Well, for me the most important thing was
their quality of life. Mine had all lived together for years & to
take someone out of the mix or separate would just have made them all miserable…
I didn’t separate when Tucson was first found pos because if they were to catch it, they would
have already! I did get the neg cats tested & vaccinated & will
do so every year. Its hard for healthy adult cats to get the
disease. Many of the web sites are really outdated, including, I’m
afraid, the Cornell site. You have to keep in mind that this is not a new
disease—been around forever—its just that as research/testing about
viruses was done, this disease was ‘discovered’. I suspect
that many more cats have the virus than anybody knows . My family always
had cats, indoor/outdoor; at a time when they just never went to vet.
Well some lived to their twenties & others died much younger. Who
would ever know if any had FELV? My guess is that many did but we just didn’t
know/test… Many vets will tell you that cats will die quickly—you’ve
already posts about adult cats still thriving even if they test positive.
My vet felt that the vaccine was good & to just leave things alone.
Granted no vaccine is 100% but we accept those chances with our own human
vaccines so why not for the kitties!
Bottom line is that you’ll never
really know who had FELV first. Could be the little one, could be Thor…
I would want both pos to have the IFA test just to be sure. You will not
read too many studies that recommend mixing & many vets won’t make
the reco as they are all afraid someone is going to come back and sue them if
cats get sick….
-----Original Message-----
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Kris Kulak
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 11:07
AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: New To This
My vet is dead set against it. I'm glad. I'm just
having a difficult time deciding what to do. So many people have stated that
they've mixed their cats back up, but I haven't read one study that recommends
that. As-a-matter-of-a-fact, they're all against it. I guess I need more input
from people who've blended the family again. I've got three weeks before I
really need to make a final decision. I keep going back and forth on this. I mean,
what if the little guy (Luna) is able to shake this thin and eventually test
negative? Is it possible that Thor, the older kitten that is sick right now,
will recover and live longer? I feel helpless. Thor seems more spunky today
than he has in awhile, but I don't want to get my hopes up.
Kristina
"Gloria B.
Lane" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi
Kristina - just wanted to mention also - watch out for vets who
want to euthanize your kitties. There's a lot of variation in
knowledge and attitude among vets. One may be supportive and work
with your FELV cats, but another may just want to euthanize. Very
scarey going to different vets, sometimtes.
Gloria
I have just found out that my two kittens are positive for feline
leukemia. I adopted a kitten from an animal shelter in Wisconsin that
originally tested negative. But since then he has become positive and
has infected one of my older cats, who in the meantime has become
quite sick. It is devastating to me. BUT, I am trying to remain
optimistic. Therefore, I am trying to find out all I can.
First of all, I have three other cats, all of which tested negative.
I have to keep them separated now from my two "sick" ones. Even
though the little kitten I adopted in November has the virus, he acts
totally normal. The older kitten which is actually a year old now, is
sick. I've been giving the older one 3cc of Retrovir in the morning
and in the evening. I don't know what the side effects are to cats. I
only received the side effects for humans when I picked up the
medicine at the pharmacy. Is there any place you can recommend to me
to find out more about the side effects to cats? The side effects to
humans don't look so good, so I'm a bit worried about this medicine.
Second, as I have stated, I have to keep my cats all separated. This
is EXTREMELY hard. We were one big happy family. All of my cats got
along, cuddled, took care of the little ones, played together,
cleaned each other, and now I've had to tear up the family. The older
ones in the basement are wondering what's going on. I go down there
to sit with them and they just stare at me. It's kind of creepy. But
they do thrive on the attention once we get past the awkward moment.
The kittens I keep upstairs so that I can monitor them. The littlest
one is constantly crying at the door that separates them all. I've
even caught the older one clawing at the door today. It's really
hard. Therefore, I was wondering, if after the incubation period is
over and the other older cats get retested and if they still prove to
be negative, then get their shots, could I put the family back
together again? Or is it better for me to find a new home for the ill
cats? I will die if I have to lose them. They are my babies. This
will be the third and fourth kittens I have lost in three years. But
I need to do what's best. I'd rather take care of the ill kittens
myself than have the cost burden and the stress go to someone else. I
know I have a home for the three older cats providing they stay
negative. I just really want to try to keep the family together. So,
how effective are the shots?
Third and final, the animal shelter that I received the kitten from
is trying to deny that it was their kitten. In a sense, they told me
that my vet tested incorrectly. Now I know that the shelter is trying
to do a good thing, but I feel they have a responsibility to tell the
other people who have adopted kittens or cats from the same group and
time period. They aren't listening to me. I've researched about the
incubation period and that maybe they should have held onto all the
cats and kittens for a few more weeks because it could sit dormant.
They kept insisting that the kitten tested negative; and I told them
I know that, but..." We got no where. Now what do I do? All my other
cats have been tested twice a year for everything. (I take them to
the vet for even the slightest sniffle - I'm a little protective). I
need to know what do I do to get them to contact the other people.
I'm concerned that there are more Feline Leukemia cats out there,
more than that, I am sure of it and I think those people have a right
to know. So, what do I do? I was thinking about taking out a full
page ad in the Milwaukee Journal or contacting the Better Business
Bureau. I need to do something.
Sorry I took so much time, but I have many issues and/or concerns. I
don't know what to do. I've been reading a lot on the internet, but I
can't find the answer to these few things. I appreciate any
help/advice you could give me. Thank you.
Kristina
