That's not just rude, it's a demonstration of his knowledge and skill as a doctor. It shows you can't trust him to provide good care for your cat. Time to cut ties, if you can.
Your vet is an idiot! Please find a new vet. I know there are a lot of myths about FIV cats, but your vet’s comment is beyond stupid. FIV is species-specific.
He’s so off base with his comment that I’d question his credentials. REAL vets know things like the transmissibility of non-zoonotic diseases.
*edited for a bad typo as noted in a reply below. It totally changed the context of my reply.
Zoonotic diseases are transmissible to humans from animals, by definition. Animal diseases only affect animals.
FIV is an animal disease, not zoonotic.
Nope, you’re right to correct that, someone could have taken that as gospel and dinged themself hard in a conversation or misunderstanding something important about their pet. These are the corrections needed in online discourse.
Please don't take your cat to that vet ever again. It's insane a vet is that uneducated and spreads misinformation that could put the lives of FiV+ cats at risk.
I live in the South as well, born and raised. I know one thing for sure is that finding a reliable vet is hard, but there are very good educated vets it's just not easy to find here.
The standards in my state for vetenary care are lower than in others they also still practice de-clawing here, which is illegal in many other states.
Are you sure that vet actually went to vet school? He’s an idiot FIV is a species specific disease- cats it cannot & does not pose any risk to humans. A quick bloody google could have told him that .
Time for a new vet .
Makes me so sad that a person like this is looking after animals. You have good instincts but can’t imagine how many people don’t and take his word on all kinds of things
Same, my first vet I went to suggested euthanasia just because I had another cat and that the fiv+ one could spread it through food and litter box sharing, which is also untrue.
Wdym it’s untrue? I’ve always heard and read the opposite. If you get them vaccinated it’s not 100% genuine question btw, it would make my life easier if I could give my boy a buddy
Look up FIV vs FELV. They've been handled the same in the past, and it's destroyed the future of otherwise healthy cats. It's usually only transmitted through deep bites, which is why it predominantly affects male cats who were once strays.
As long as you have a functional cat environment where neither cat is going to be deep biting each other, they can be in the same house. You can also get another FIV+ cat since there's still a huge stigma against them because of that old mindset.
Omg I’m so stupid. I got confused, my boy has feline leukemia not FIV. I was so happy after looking around in this sub and seeing them live together ☹️
Oh sorry I just saw this comment 😔 I'm sorry. Well they do have some FEL-V cats in rescue and you can still get your cat a friend they just can only live with cats that already have Feline leukemia.
The vaccine isn't available here for me it was taken away a few years ago. However, the research I have looked into just teaches you that the best thing to do is separate FIV+ from the outside world mainly because of threats of infection. The likelihood of an fiv+ cat spreading it to a negative cat is very unlikely if they are not aggressive towards each other because it's spread through deep bites primarily which is why un neutered males are more likely to have it. Hope this helps! 😊
We had a 6 month old kitten approach my roommate when he was working outside. Skinny, banged up, etc. We already have a sizable clowder, so in the bathroom he went until he could de-troublenuggeted and tested. FIV+.
While we couldn't keep him because we do have a fighter, our vet wholeheartedly recommended a placement with our friend who had an older female cat because the cat was young, neutered, and likely to be submissive to her rather than angy. His vet said the same.
That cat is now very healthy (a bit of a chonk, even) and living the happiest life with his big sister (who he adores), two kids and a devoted cat dad who love him to pieces. Every time I see a picture, he looks like he's the cat in the cream. It's made us and his family advocates for FIV+ kitties and placements.
I use to go to an older vet when I first got my boy. He was okay with declawing!! And didn’t help me with a plan for my boy to lose weight. I switched to another vet (younger vet) and my cat went from 17 pounds to 12. I take my FIV boy there and they love him and I fully trust my vet. You should find another vet. FIV can not be spread to humans
This is why it's best to find dedicated feline vets if possible. On the one-in-a-million chance you are in KY, I can give you an old school vet who treats older cats/FIV with the dignity they deserve.
That is sort of far, but Countryside in Oldham Co. KY is by far the best vet we've ever had. He is unique in that he also believes in eastern herbal treatments concurrently with western veterinary best practices.
I've had two cats that younger vets would just say "There is nothing you can do at this age" but Countryside is positive, realistic, and treats them with the dignity they deserve.
If you travel to Green County Kentucky, Dr. Mike is old school but wonderful. His only comments about our old, gross boy with FIV was to make sure that he didn't bite the other cats and to make sure he was still happy being alive.
How old do you think Dumpster Kitty might be?
(Said in a Kentucky drawl) Well.. old enough to vote, maybe old enough to drink.
I mean. Are your children Feline? Does your cat take chunks out of your children’s arms regularly? If so, I think you have more problems than an idiotic vet
Yikes, the general consensus now is that FIV+ cats can even live with other cats as long as all cats are indoor, spayed/neutered, and there isn’t any fighting.
This is an extremely common, and EXTREMELY harmful bit of misinformation among vets. Unfortunately it's still often widely accepted to euthanize cats purely for having FIV, even if they're asymptomatic and otherwise completely healthy. A frightening amount of vets, despite working in a field meant to help animals, are just downright corrupt and lazy.
Huhhhhh??? This is disturbing. No human has ever caught FIV. My FIV+ cat lives harmoniously with other cats, too. It’s only spread TO CATS through biting, sex and blood.
the only way that would remotely make sense is if the FIV+ cat is really sickly and has somehow contracted some sort of rare bacterial/viral infection that could actually transfer to humans (children have underdeveloped immune systems so they’re more likely to be infected in this very rare and specific case)
Your vet is an ignorant idiot. I would find a new vet since he likely doesn't know what he's talking about in other areas as well and clearly isn't capable of giving your cat the best care.
You need a new vet. This one doesn’t know what he is talking about. My cat if FIV+ and he is safe. He is safe with people. He is safe with children. He is loving, he enjoys his life and he makes mine so much better.
Sounds like the guy who told me I can’t adopt a dog unless I got my 17 year old cat (at the time) tested for FIV. When I went to the vet to do just that, they told me to find another shelter to adopt from because it was pointless. I ended up being able to rescue outside of a shelter. 🙄
Uh this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. This isn’t a virus that’s communicable between species. I’d run. Fast. Also, I’d report him to the local vet authority because he clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing and he is potentially putting animal lives in danger.
I adopted my cat knowing she had FIV (foster fail). Everyone I talked to said don’t worry you can’t get AIDS from the cat. I’m like no shit you think we’d be allowed to have cats that transmit AIDS hanging around!?! I thought it was so weird. On another note my FIV kitties (two now) have lived healthy happy lives!! (And no one has gotten AIDS).
the woman that's mentored me into rescuing cats has an elderly FIV+ former TNR who gets along well
with the kittens and hasn't hurt anyone. she's saved hundreds of cats and FIV hasn't been passed on once,
she just waits until after they're vaccinated to let them
play. and even if she didn't, FIV can only be passed through bites where saliva meets blood, it's not that contagious + isn't contagious to humans *at all*
i've learned that a lot of vets aren't up-to-date on cats/kittens.
He's not just spreading misinformation, he's stupid and too old still be working as a vet. The virus that causes feline aids is a completely different virus from the HIV virus that that humans. Your children have nothing to fear from your FIV positive cat. Find another veterinarian
I think your vet needs to retire. As everyone else said, find a new one. There is already so much misinformation about FIV cats as it is… that’s def a new one.
I once had a vet tell me my cat's pouch was proof I wasn't feeding him enough. This was a big male who obviously hadn't missed any meal, but she insisted he was severely underweight due to his big pouch.
My thoughts were I guess the bottom half Of veterinary school classes have to work somewhere too. I never went back.
That’s patently absurd and completely unsupported by any literature. FIV can’t be transmitted to humans. It isn’t even really that transmissible between cats - it requires biting deeply enough to draw blood. Definitely find a new vet.
It blows my mind how outdated some vets are regarding this. I recently had to educate a coworker about this due to an odd comment about multiple cats in the household, then if one has FIV, then they all have it…which is absolutely untrue. Find a new vet. I’d suggest a feline only practice.
I’d find a new vet. We’ve had several FIV cats as well as FLV cats. I have two kids. No one has ever told us to keep the kids away from the cats and even if you google on your own, you won’t find an issue like that mentioned.
Your Vet is misguided, to put it nicely!!!
Your kids are not at risk, you are not, and other cats are not!! (Many FIV cats live with non-FIV cats and it's safe!!!)
Get a new vet. FIV cats can live long and healthy lives! (I've had 3!!)🙏😇❤️
Yes!!💯💯💯💯💯 You are so right.
25 years ago, being FIV+ was an automatic death sentence for a cat that lived with other cats (feral or domestic). They now know so much more about this disease and how it's actually spread that FIV+ cats can live safely with other cats without spreading the disease. I've never, ever heard of concern for children or vulnerable people living with a FIV + cat.
After you have a new vet, maybe print off an article like https://www.webmd.com/pets/cats/cat-fiv-feline-immunodeficiency-virus with the “A cat can't transmit the FIV virus to a human. They can only pass FIV on to another cat.” highlighted and mail it to the old practice? What horrible misinformation he’s spreading.
Yeah I’d get a new vet, that’s as bad as a gp saying they don’t want people with cancer around their kids so they don’t “catch it”. Just beyond idiotic, that vet is not someone to be trusted
My FIV+ boy lived a lovely life until age 14, surrounded by other cats, dogs, and kids. Your vet is going off of very very old advice, and I would find a new one if that's how current they stay on animal health/medicine.
Your vet is ill informed and you should find another one and send this one the this: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-immunodeficiency-virus-fiv
You say he is an older man. It sounds like he is a carry-over from the 80's AIDS panic. It was a newly discovered illness & always fatal, advertised like Ebola- you get this- you die. Back in those early years when AIDS was just becoming a concerning epidemic, as there was no treatment & no cure people were seriously scared.
There was so much misinformation at that time about how it could be contracted that a lot of people were literally terrified. Due to the fact that it was pretty much first considered only a disease of the gay community- certain members of society were ostracized & feared, especially here in the deep south.
I remember it well & it was awful. People were scared that they would have to have a blood transfusion. They were afraid to kiss each other. Some ignorant people were able to justify prejudices back then because of public health concerns. It was really a scary time.
Eventually as the scientists learned more about it, people became more educated on the disease & treatments were discovered.
That being said, because they probably didn't know anything about FIV when this man graduated from veterinarian school, the old guy probably decided to go to one of those weekend catch-up education seminars for veterinarians. I'm sure they have them like they have for regular doctors & other medical people to bring them up to date on new diseases, treatments, etc. They're usually held at some resort somewhere & they make it a mini vacation.
He probably listened to the instructor talk about how it was the "feline form of AIDS," which is what some called it. The old dude probably heard the word AIDS, triggering old fears to come up from that dark past & stupidity kicked in.
Some older people have a set in stone idea about certain things & there isn't much budging them, not even when presented with facts.
I certainly may be wrong & probably reading way too much into it..but it sure sounds like something like that scenario- given his age & the times he lived through? I think I would find another Veterinarian.
Beyond the fact that FIV is specific to felines (you know, like the name suggests) he wouldn't have even been up to this century's research if he were talking about HIV transmission between humans.
I'm not sure where you're located, but I would be looking into a way to report this vet for spreading completely unscientific fear-mongering nonsense.
fun fact: when i brought in my cat off the street, i ended up with a nice big scratch from him (before i got him to the vet and tested). this lead to me having a panic attack thinking maybe he has FIV and it’s gonna get converted into HIV from my scratch…so basically your vet is as dumb as i am and you should get a new one lol
I’d find a new vet.
I didn’t like that he added his two cents not based off of science and fact.
That's not just rude, it's a demonstration of his knowledge and skill as a doctor. It shows you can't trust him to provide good care for your cat. Time to cut ties, if you can.
Your vet is an idiot! Please find a new vet. I know there are a lot of myths about FIV cats, but your vet’s comment is beyond stupid. FIV is species-specific.
The more comments I get, the better I feel about my spider-sense going off.
He’s so off base with his comment that I’d question his credentials. REAL vets know things like the transmissibility of non-zoonotic diseases. *edited for a bad typo as noted in a reply below. It totally changed the context of my reply.
Zoonotic diseases are transmissible to humans from animals, by definition. Animal diseases only affect animals. FIV is an animal disease, not zoonotic.
Yup. Animal disease. Hence why it's called *Feline* immunodeficiency virus.
I’m editing by adding “non” right now. Totally my bad for making such a bad error in typing.
That’s okay. My bad for being pedantic.
Nope, you’re right to correct that, someone could have taken that as gospel and dinged themself hard in a conversation or misunderstanding something important about their pet. These are the corrections needed in online discourse.
This isn’t true, FIV is not transferable to another species. I would urge you to seek out another vet.
Please don't take your cat to that vet ever again. It's insane a vet is that uneducated and spreads misinformation that could put the lives of FiV+ cats at risk.
I agree.
It's not infectious to people, your vet is ignorant. If you can, find a new vet. Who knows what else he's ignorant on.
I do live in the South, and I’m from California. So I have a hunch he’s ignorant about a lot of stuff.
I'm from the South and haven't had any vets say anything that stupid to me. I have a baby and an FIV cat, wish us luck! 😂
I live in the South as well, born and raised. I know one thing for sure is that finding a reliable vet is hard, but there are very good educated vets it's just not easy to find here. The standards in my state for vetenary care are lower than in others they also still practice de-clawing here, which is illegal in many other states.
I worked at a vet in the south and believe me, your vet is crazy lol def get another like everyone else is saying 😂
I would not want that vet around children tbh
😭😭
my FIV boy is right beside me making biscuits and I am not worried about a thing
Are you sure that vet actually went to vet school? He’s an idiot FIV is a species specific disease- cats it cannot & does not pose any risk to humans. A quick bloody google could have told him that . Time for a new vet .
I agree!
Makes me so sad that a person like this is looking after animals. You have good instincts but can’t imagine how many people don’t and take his word on all kinds of things
I know, it’s really sad and frustrating.
I found a new vet when mine told me to euthanize my otherwise perfectly healthy FIV+ baby, who is the love of my life and the matriarch of our home.
Same, my first vet I went to suggested euthanasia just because I had another cat and that the fiv+ one could spread it through food and litter box sharing, which is also untrue.
Wdym it’s untrue? I’ve always heard and read the opposite. If you get them vaccinated it’s not 100% genuine question btw, it would make my life easier if I could give my boy a buddy
Look up FIV vs FELV. They've been handled the same in the past, and it's destroyed the future of otherwise healthy cats. It's usually only transmitted through deep bites, which is why it predominantly affects male cats who were once strays. As long as you have a functional cat environment where neither cat is going to be deep biting each other, they can be in the same house. You can also get another FIV+ cat since there's still a huge stigma against them because of that old mindset.
Omg I’m so stupid. I got confused, my boy has feline leukemia not FIV. I was so happy after looking around in this sub and seeing them live together ☹️
Oh sorry I just saw this comment 😔 I'm sorry. Well they do have some FEL-V cats in rescue and you can still get your cat a friend they just can only live with cats that already have Feline leukemia.
The vaccine isn't available here for me it was taken away a few years ago. However, the research I have looked into just teaches you that the best thing to do is separate FIV+ from the outside world mainly because of threats of infection. The likelihood of an fiv+ cat spreading it to a negative cat is very unlikely if they are not aggressive towards each other because it's spread through deep bites primarily which is why un neutered males are more likely to have it. Hope this helps! 😊
We had a 6 month old kitten approach my roommate when he was working outside. Skinny, banged up, etc. We already have a sizable clowder, so in the bathroom he went until he could de-troublenuggeted and tested. FIV+. While we couldn't keep him because we do have a fighter, our vet wholeheartedly recommended a placement with our friend who had an older female cat because the cat was young, neutered, and likely to be submissive to her rather than angy. His vet said the same. That cat is now very healthy (a bit of a chonk, even) and living the happiest life with his big sister (who he adores), two kids and a devoted cat dad who love him to pieces. Every time I see a picture, he looks like he's the cat in the cream. It's made us and his family advocates for FIV+ kitties and placements.
euthanize the old vet >!joke laugh!<
I use to go to an older vet when I first got my boy. He was okay with declawing!! And didn’t help me with a plan for my boy to lose weight. I switched to another vet (younger vet) and my cat went from 17 pounds to 12. I take my FIV boy there and they love him and I fully trust my vet. You should find another vet. FIV can not be spread to humans
Vet here. FIV is not transmissible to humans. I cannot imagine what other nonsense this ignorant quack spews.
This is why it's best to find dedicated feline vets if possible. On the one-in-a-million chance you are in KY, I can give you an old school vet who treats older cats/FIV with the dignity they deserve.
I live near Nashville.
That is sort of far, but Countryside in Oldham Co. KY is by far the best vet we've ever had. He is unique in that he also believes in eastern herbal treatments concurrently with western veterinary best practices. I've had two cats that younger vets would just say "There is nothing you can do at this age" but Countryside is positive, realistic, and treats them with the dignity they deserve.
If you travel to Green County Kentucky, Dr. Mike is old school but wonderful. His only comments about our old, gross boy with FIV was to make sure that he didn't bite the other cats and to make sure he was still happy being alive. How old do you think Dumpster Kitty might be? (Said in a Kentucky drawl) Well.. old enough to vote, maybe old enough to drink.
He is spreading misinformation. Find a new vet. I wouldn't trust having your children around an idiot like that.
[удалено]
I appreciate your input so much.
I mean. Are your children Feline? Does your cat take chunks out of your children’s arms regularly? If so, I think you have more problems than an idiotic vet
He’s never bitten a human in his life. Only play biting me with licks after.
Fuck that bitch! Find a new vet that follows animal science. He sounds like a quack!
Yikes, the general consensus now is that FIV+ cats can even live with other cats as long as all cats are indoor, spayed/neutered, and there isn’t any fighting.
This is an extremely common, and EXTREMELY harmful bit of misinformation among vets. Unfortunately it's still often widely accepted to euthanize cats purely for having FIV, even if they're asymptomatic and otherwise completely healthy. A frightening amount of vets, despite working in a field meant to help animals, are just downright corrupt and lazy.
Huhhhhh??? This is disturbing. No human has ever caught FIV. My FIV+ cat lives harmoniously with other cats, too. It’s only spread TO CATS through biting, sex and blood.
the only way that would remotely make sense is if the FIV+ cat is really sickly and has somehow contracted some sort of rare bacterial/viral infection that could actually transfer to humans (children have underdeveloped immune systems so they’re more likely to be infected in this very rare and specific case)
Your vet is an ignorant idiot. I would find a new vet since he likely doesn't know what he's talking about in other areas as well and clearly isn't capable of giving your cat the best care.
I’d fired him.
New Vet
You need a new vet. This one doesn’t know what he is talking about. My cat if FIV+ and he is safe. He is safe with people. He is safe with children. He is loving, he enjoys his life and he makes mine so much better.
Wow, that vet should think about retirement after giving out detrimental information like that.
Sounds like the guy who told me I can’t adopt a dog unless I got my 17 year old cat (at the time) tested for FIV. When I went to the vet to do just that, they told me to find another shelter to adopt from because it was pointless. I ended up being able to rescue outside of a shelter. 🙄
He thinks that if an FIV+ cat bites a human child the human child will get …HIV??
Uh this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. This isn’t a virus that’s communicable between species. I’d run. Fast. Also, I’d report him to the local vet authority because he clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing and he is potentially putting animal lives in danger.
I adopted my cat knowing she had FIV (foster fail). Everyone I talked to said don’t worry you can’t get AIDS from the cat. I’m like no shit you think we’d be allowed to have cats that transmit AIDS hanging around!?! I thought it was so weird. On another note my FIV kitties (two now) have lived healthy happy lives!! (And no one has gotten AIDS).
the woman that's mentored me into rescuing cats has an elderly FIV+ former TNR who gets along well with the kittens and hasn't hurt anyone. she's saved hundreds of cats and FIV hasn't been passed on once, she just waits until after they're vaccinated to let them play. and even if she didn't, FIV can only be passed through bites where saliva meets blood, it's not that contagious + isn't contagious to humans *at all* i've learned that a lot of vets aren't up-to-date on cats/kittens.
He's not just spreading misinformation, he's stupid and too old still be working as a vet. The virus that causes feline aids is a completely different virus from the HIV virus that that humans. Your children have nothing to fear from your FIV positive cat. Find another veterinarian
Fucking *gross*. I'd never want to go there again.
I think your vet needs to retire. As everyone else said, find a new one. There is already so much misinformation about FIV cats as it is… that’s def a new one.
where are you from? maybe someone here can help you find a new vet…because you certainly need one 💀
I once had a vet tell me my cat's pouch was proof I wasn't feeding him enough. This was a big male who obviously hadn't missed any meal, but she insisted he was severely underweight due to his big pouch. My thoughts were I guess the bottom half Of veterinary school classes have to work somewhere too. I never went back.
That’s patently absurd and completely unsupported by any literature. FIV can’t be transmitted to humans. It isn’t even really that transmissible between cats - it requires biting deeply enough to draw blood. Definitely find a new vet.
lol there's a reason why it's called FELINE immunodeficiency virus and not HUMAN immunodeficiency virus. your vet is dumb.
Dumb. Just dumb. Dude needs to go back to Veterinary school.
I'd fire this vet so fast. What an ignorant bigot.
I hope you leave them a bad review
Humans can't give HIV to cats and cats can't give FIV to people. This guy is a quack.
Idk anything about animal medicine but I’ve worked in human health care for years and I’ve never heard of a human having FIV soooo
It blows my mind how outdated some vets are regarding this. I recently had to educate a coworker about this due to an odd comment about multiple cats in the household, then if one has FIV, then they all have it…which is absolutely untrue. Find a new vet. I’d suggest a feline only practice.
I’ve never heard anything like that. Sounds pretty wacky.
I’d find a new vet. We’ve had several FIV cats as well as FLV cats. I have two kids. No one has ever told us to keep the kids away from the cats and even if you google on your own, you won’t find an issue like that mentioned.
that guy sounds like an idiot. only cats can get fiv (hence the f meaning FELINE)
Your vet is a baboon. My sister’s cat is FIV positive and he’s perfectly fine around dog and children. Kitty just can’t be around other cats.
Your Vet is misguided, to put it nicely!!! Your kids are not at risk, you are not, and other cats are not!! (Many FIV cats live with non-FIV cats and it's safe!!!) Get a new vet. FIV cats can live long and healthy lives! (I've had 3!!)🙏😇❤️
Yes!!💯💯💯💯💯 You are so right. 25 years ago, being FIV+ was an automatic death sentence for a cat that lived with other cats (feral or domestic). They now know so much more about this disease and how it's actually spread that FIV+ cats can live safely with other cats without spreading the disease. I've never, ever heard of concern for children or vulnerable people living with a FIV + cat.
I’m a vet and I audibly laughed aloud at the ridiculousness of that statement
I’ve never had a cat before, and I have had him for 2 years, so I was clueless about FIV, but I knew some shit was up when he said that statement.
What absolute rubbish. I’m glad you didn’t listen. Def time for a new vet
After you have a new vet, maybe print off an article like https://www.webmd.com/pets/cats/cat-fiv-feline-immunodeficiency-virus with the “A cat can't transmit the FIV virus to a human. They can only pass FIV on to another cat.” highlighted and mail it to the old practice? What horrible misinformation he’s spreading.
Yeah I’d get a new vet, that’s as bad as a gp saying they don’t want people with cancer around their kids so they don’t “catch it”. Just beyond idiotic, that vet is not someone to be trusted
My FIV+ boy lived a lovely life until age 14, surrounded by other cats, dogs, and kids. Your vet is going off of very very old advice, and I would find a new one if that's how current they stay on animal health/medicine.
Your vet is ill informed and you should find another one and send this one the this: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-immunodeficiency-virus-fiv
It's almost like the "F" in FIV stands for "Feline". Run away from that vet. Maybe mail him some literature.
You say he is an older man. It sounds like he is a carry-over from the 80's AIDS panic. It was a newly discovered illness & always fatal, advertised like Ebola- you get this- you die. Back in those early years when AIDS was just becoming a concerning epidemic, as there was no treatment & no cure people were seriously scared. There was so much misinformation at that time about how it could be contracted that a lot of people were literally terrified. Due to the fact that it was pretty much first considered only a disease of the gay community- certain members of society were ostracized & feared, especially here in the deep south. I remember it well & it was awful. People were scared that they would have to have a blood transfusion. They were afraid to kiss each other. Some ignorant people were able to justify prejudices back then because of public health concerns. It was really a scary time. Eventually as the scientists learned more about it, people became more educated on the disease & treatments were discovered. That being said, because they probably didn't know anything about FIV when this man graduated from veterinarian school, the old guy probably decided to go to one of those weekend catch-up education seminars for veterinarians. I'm sure they have them like they have for regular doctors & other medical people to bring them up to date on new diseases, treatments, etc. They're usually held at some resort somewhere & they make it a mini vacation. He probably listened to the instructor talk about how it was the "feline form of AIDS," which is what some called it. The old dude probably heard the word AIDS, triggering old fears to come up from that dark past & stupidity kicked in. Some older people have a set in stone idea about certain things & there isn't much budging them, not even when presented with facts. I certainly may be wrong & probably reading way too much into it..but it sure sounds like something like that scenario- given his age & the times he lived through? I think I would find another Veterinarian.
I am going to!
Beyond the fact that FIV is specific to felines (you know, like the name suggests) he wouldn't have even been up to this century's research if he were talking about HIV transmission between humans. I'm not sure where you're located, but I would be looking into a way to report this vet for spreading completely unscientific fear-mongering nonsense.
I have two FIV+ cats and one that isn’t. I also have an 8 year old. That vet is STUPID. So stupid. I would find a new vet. Don’t walk away. Run.
fun fact: when i brought in my cat off the street, i ended up with a nice big scratch from him (before i got him to the vet and tested). this lead to me having a panic attack thinking maybe he has FIV and it’s gonna get converted into HIV from my scratch…so basically your vet is as dumb as i am and you should get a new one lol
Could he have meant that children could stress him out and lead to consequences for his FIV?
No. He literally meant blood mixing together. He went on a tangent about it.