My first contact with FIV and Felv

It was on January 5, 2014, on a cold Canadian winter day, that I met Léo. A posting on the internet mentioned that a stray cat quickly needed a family otherwise it would be sent to the SPCA or worse yet euthanized. It was an emergency. Without thinking, I was already at the wheel of my car, prepared to make the 1h30 trip to help him. The cat needed care, so he was taken to the vet.

On site, given the condition of the animal, they recommended doing a test to find out if the cat is a carrier of FIV or FeLV. At the time, I had no idea what that meant. It was then that I was told that FIV is feline AIDS and that FeLV is feline leukemia. My heart was racing, I wondered what we would do if the cat was a carrier. I refused to let a 3-4 letter acronym decide the life or death of this cat who had had a difficult life until then. However, these words are scary when you do not know what they mean exactly. Fifteen long minutes passed…. Result: Léo is FIV positive and negative to FeLV. I could have taken the easy route of having him euthanized. Instead, I chose to do all the treatments he needed and give him a chance.

Subsequently, I learned a lot from people who also have cats carrying FIV; I read documentation, studies and research. Little did I know that I had been given the wrong information. That what I was told to be AIDS was in fact the immunodeficiency syndrome and that the stray cat now named Léo could have a long life despite this condition. Léo is the first cat I rescued with this condition. 7 years later, I rescued several cats carrying FIV and I made it my mission. It is a cause that is close to my heart. When we have the choice of life or death, it is good to take some time to think. If you have saved an animal that is also a carrier of FIV or FeLV, there are solutions. These conditions should not be a death sentence. You can take the time to reflect or find a solution. I am not a veterinarian, I am a simple citizen who has chosen to rescue, to help stray or abandoned cats who are too often discriminated against and euthanized because of their condition.

Because I too was that person in the vet’s office who didn’t know what to do with the innocent little life I had just saved. Because I believe these cats deserve to have a good life. Because I believe that there are people with huge hearts to adopt or host such a cat. The lives of FIV and Felv carrying cats are worth living. Don’t condemn them for their condition.

Léo is still alive today and living his best life with me! Despite some fully treatable health issues, he is the happiest cat in the world and plays, sleeps, eats just like any other healthy cat. So inform yourselves!

Author: Catherine Boutin, rescue in Quebec and founder of the Facebook group “Positivement
adoptable/positively adoptable (fiv/felv + cats)”

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