By Spencer Sterritt

Incurable and deadly cat disease now found all over Nanaimo

Apr 27, 2017 | 4:28 PM

NANAIMO — Bringing your outdoor cat in for a few weeks won’t be enough to keep them from the FIV virus, according to a local vet.

In a Facebook post, the Nanaimo branch of the B.C. SPCA said the FIV virus, which affects felines much like how HIV affects humans, has been found across the city, not just in the Harewood neighbourhood as originally thought.

Brett Hayward, owner of the Nanaimo Veterinary Clinic, said since cats can live with the virus for years before dying, outdoor cats will have to become indoor cats for a significant amount of time.

“If we did nothing but keep our own cats indoors, this is likely to run its own course (over a year,)” he said.

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Though FIV can affect any cat, Hayward said he’s concerned more about rural animals.

“Those people that are up against the wild cats out in the wood really need to be keeping their cat in, more than a city cat person,” he said. “If you’re in the country, it could be those wild cats that are carrying FIV so I would think the country people are more at risk.”

Hayward said FIV is relatively common but he and other vets aren’t confident in any available vaccines.

The virus is spread through blood, so if anyone’s outdoor cat returns home with scratches or bites, they’re to see the vet immediately.

spencer.sterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit