Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) affects cats worldwide. With appropriate management, FIV-positive cats can live long, good quality lives, challenging outdated beliefs about this condition.
FIV carries significant welfare implications not from the virus itself in many cases, but from the responses to diagnosis -- unnecessary euthanasia, social isolation, or owner anxiety that reduces quality of care. FIV-positive cats can live for many years with good immunity and no clinical signs. When immune suppression does develop, it typically manifests as increased susceptibility to infections that are manageable with veterinary care. Indoor housing protects both the FIV-positive cat and other cats from transmission. Regular monitoring and prompt treatment of secondary infections is the basis of welfare-centered FIV management.