Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is commonly misunderstood, leading to unnecessary euthanasia of infected cats. Most FIV-positive cats can live long, high-quality lives with appropriate care.
FIV-positive cats are one of the most significant welfare casualties of medical misunderstanding. The historical assumption that FIV inevitably led to rapid immune decline and early death resulted in thousands of healthy, adoptable cats being euthanized in shelters. The current scientific understanding is far more optimistic: most FIV-positive cats live with their virus without significant immune compromise for years or decades, developing AIDS-like illness only in late life or under significant additional stress. The welfare imperative is correcting this misunderstanding at the shelter, veterinary, and public level so that FIV-positive cats receive the same adoption opportunities and the same quality of care as negative cats. An FIV-positive diagnosis should trigger appropriate management, not euthanasia.