Isidore Adams, Danielle Gunn-Moore

Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Objectives

To investigate the differences in how Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is perceived and understood by veterinary personnel, animal shelter staff and cat owners.

Methods

An anonymous 12-question questionnaire was designed and hosted online, on vetprofessionals.co.uk and in cat-focused communities on various social media platforms. A total of 110 completed questionnaires were received from owners/fosterers of FIV+ cats (45%, n=50), veterinary personnel (28%, n=31) and animal shelter staff (20%, n=22). Compiled question data were analysed with the Kruskal–Wallis test and through the calculation of Z-values.

Results

For the “Transmission Methods and Risks” and “Clinical Manifestations” sections, veterinary personnel had higher z-scores than the rest of the study population, indicating they viewed FIV as more virulent and transmissible than shelter staff and cat owners, and perceived greater risks associated with FIV+ cats than supported by scientific literature.

Seventy-three percent (n=21) of veterinary personnel believed that FIV would reduce life expectancy and were most in favour of euthanasia as a treatment method for FIV+ cats (p = 0.000), contradictory to management guidelines from the American Academy of Feline Practitioners (AAFP).

Statement: Impact/ Clinical Significance

This research indicates there may be a lack of knowledge surrounding FIV in the veterinary sector. Veterinary personnel tended to overestimate FIV’s transmissibility and the frequency of its clinical manifestations, while underestimating the life expectancy of FIV-positive cats.

Further research is needed due to concerns over the reliability of analysis drawn from a small sample size and potentially unrepresentative study population.