FIV testing in cats

[tia82]

Can anyone tell me roughly how much it costs at vets to have your cat tested for any STD?
My female escaped and the local tom had his wicked way with her. Im now concerned about her having caught something. Many thanks

[Ethel]

FIV isn't transmitted sexually - it is transmitted through broken skin.

Is the skin on the scruff of her neck intact?

Anyway - the best way of testing for FIV is by IFA test, around �25.

[tia82]

Back of her neck seems fine although prob best to get a test done anyway, at least i will know then!

[Noweia]

You need to wait around 4-6 weeks post exposure to confirm if your cat has FIV - doing the test before this is pointless because the cat will not have had enough time to produce antibodies against FIV, which is what the most common test measures.

As Ethel says, it's most commonly transmitted by saliva - e.g. bite wounds and close contact between cats.