FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
"Magnifico", a fabulous grey tabby, lounged imperially on the exam room table. His new owner, who was clearly already quite smitten with him, had just gotten him at the Humane Society and was bringing him in for his initial checkup. . As I looked him over it was clear from the battle scars on his face and ears that his previous life as an outdoor cat had involved a significant amount of combat, but you would never guess from his relaxed and friendly demeanor. All in all he was an exceptionally fine catch of a cat and seemed generally healthy. The final step in the initial exam was to run a quick test for feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Much to our dismay "Magnifico" tested positive for FIV.