Feline Immunodeficiency Virus affects millions of cats worldwide. With proper management, FIV-positive cats can live long, comfortable lives comparable to uninfected cats.
FIV-positive cats face significant welfare impacts from both the virus and human responses to diagnosis. Historically, FIV diagnosis was treated as a near-terminal finding leading to euthanasia or at minimum lifelong isolation. Modern veterinary understanding recognizes that most FIV-positive cats live long, comfortable lives with appropriate supportive care. The welfare risk from FIV itself is modest in well-managed cats; the greater welfare harm often comes from unnecessary euthanasia, lifetime solitary confinement, or surrender to shelters where FIV-positive cats face reduced adoption prospects. Shelter medicine has evolved to recognize that FIV-positive cats are adoptable, can often cohabit with negative cats, and deserve the same quality of care and adoption opportunities as other cats.