Feline AIDS on Rise; Strays at High Risk

At Madison Square Garden, Joyce Henderson raised her voice above the cacophony of 1,000 meowing cats and their cooing handlers at the Seventh International Cat Show. She had a story to tell.

“I recently found six strays and took them to the veterinarian for a checkup,” said Henderson, who keeps 23 cats back home in rural North Carolina. The vet had shocking news. “Four of the males had AIDS,” she said.

Henderson knew about Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, or feline AIDS, but she was alarmed to find infected cats.

Some of the 45,000 people at the three-day cat show had questions about FIV for Robert Goldstein, the show’s veterinarian.

“Their first concern is, ‘Is it the same as human AIDS?’ It’s not. Although the viruses are very similar, you can’t get AIDS from a cat,” Goldstein said.

Another frequent question, he said, is, ‘Can I get it from kissing my cat on the face?’ Again, the answer is no. Studies have found that people who have had close contact with FIV-infected cats developed no sign of the virus.

Cornell University Feline Health Center has said: “The distribution of FIV infection in the feline population is poorly defined, but preliminary surveys suggest that the virus is widespread.” The report added that “FIV represents a serious health hazard for domestic cats.”

The virus was discovered in 1986, when a University of California veterinarian found cats suffering from an immunodeficiency syndrome similar to AIDS.

Researchers are re-examining blood samples to see how far back the virus can be traced and determine its origin, said Nancy Clark, an assistant professor at Tufts University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Researchers say the virus is specific, or confined, to cats.

There are 54 million cats in the United States, and 10% to 15% of those with chronic infections have FIV, the health center estimated. Free-roaming male cats such as those Henderson found are most likely to carry the virus.

Veterinarians say the virus is transmitted when an infected cat bites another cat. Tests have shown that the virus also may be spread through mating or other nonaggressive contact, but such cases are “very uncommon,” said John Saidla of the health center.

“Feline AIDS is a problem that is getting worse and worse and worse,” Henderson said. “In the wild you very seldom find a ‘clean cat’ anymore, and it spreads very fast.”

Containing FIV is a top priority of veterinarians. Because there is no vaccine, cat owners can protect a pet only by limiting its exposure to other cats--in other words, by keeping them indoors.

“So many people suffer from the Good Samaritan syndrome, where they pick up strays and bring them in,” Saidla said. “So many of those cats are (FIV)-positive.’ ”

As with people who carry the AIDS virus, the symptoms among cats are varied and may not be apparent until several years after the cat becomes infected.

General malaise and poor coat condition are common initial symptoms. In later stages of feline AIDS, the most common signs are gum disease, or gingivitis, and evidence of pain when eating, said Amy Perille, an infectious-disease specialist at Manhattan’s Animal Medical Center. FIV cats may suffer from chronic upper-respiratory infection, persistent diarrhea, poor appetite and progressive weight loss, she said.

A cat that has the virus will not necessarily die from related secondary illnesses. “There may be cats who carry the virus and don’t have a problem,” Clark said.

Karen Anderson, who came to the cat show from Boston, was shocked when she first heard about FIV. “I really didn’t believe it,” she said. “I just thought that it was anthropomorphizing cats.” She said she still lets her cat, Mr. Moose, go outside. She said it would be cruel to keep him indoors. “There’s nothing you can do about it anyway.”

Another visitor to the show, Teresa Mitchell, had never heard of FIV.

“It’s a shame,” she said. “The whole phenomenon of AIDS is a terrible problem and now we have animals infected with it. Where will it stop?”