In 1995 I had a full slate of blood tests done on my cat, and it came
back positive for FIV. The vet told me that no cat he knew of had ever
lived more than five years after becoming infected. Since my cat hadn't
had an FIV test since I first got him as a kitten four years earlier, he
might have as little as one year left to live. The vet sold me a bottle
of blue pills that might prolong my cat's life a little, but my cat
didn't take the pills well (what cat does?), so I quit giving them to him.

Fast forward 11 years to 2006. My cat is 15 years old and doing just
fine. (And going to a different vet.)

So I dunno. Maybe the test wasn't so hot back then, or maybe the virus
isn't as predictable as they thought, or maybe the fact that HIV/AIDS
was a bigger news item in 1995 played into it somewhat, but it was much
ado about nothing for us.