The FIV Awareness Project
October 1 – December 31, 2026
This fall, Gaske Cat Foundation is partnering with PAWS Animal Adoption Center and PAWS Cares Community Veterinary Clinic in Camden, Maine to raise awareness about Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), challenge the misconceptions surrounding FIV-positive cats, and provide direct financial support for testing and veterinary care.
Because FIV is something a cat has.
It isn't who they are.
A positive test shouldn't define a cat's future.
For many people, the words "FIV-positive" sound frightening.
But the reality of FIV is often very different from the perception surrounding it.
FIV-positive cats can remain healthy for years. They can play, cuddle, form bonds, find families, and live fulfilling lives. And because FIV is primarily transmitted through deep bite wounds, peaceful everyday contact between cats is not considered an efficient way for the virus to spread.
Still, misinformation and fear surrounding FIV can create another challenge for these cats: being overlooked because of their diagnosis.
We're working to change that.
From October 1 through December 31, Gaske Cat Foundation's More Than a Diagnosis campaign will combine education with direct action, helping our community better understand FIV while raising funds to support testing and veterinary care through PAWS.
WHY FIV?
Approximately 2.5–5% of healthy cats in North America are infected with FIV, with rates reaching 15% or more among cats who are sick or considered at higher risk.
FIV affects a cat's immune system and can make them more susceptible to secondary infections and other illnesses.
But an FIV-positive test does not mean a cat is currently sick.
Some cats remain without outward signs of illness for months or even years. With appropriate veterinary care, regular monitoring, good nutrition and prompt treatment when health concerns arise, FIV-positive cats can live happy, fulfilling lives.
The diagnosis matters. But so does understanding what it actually means.
WHAT IS FIV?
FIV stands for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.
The virus affects a cat's immune system, making it more difficult to fight certain infections and illnesses. There is currently no definitive cure for FIV itself, which makes preventive veterinary care, monitoring and early treatment of health concerns particularly important.
FIV is primarily transmitted from cat to cat through deep bite wounds, most commonly associated with aggressive fighting.
It is not efficiently transmitted through ordinary, peaceful contact such as sharing water bowls, grooming one another or sleeping together.
This distinction matters.
Because understanding how FIV actually works can change how we see the cats living with it.
TESTING IS THE BEGINNING, NOT THE END.
Knowing a cat's FIV status can provide important information about their health and help shelters, veterinarians, fosters and future adopters make informed decisions about their care.
WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES
Your gift creates direct local impact.
Funds raised through Gaske Cat Foundation's More Than a Diagnosis campaign will directly support our partnership with PAWS Animal Adoption Center and PAWS Cares in Camden, Maine.
Your donation will help support:
FIV TESTING
Helping provide resources for FIV testing so PAWS can better understand the health status and individual needs of cats entering its care.
VETERINARY CARE
Helping FIV-positive cats receive veterinary examinations, monitoring and preventive care while they are with PAWS.
TREATMENT
While there is currently no definitive cure for FIV itself, secondary infections and other medical conditions can often be treated.
Campaign funds can help provide the veterinary treatment an FIV-positive cat may need to stay healthy and comfortable.
EDUCATION
Testing is only one piece of the solution.
We're also working to give adopters and our wider community accurate, approachable information about FIV so that fear and misinformation don't stand between an FIV-positive cat and a potential home.
GASKE CAT FOUNDATION × PAWS
For this campaign, Gaske Cat Foundation is proud to partner with PAWS Animal Adoption Center and PAWS Cares Community Veterinary Clinic in Camden, Maine.
PAWS has spent decades helping animals throughout Maine's Midcoast region through sheltering, adoption, community resources and access to veterinary care.
By directing campaign funds toward PAWS, we're able to turn awareness into action right here in Maine.
Testing. Care. Treatment. Education.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PAWS
YOUR DONATION AT WORK
$25
Helps support FIV testing and diagnostic expenses.
$50
Helps provide testing, examinations and preventive veterinary care.
$100
Helps support diagnostic testing and medical care for cats with additional health needs.
$250
Helps provide more extensive veterinary care and treatment for cats who need additional support.
Every amount makes an impact.
MORE THAN A FUNDRAISER
There are three ways to help.
LEARN
Understanding FIV is the first step toward changing the way FIV-positive cats are perceived.
Learn the facts. Ask questions. Talk with your veterinarian.
SHARE
Help us replace misinformation with understanding.
Share our FIV educational resources, campaign posts and stories with your community throughout October, November and December.
GIVE
Your donation helps provide testing and veterinary support for cats at PAWS while allowing Gaske Cat Foundation to continue advocating for cats who need someone in their corner.
Past Campaigns
Since our inception, The Gaske Cat Foundation has been committed to turning compassion into action. From providing essential supplies and veterinary care to supporting spay and neuter efforts and community cats, each campaign represents a need we saw, a community that came together, and lives changed because of it.
Explore our past campaigns below to see the stories, partnerships, and impact made possible by our supporters.
Click each campaign to read its story and learn more about the impact.
Keeping Pets & People Together
Trap-Neuter-Return Initiative | Spring/Summer 2026
Addressing cat overpopulation at its source through community-based TNR, providing spay/neuter surgeries and essential care while helping create a healthier future for cats and the communities they call home.
Impact highlight:
28 surgeries funded • $2,125 raised
Gaske Cat Foundation x PAWS NY
Pet Retention | Fall 2025
Supporting PAWS NY's work helping low-income seniors and people living with illness or disability continue caring for the animals they love through food and litter delivery, veterinary resources, in-home assistance, and other essential support.
Impact highlight:
Helped remove the everyday barriers that can lead to unnecessary pet surrender.
Keeping Pets & People Together
Domestic Violence + Crisis Support | Spring/Summer 2025
Supporting Safe Voices in Maine and Dallas Cat Lady in Texas to help survivors of domestic violence access resources and temporary foster care so leaving an unsafe situation doesn’t have to mean losing a beloved pet.
Impact highlight:
Funds raised and distributed to two organizations serving people and pets in crisis.