV. A relatively rare virus, FIV is manageable through a number of treatment options available to cats and their human companions.

  1. Function

    • Treatments focus on boosting the cat's immune system. An infected cat's immune system is not able to function well or at all. Medications and treatments aim to provide FIV positive cats with some measure of protection against outside bacteria, viruses, parasites and microorganisms. Treatment also focuses on eliminating potential threats from a cat's environment and reducing exposure to infectious agents.

    Identification

    • Owners of a cat infected with FIV should take measures to keep the cat healthy. Keeping the cat away from other cats prevents the spread of FIV from the infected cat to other cats, but also prevents the cat from picking up infectious agents from other cats. Keeping the cat indoors and up to date on other vaccinations also provides a measure of protection. A veterinarian may prescribe an antiviral immunomodulatory drug, such as interferon, to manage FIV symptoms. The use of lymphocyte T-cell immune modulator (LTCI) is also possible. This drug, given in a series of injections, helps balance white and red blood cells within the cat's body.

    Time Frame

    • There is no cure for FIV. Cats with "feline AIDS" do not go into remission. Treatments may improve a cat's condition within a month, but will not make the cat completely healthy. Interferon is given as a daily or weekly dose. LCTI is a series of three injections given over the course of two weeks and repeated monthly. Cats being treated with LCTI need periodic blood tests to determine efficacy and organ function as determined by a licensed veterinary medical specialist.

    Considerations

    • An FIV positive cat's life span is dependent on a number of variables. According to the "Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians," approximately 20 percent of cats receiving treatment die within two years after diagnosis, or four to six years after being infected. Treatment delays what is termed "stage three" of the disease. Stage three is where normal functioning and regular life processes are difficult or impossible for cats to accomplish on their own. Cats who have reached stage three of the disease usually die within one year.

    End of Life Care

    • In addition to immune system bolstering drugs and blood cell regulating treatments, cats with stage three FIV need many additional treatments to live. Intravenous fluid administration, blood transfusions, dietary supplements, antibiotic therapy or fungicidal medications. These therapies are given on an as-needed basis to prolong a cat's life if the quality of life has not yet deteriorated completely. Speak to a licensed veterinary medical specialist if you feel your FIV positive cat needs additional or different treatments.