Barbara,
You have no idea how long Tom has, and neither does
anyone else. There are people on this list who have had FeLV+ cats live to
over 10 years old. It is rare but it does happen. I have one whose age I
don't want to say because I am superstitious and do not want to jinx her,
but she is probably older than you are thinking Tom will live to be.
Also, cats do not die of FeLV. FeLV is like
HIV-- it is a virus that diminishes the immune system and makes the cat more
vulnerable to other conditions like lymphoma and URI's and certain kinds of
anemia. So you have no idea how he will die when he dies, or when that will
be.
As far as your negatives go, if you keep them
separated they are safe. I have a negative and 4 positives and keep them in
separate areas. The current wisdom on FeLV is that it does not survive
longer than a few moments in the air, and that cats have to share water,
litter, and food for a while before catching it from each other (before they
manage to come into contact with virus before it has died in air, which is
more likely to happen in a wet substance) or fight. Most people on
this list even mix positives and negatives, just making sure the negatives
get the FeLV vaccine every year. I do not do that because I feel like it is
taking a chance, but even that is just a small chance and there seems to
have been very little disease spread that way. So if you keep them
separate, it should be fine. If they are already in close contact and have
been for a while, chances are that those who would contract it already
have.
Finally, I learned from someone recently that there
is a cat sanctuary in Arizona that is exclusively for FeLV+ cats. I never
tried to find it, but I assume you can find it on the web if you look. If
you can't, I would contact Marley's Fund, which is such a group in NC and
has a web page, and ask them if they know of it. Or contact Best
Friends in Utah and ask them if they know about it or of anywhere else in
the southwest that you can find him a home, if you are not willing to keep
him.
Michelle
In a message dated 4/9/05 8:34:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I know how you feel Jen, I am very sorry.
I keep saying that I am going to put Tom down and then I find my self
making the time longer. My other kitties will get this and Tom has already
over stayed. He only has about another year & a half if even that and
I keep thinking that I might be doing him a favor. Felv is a painful death
to have to go through. I love Tom to death and I don't know what to do
because of my other cats that are non-positive.
Barbara
