My old FIV boy

[house hubby]

I don't know the exact age of my boy due to him being a stray when i brought him in. When i found him i took him to the vets and they said he was between 5 and 10, they also diagnosed him with FIV. I've had him for 11 years now so that would put him between 16 and 21.
He has lived a very normal live with no problems until about 6 months ago when he started to get explosive diarrhoea and lost a good bit of weight. I took him to the vets and was given medicine to treat it and they also said he has gone blind in both eyes. He has lived in the same house for the last 5 years and never noticed him bumping into things etc so that came as quite a shock. The diarrhoea has been on and off now for the last 6 months and now he has runny eyes and sneezing all the time.
I just feel like his time is slowly coming to an end and don't know what to do for the best. Trips to the vets really stress him out, it takes me half an hour to try and get him into the basket to take him there. He has been sleeping under the spare bed all day and only ever comes to see me when the rest of the house has gone to bed at night.
He is my first cat and nobody i know has FIV cats, has anybody has similar experiences or have any advice for me?

[Crewella]

Poor old chap, I'm so glad you took him in, bless you.

I've had a couple of elderly strays that have been handed into the vets when they were getting too old to cope on their own, and two have been FIV+. Sadly, the first one, Greebo, just died suddenly in his sleep one day so I never saw any decline, and Paddington is still with me and doing OK. All three boys did have gut problems and were prone to diarrhea, and all three benefitted from being fed a sensitive/easily digested food like Royal Canin Digest Sensitive or (even better) the RC Gastro Intestinal or Recovery, which is prescription. Hills i/d is much the same. Might be worth mentioning to your vet?

I wish I could be of more help, but you know him best and are in the best position to judge his quality of life, which is really what it's all about now. With his compromised immune system I guess he is likely to get flattened by any bug going round, but a bug should, at some point pass. I wonder if steroids might help his gut problems ........ my old girl, Minnie (who I had since a kitten) was on steroids for the last couple of years of her life due to IBS and they were a huge help, and also boosted her appetite and energy levels. Vets don't like giving steroids to FIV+ cats because they further compromise the immune system, but at this stage of his life perhaps quality is more important than quantity?

[bobbys girl]

I would just like to echo what Helen has said.

My boy Bob is FIV, but he is just a youngster (three). We lost our old boy Tommy to CKD late last year - losing a lot of weight along the way, but for a while he did quite well on Recovery and Hill's i/d.

A lovely couple called Bob and Barbara have worked with FIV+ cats for years and have written a book about them. It is free (contribution) and they can be contacted at www.FIVcats.org.uk

[Crewella]

.... and, in turn, I'd like to echo what wonderful work Bob and Barbara do, they have a vast amount of knowledge and experience and always seem happy to share it.

[jillyvillyvoo]

My wee fiv boy was a stray also. Loads of helpful info from Barbra and Bob, more than any vet gave us. So sorry your wee one is not doing so well but can I just say what an amazing job you have done allowing the wee soul to get to a great age despite being fiv pos... I also agree that at this stage quality of life counts more than quantity. Talk to your vet about possibility of steroids or other alternatives. My vet is always happy to talk to us and discuss things over the phone so I don't need to keep taking our cats on a car journey as they also get very stressed. Gentle fusses for him x

[Mayday21]

Thinking of you & your boy. It's hard when the become geriatric fur babies. I thought my Mayday while old would always be with me. Give him lots of hugs. I gave Mayday hugs everyday & told her she was "My darling girl who I love so much!" And those who've posted are a wealth of knowledge & support. Vivian