**another rant from the mom
I've been watching Dr. Jeff on Animal Planet. I love that he works to make sure all pets get care and makes it affordable. I love that no pet leaves the clinic without being spayed or neutered.
The episode last week showed him helping a client with cats in her backyard and doing TNR. WOOHOO!! I got excited....
Then I got annoyed. One of the cats was friendly so they tested him and it came back positive for FIV (see more info here from Best Friends about FIV). There was a conversation about finding him a home or euthanizing him due to his FIV status.
I yelled at the TV that I would STOP WATCHING if they killed that cat. They decided to find him a home. OK....
Then Dr Jeff gets on and continues to refer to FIV as "feline aids" (which does these cats a serious disservice as people freak out when they hear the word "aids") and says the cat would have to live alone or in a house with other FIV+ cats.
OMG - you idiot!!! Unless the cat is aggressive and bites, studies have shown these FIV+ cats CAN live very well with other cats. He had a great platform and opportunity to spread positive information and SCREWED IT UP!!
Our friend JaneA Kelly wrote an article for Catster on this very thing. I love her opening lines:
"Today in News of the Obvious: FIV-positive cats can live with uninfected fellow felines and not transmit the virus. A veterinary study concludes this. Finally."
In July of last year, I wrote about the new FIV room our rescue put into our adoption center. We have done several adoptions from there since it opened. We always tell people to do introductions slowly but that these cats can live long healthy lives with other cats.
For Dr Suess Day this year I wrote about some of the cats in our FIV room.
Kevin Kyle was adopted shortly after that post was written
I guess what I am saying is this: for those on TV or social media or blogging or whatever....you have a responsibility to do the homework and GET IT RIGHT! Regardless of whether you want them to or not, people are listening and will take you at your word.
Dr Jeff - I will keep watching, but I am disappointed. And I'm tempted to print those articles and mail them to you.
Great post. People really do need to be educated about the FIV. I know that a lot of vets will euthanize the ones that come back positive. It is all too sad.
ReplyDeleteThat show airs here too, but I haven't watched it. Why not print the articles and send them on, or PDF them and send them to an email contact, if the show has one? I say go for it.
ReplyDeleteAuugh! It's bad enough that "regular" people still think that way, but for someone with that kind of platform? So frustrating. Our rescue doesn't test for FIV, routinely. If there's a good reason, we will. And, of course, we'll add their FIV status to their listing -- if we know. But we've worked *really hard* at educating and now, mostly, adopters don't even blink if they're interested in an FIV+ cat. Our FIV+ cats don't take any longer to adopt than other cats.
ReplyDeletewe don't test any cats that are involved with our TNR program. otherwise we test, but we don't ever euthanize for a positive test unless the cat is very ill
DeleteThat's definitely frustrating. And we think you should send those articles to that guy. We hope lots of people do.
ReplyDeleteYES! Mail those articles and letters to both Dr. Jeff AND Animal Planet! They would show people giving a kitten a bowl of milk, just because it's a stereotype and EDUCATION needs to happen! I was concerned about Dr. Jeff and declaw, but when I checked out their website, the list of procedures does NOT include declaw. http://plannedpethoodplus.com/ is what I found online.
ReplyDeleteGRRRRR!!!! I volunteered for a shelter that had a location just for Feleuk and FIV cats, and those are some of the sweetest cats ever! And I know many people who have FIV-positive and FIV-negative cats living together without any problems at all.
ReplyDeletewe had 2 more get adopted last week from our rescue
DeleteGood for you ! I had a cat that was both FIV and FeLeuk + and he had a happy life with my other cats for many years. Also, when they first began testing for FeLeuk, one of my two cats had it. She went several years and when she got sick (a tumor) the other cat still snuggled with her til she went over the Bridge - he never got the disease.
ReplyDeleteFor a veterinary professional to call it feline aids is appalling. Without cable, we don't watch this program here, but we wouldn't be after that. A platform like that can do so much good, and it is disappointing to hear misinformation instead.
ReplyDeleteBoo hiss! And he's a vet! Grrrrrr
ReplyDeleteOh, don't "just be tempted" - DO print them out and mail them to him! He needs to be educated, if he's going to be on TV and saying stuff!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this vet has a platform to spread the truth and not misinformation. I'm seriously thinking of sending him the articles you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThat's one vet we're not grateful for.
ReplyDeleteHave a super Thursday...
Noodle and crew
Contact these prima donnas and tell them the truth. If they don't learn, they'll keep spreading their poison. Why was there even a discussion about killing an FIV cat?
ReplyDeletethat is when the steam came out of mom's ears.... though LOTS of shelter do it (and we hate it)
DeleteGreat post ! People need to be educated about FIV, and it's great information. Purrs
ReplyDeleteHe did circle back around and did say they can live long lives and I think I remember him saying that transmission wasn't easy.. but every single time he said the word aids my back arched and I cringed..
ReplyDeletehe did and that was the only redeeming factor....but it could have been handled is SUCH a better and more educating way
DeleteITA
Deleteguyz....we say tell yur mom ta go for it...... R total lee awesum pal gleek whooz like 87 in catz yeerz iz FIV + ......& him haz lived with one rabbit, two dawgs N 8 other catz in hiz life time ♥♥♥ with out incident ( well, lezz hiz mom tries ta put sum crazee stuff in his food dish ☺☺
ReplyDeleteI can understand how you feel. The city where I live is currently trying to decide what to do about feral cats. They are quite common in some areas of the city. I can't believe how many people say TNR doesn't work and how many people just want the cats trapped and killed/euthanized--just to get rid of them.
ReplyDeletewe point those people to Alley Cat Allies - they have GREAT info about TNR and the "vacuum effect"
DeleteWe get a number of FIV cats in our shelter. And we properly educate people on how they can live normal lives...even with existing cats. And we have had good luck with finding them homes. We can't believe the disservice Dr. Jeff is doing these cats.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a big fan of his- just started watching recently. And I was screaming at him that night too! With all of us yelling he should have heard us. Anyway- I'm done. Officially NOT a fan.
ReplyDeleteUgh! I hate when people who have a voice spread ignorant and bad information. It's just unacceptable for Dr. Jeff to be so careless.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a FIV kitty, but it's good to know it's not a death sentence if I ever come across one. Great info!
ReplyDelete