Hi Sandy,
I hope this post finds you in better spirits than
yesterday. I first want to say hello to a fellow
Texan. I lived in Houston for a few years and my
parents and brothers have lived there for years until
recently. The great thing about living in the big
city of Houston is that you shouldn't have any trouble
finding a different vet. That's the second thing: I
think you need to find a vet that is willing to work
with you regarding your little furballs, not one that
immediately recommends euthanasia. This will do
wonders to give you hope. Find one you are
comfortable with by calling and actually asking to
speak to the vet. Tell him your situation and see
what he says. I have learned these past few weeks
that you can tell a lot about a vet that way.
Thirdly, I practically drove myself crazy these past
few weeks learning about FeLV and trying to decipher
on the Internet what is good info. and what isn't.
Not to mention deciphering what the vets say. There
are so many different opinions. We all read just
about everywhere that FeLV can be passed via
saliva/grooming/food and water dishes/and litter
boxes. But one of my vets told me last week that that
has never been proved by the veterinary community,
which I was shocked to hear him say. He said the only
way they know for sure is through blood, kind of like
the AIDS virus, which would mean a cat fight or birth.
My Cricket got it from his mother at birth I believe,
because she died of it and she was only two years old.
Cricket is almost 4 1/2. So I don't know what to
think about a lot of the information that is out
there. But one thing is for sure: if you let it, it
can be OVERWHELMING, depending on your personality.
If you're an information seeker like me, don't stress
yourself out too much doing research, because a lot of
it is negative. I was convinced Cricket was doomed
and getting VERY depressed myself, but come to find
out yesterday, things may not be so bleak, at least
for right now. So yes, educate and encourage
yourself, and the people here are wonderful in helping
with that, but take it easy. Like Nina says, we do
all we can do, and the rest is up to our little
furballs and the powers that be. Also, please don't
beat yourself up with guilt. Anytime I get angry
about anything, I have to ask myself if what was done
was intentional. 99% of the time it's not, and
therefore, I adjust my thinking accordingly. You
would NEVER intentionally hurt your kitties, and
probably would go into practically a murderous rage
like the rest of us here if you saw someone who was.
So cut yourself some slack, and fight off that guilt
(which by the way is a good way for the devil to get
his little fingers into your life and try to make
things harder than they already are). Also, a lot of
vets don't recommend vaccinations for FeLV for totally
indoor cats so you weren't wrong there. I hadn't
vaccinated mine because they've lived indoors all
their lives. It never dawned on me that a kitten
could be born with it.
Hope this info. helps. Email me anytime you need to
talk.
:)
Wendy
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