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Can FIV positive and negative cats live safely in the same home?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 9 lbs

Can FIV+ and FIV- cats live safely in the same household? I rescued the FIV+ cat very recently (he was a local colony cat who i fed and noticed wasn't neutered) and was told by multiple vets to keep him isolated from my FIV- cat so that there is no transmission. However, I've heard many other people who have fostered in multi-cat households say that it IS safe as long as the two of them get along and don't fight. What is the truth?!

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 19th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Gimli. He is so handsome! I love that you have adopted an FIV+ cat, many people will not do that. It shows the kind of person you are, very caring. Cats who are FIV- can live with cats who are FIV+ without issue. The method of transmission is through a bite, so if your two cats live peacefully with each other, it cannot be transmitted. The most important thing to do is get your FIV- cat vaccinated again FIV. That will protect the cat from getting it. I have personally heard of a number of mixed households where they lived peacefully with each other. Get your cat fully vaccinated against FIV before integrating them. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on May 22nd, 2017

    Yes, this is certainly possible. I have quite a few clients with FIV+ cats who live with FIV- cats in the same household. FIV is mainly transmitted through bite wounds, rather than through casual contact like grooming, sharing food and water dishes, etc. So if your cats get along well with each other and do not fight, the risk of transmitting the virus would be very low. If they do fight, this can be a more serious problem - so in that case, it would be best to keep them separated.

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on February 23rd, 2020

    FIV is transmitted through biting. If all of the housecats are kind to each other 100% of the time, then transmission of FIV to the other cats is unlikely, though not completely impossible. FIV suppresses the immune system, so it is important that the other cats remain healthy so as not to expose Sebastian to disease.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 18th, 2017

    Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine did a long term study in cat shelters and concluded that " FIV-positive cats can live with FIV-negative cats and not infect the FIV-negative cats during normal day-to-day interaction." So yes, it is safe to have them share the same household. FIV is transmitted by deep bites when cats get into intense fights, so separate them immediately if there are any signs of aggression.

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