Hi Tracey..yes, agree, I asked the rescue group organizer if she was going to speak to lab and vet. I'll be following up with her. Kerry
________________________________ From: Tracey Shrout <dtshr...@gmail.com> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sun, December 26, 2010 5:51:00 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Good news That is wonderful Kerry! I hope you shared the results with the lab people and the vet...and I wonder what their reaction was...could save lots of kitties in the future. Thanks for sharing with us! Tracey On Sat, Dec 25, 2010 at 1:06 PM, Kerry MacKenzie <kerrymacken...@ymail.com>wrote: > Dear all > It's been a few years since I last posted. Background: I found this > amazing, > wonderful, kind, supportive, and knowledgeable group--it remains my best > Internet experience--after discovering that 5 members of a feral colony of > 4 > kittens and 2 adults that I took in in 2003 had tested positive for a > disease > called feline leukemia. (1 of the adults, Momcat, was negative. I should > say, we > didn't know if she was really the mother--I just gave her the name as she > was > the only adult female in the group. I saw no reason to separate her as > she'd > already been exposed, plus she was the most stressed/timid of all of them.) > Re-testing a few months later showed no change--5 pos, 1 neg. > Within 2 years, 3 of the kittens and the positive adult succumbed to the > disease, 2 on the same day. > A few months later I re-tested again. This time, both remaining cats, > Momcat and > Mickey, tested negative. Hi-fiving all round! They're now 8 and 7, > respectively. > Still resolutely feral, but healthy! > Fast forward to September this year when I began fostering Sally, a 5-week > calico that had tested positive on both ELISA and IFA. The rescue group > said > they would re-test in 3 months. > The lab people said: "Why bother? Nothing you do is going to change the > result." > One of the vets at the clinic said the same thing: re-testing is pointless. > The rescue group disregarded the "advice" and earlier this month I took her > for > a 2nd round of ELISA and IFA. Result: both negative! > Just wanted to share--I figure we can always use good news. > I will also say--and it's very much my decision, based on my personal > experience > with healthy adult Momcat (above), who lived alongside 5 positives but > remained > neg--this is the 2nd time I've fostered a pos kitten--Daisy remained > positive > and found a great forever home where she has a pos boyfriend too--and both > times > I've mixed them freely with my healthy, adult cats. As I say, my personal > decision. I would not say anyone else should do the same thing. > > Sending good wishes to all of you who do so much and for all the kitties in > your > care. > love and hugs and happy holidays. > Kerry M., mom to Flavia, Caramel, Levi, Snoball--all of whom gave me so > much in > their all-too-short lives, and are now immortalized thanks to Belinda and > the > Candlelight Service--Mickey, Momcat, Katyis, Trixie and Tiger, and foster > mom to > Sally. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
