FIV - a most misunderstood virus


	FIV FAQs

	FIV Testing
	FIV Research
	FIV Vaccination
	FIV Kittens
	FIV Transmission

	FIV in Perspective
	Beware of poor vets!
	Indoor-only, only cats?
	Mixing FIVs with non-FIVs

	Health history of the sanctuary FIV+ cats
	Health chart of 80 FIV+ cats over 15 years

Why have we produced this booklet?

Because we need everyone to do the right thing for FIV cats.

We have done the best we can for those who have come our way, but we are getting too old to take on more - we know how long they can live!

So the best we can now do is pass on what our FIV cats have taught us to as many others as we can, so they can deal properly with the FIV cats who come their way.

We want as many people as possible to have the information in order for them to give all future FIV cats the chance they deserve of a good life.

That is why we have produced the booklet.

Please do what you can for FIV cats, even if it is just passing on the booklet to those who may deal with FIV cats.

Why only a hard copy version?

We realise it would be easy to produce a digital version, but we are concerned that the information should be read - it is much more likely to be looked at if there is a physical book to browse and be passed around.

We know only too well that a digital form can sit on a computer and never be looked at.

Even if it drastically reduces the number available, we would prefer a small number to be read, than lots sitting hidden on computers!
Sorry, we're rather old fashioned!

Maybe later...

FIV - a most misunderstood virus
FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus)

New booklet about FIV
Launch date: 6 November 2011

We have produced a booklet about our experience with the FIV cats that have lived in our sanctuary. We hope it will prove a useful resource for those who have to make decisions about FIV cats.

The following is a list of the contents:

p2 - The basic facts about FIV
p4 - A message to owners of FIV cats
p5 - A message to rescuers
p6 - So what is FIV all about?
p7 - In the beginning
p10 - Myths or facts
p16 - What are the symptoms of FIV?
p17 - What are FIV-related illnesses?
p20 - Having FIV doesn’t make a cat ill
p23 - The Fivery
p27 - Health record of the sanctuary FIV cats
p36 - FIV - what is it? strains and clades
p40 - FIV testing
p44 - What does FIV really do to the immune system?
p50 - FIV in perspective
p56 - How reliable is the research into FIV?
p62 - A 10-year study
p68 - Should FIVs be homed as indoor-only and only cats?
p74 - Examples of mixed households
p80 - Life and death after rescue
p82 - The Catwork FIV cats

(104 pages A5 wiro bound)

To request a copy, please email us with your postal address.

*(Sorry, UK addresses only, at present, due to limited numbers - when we can afford to print more, we can distribute further afield)

Catwork has been a private sanctuary for cats with special needs since 1996.

We took in our first FIV positive cat in 1997, since when we have cared for more than 80 cats with the virus.

They came to us at various ages, and in various states of health. The vast majority stayed with us, in the sanctuary, for the rest of their lives.

Through the experience of caring for these cats, we have learned what the FIV virus really means to a cat.

There is, sadly, a great deal of misunderstanding about the virus. What one reads is mainly based on academic theory rather than practice, making it misleading at best.

It is imperative that animal rescue groups and individuals deal properly with FIV cats. So our mission now is to pass on the information we have learned - the cats have taught us, now we want them to teach you.

This booklet explains the practical reality of FIV cats, based on our direct, hands-on, experience of caring for 80 FIV cats over the last fifteen years.

We want to distribute it to everyone who has decision-making responsibilities for FIV cats, so that all decisions are made on the basis of knowledge and understanding, rather than myth and hearsay.

If you care about cats, please request a copy of the booklet.

Thank you for taking the trouble to learn the realities of FIV.

The booklet is free to anyone* who has dealings with FIV cats, because it is important for as many people as possible to know the realities of the virus.

However, if, when you read it, you find it informative, a donation towards the cost of producing and sending a free copy to the next person, would help us increase the awareness further - but that is entirely up to you.