Marello is a neutered male who was found as a stray. He is an extremely sweet, extremely easygoing boy who gets along well with the other cats in the habitat. He’s very friendly and has a cute chirpy meow that will steal your heart!
Upon initial intake, he tested positive for FIV with a SNAP test. However, SNAP tests can give false positives, so he will be getting a more conclusive PCR test to confirm whether he is truly FIV positive. We will update when we know for sure!
7/19/21 update: Great news! Marello tested NEGATIVE for FIV through the PCR test!
If you’d like to read more about the different FIV testing, click here: https://www.idexx.com/files/fiv-diagnostic-algorithm.pdf
Although Marello does NOT have FIV, if you’d still like some information on the disease, read on:
Cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) may not show symptoms until years after the initial infection occurred. Although the virus is slow-acting, a cat’s immune system is severely weakened once the disease takes hold. This makes the cat susceptible to various secondary infections. Infected cats who receive supportive medical care and are kept in a stress-free, indoor environment can live relatively comfortable lives for months to years before the disease reaches its chronic stages.
FIV cannot be passed to humans or other non-feline animals. FIV can be passed between cats through deep bites, so an FIV positive cat should only live with another cat if they get along and do not fight, or the other cat is also FIV positive.
Many people confuse FIV with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). Although these diseases are in the same retrovirus family and cause many similar secondary conditions FeLV and FIV are different diseases.
Read more about FIV here.
This handsome fellow is at PetSmart so please call 231-1132 if you’re interested in a meet and greet!
