Dear Kathy: All stable, nonsymptomatic FeLV+ cats can be assumed to be infected with the FeLV-A subgroup that causes immunosupression but not much else. As such they are at increased risk due to whatever pathogens may be in the environment or carried by other cats. The optimum situation for an FeLV+ cat is to be kept indoors and away from other cats who may go outdoors and bring in unknown contaminants that could represent an assault to their compromised immune system. Keeping any kind of stress (including vaccinations) in their lives to a minimum is also very beneficial as a lot of stress can also have a negative effect on the immune system. Until researchers are motivated to try and discover what causes the relatiavely benign FeLV-A subgroup to recombine with a cat's DNA and mutate into one of the more virulent subgroups B, C or B+C (that cause the most serious manifestations of FeLV (lymphoma/other cancers; severe/non-regenerative anemia), all we can do is assume that such preventive measures may help in that regard. That, and a healthy diet with supplementation/immune support are all that is currently available to us in trying to keep an FeLV+ cat stable. One the virus mutates and a cat crashes with serious symptoms, there isn't much we can do.
So, I would rejoice that Killian's bloodwork, for now, is normal and she is non symptomatic. But do not become complacent or less vigilant in providing the safest, most stress-free environment, healthiest diet and immune support that you can afford to provide and be ever watchful for even minor changes in behavior or appetite that could be the first indication your cat's status may be altering. All that said, we also have to struggle with the concept of "quality of life" and for some cats keeping them within a protective bubble-type existence is just not on their agenda. I rescued a kitten last July who had tested postive at 6 weeks and would have been PTS that day if I had not brought him home with me. I did my very best to keep him isolated and safe during the weeks that followed until he would be old enough to re-test. Purrki, however, had his own agenda and thwarted my best efforts on his behalf at every turn so that I eventually gave in to his plaintive pleas and allowed him supervised time out of his isolation pen with the other positives in the room. Then he figured out when I opened the door to the room he could jump over the barrier and between my feet to get out into the rest of the house with the non-positive cats and he could have a lot of fun before I was able to chase him down and return him to the FeLV+ ward. From there he graduated to listening for the sound of the back door opening and shooting out the door like a furry rocket to launch himself at the chickens in the back yard and send them squawking. This little guy is a bonafide feline free spirit who is determined to live large regardless of what his FeLV status might be. With him, I came to the conclusion I was fighting a losing battle to protect him from his own enthusiasm for life and it was useless to do so...that he had his own agenda for whatever time he was going to have in his svelte mini-panther body and he would rather be doing a cheetah imitation chasing the chickens or rabbit, or a leopard imitation in the trees than lounging indoors, safe and protected. Fortunately for Purrki, when he was neutered in December at 6 months, he re-tested NEGATIVE for FeLV! He has either beaten some very long odds and seroconverted, or his FeLV infection has become a latent one...the only way I can know for sure would be to do a bone marrow test which would require anesthesia and $$. For now, I am keeping him on the same immune support as my other FeLV+ cats and keeping him indoors as much as possible, but I do now allow him to mix with my other cats and allow him to go outside in the morings when I am doing my chores and able to supervise his activity. He was microchipped when he got neutered so I feel a tiny bit less worried in that regard. Now that going outside is not such forbidden fruit, Purrki is less apt to toss his head, flip his tail and give me a merry chase when it is time to come in and will now usually come in when I call him after he's been outside for a while. Luckily, I have a huge fenced yard and with a Boxer/Pit Bull in the yard on one side and a Mastiff on the other I don't get strange cats wandering through my yard who might leave unwanted infectious material behind. So for now, at least, Mr. Purrki T. (for Trouble) Pantera is living life on his terms and loving it. One of his ways to amuse himself indoors was to pounce on my two geriatric girls who are early CRF or ambush them as they walked by. He was harrassing them so badly I was prompted to rescue a kitten about his age from death row at the local shelter, hoping she would be a more enticing diversion for his youthful antics. Unfortunately, the reason she was on the E-list is that she had a minor URI and despite my best efforts, Purrki and also most of my adult indoor cats ended up sneezing and coughing though only two of the older ones needed to be medicated to get through it. But URI's are very easily spread not only by contact but through the air and even the FeLV+ kittys isolated in a back bedroom were affected and more seriously than the rest. Everyone is now well again and it was not life-threatening, but you always have to keep in mind that even minor things like a URI can have more serious consequences for cats who are FeLV+. The new little one was christened Purrla la Douce and has certainly filled the need of a young and energetic playmate for Purrki. My two old girls are purring with relief that harrassing them is no longer the indoor game of choice for Purrki. But he is still single-pawedly dedicated to making sure my life is not boring. Indoor plants are a thing of the past and whatever is up must come down off the walls or shelves or wherever. He has learned how to open cupboards in the kitchen and roll canned goods across the floor. He likes to pick things up in his mouth (like sink strainers, hair clips, whatever) and carry them around the house. He has learned that if he runs across the computer printer at night, it will turn on and the green light will flash and it will beep and entertain him. He likes to pull papers out of files and shred the edges. So far he has not discovered how much fun it is to unroll toilet paper and I am hoping he doesn't. And now he has a partner in crime, though Purrla is much more self-restrained, thankfully. After tragically losing my first two FeLV+ kittens, one at 8 mos. to non-regenerative anemia and the other at 16 mos. to what was probably lymphoma in the lungs, Purrki's apparent seroconversion was a much-welcomed reprieve. I still have two others I know are FeLV+, now 18-19 mos. and stable with only mild gingivitis. They were feral born and are still semi-feral and all they have ever known is their bedroom with a view to the world outdoors...they seem very content to stay in that quiet and safe world I have provided for them. They seem to be doing very well on a raw-based diet with Vit. C, CoQ10 and Transfer Factor supplementation. But we all know how quickly being FeLV+ and non-symptomatic can and does change for the worse. We do the best we can and love them one day at a time. Whatever my Purrki's true FeLV status may be, he is determined to live life to the fullest and won't have it any other way. I do hope he will be with me for years to come. He is a risk taker who likes living on the edge and it may very well be that some other hazard in life will claim him and not FeLV. He is sort of like Evel Knieval in a cat's body. I guess I rather got off the subject, didn't I? Here's hoping Killian will remain stable with normal blood values. The fact that she had enough immune function to fight off whatever it was that had elevated her WBC is encouraging. Here's hoping she will be one of the lucky ones who can live with the virus long term. I did e-mail Rosemary on Holisticat and forwarded your query but she responded and said she did not feel confident making any conclusions about bloodwork for an FeLV+ cat. I asked her was it really so different than for a non-positive cat and she said she thought it was. She did give me some websites to go to for more info about interpreting blood panel results and I will forward them to you. I'm hoping I can become more enlightened about that, as well. Sally in San Jose
