Meet King Louie!  He is my current foster who also happens to be FIV+.  Many shelters will kill any cat that comes through their doors and tests positive for FIV.  Why?  Personally, I’m not sure I can even understand their reasoning for this because it seems so ridiculous to me.  However, I can explain what FIV is so you can see that it’s nothing to fear and definitely not anything worth ending a life for.

FIV stands for Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus.  FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines (so Fido is completely safe).   Cats who have FIV most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all.  FIV is not easily passed between cats as it cannot be spread casually (like in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing).  It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens.  The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds (bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats).  Unfortunately, many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago.  FIV-positive cats should be kept indoors and free from stress as well as fed a high-quality diet.

So as long as King Louie stays inside and lives the cushy life he deserves, he will live a long and happy life with his forever family.  Louie is an absolutely amazing cat who shows affection with true gusto.  He loves to get a good chin scratch and curl up next to me on the bed, sometime kneading so hard from joy I can feel it through the mattress.  It is impossible for me to imagine killing Louie being the humane thing to do because he has some virus that affects his immune system.  He is happy, healthy, and extremely loving and I know for a fact he is going to be a cherished member of an amazing family, giving them as much bliss and happiness as he will receive.

Please educate yourself about FIV and spread the word – tell your local shelter it’s no longer acceptable to kill an animal because they have this virus.  Louie thanks you!

***information about FIV has been taken from Best Friends