DADDYCAT URGENT.....CAN VET REFUSE TO NEUTER AND RETURN TO OUTSIDE DUE TO FIV??

by Donna Greiner
(Riversiide NJ)

Hi, how is your house of 6?

You told me to update you regarding Daddycat and Mommycat. My urgency is that I took Daddycat to the vet because his ears looked severely infected and due to the frigid temperatures we are experiencing. She did an exam and tested him for FIV and FLV. Well, he's positive for FIV. I wanted him to be neutered so he can A. Live with me in my home with the 2 feral kittens I rescued in October. B.Neuter and return to the outside to his environment.

She will not neuter him unless I bring in my kittens to have them tested for FIV. I cannot catch the kittens, they are wise to my tricks. She is also saying she cannot neuter him and allow him to return to the colony outside. There is no colony, just people who let their cats be inside-outside cats.

I feel distraught....I took DADDYCAT to help him and seems I have offered him a death sentence. My only other alternative she says is to find him a home where he must be an only cat.

This is horrible! I have read that FIV and non FIV cats can live together, and it doesn't spread in all cases.

I have recently written about my situation....this is the sad and frustrating question...

How can I help DADDYCAT?

Fellow cat lover,
Conan

RESPONSE:

I apologize for taking so long to answer you but I'm quite ill and heading for surgery next week.

Unfortunately, FIV is contagious to most cats and this transfer is mainly done through saliva and to a lesser degree with scratches. With a cat’s penchant to clean itself with its tongue and also lick a kitten or another household cat, the risk of transferring the virus is very real. However, because FIV is cell-associated, its contagion level is low.

But, that being said, if you brought DaddyCat into the house he would have to be isolated from the kittens. That sounds like it would cause other problems in your household. The kittens may or may not have FIV but you have to protect them in case they don’t have it.

To fully understand what FIV is and what happens over time read: Feline Immunodefiency Virus

A vet has the legal right to refuse to do any procedure they choose not to do. If you get a vet to neuter DaddyCat (phone around and see who will perform the procedure) he will be less likely to engage in fights since scratches to the other cat may transmit the virus. 75% of cats with FIV are males.

I feel sorry for you being in such a horrid situation and your decision isn't going to be easy. I wish you all the best.