Re: Information

[Nina]

Hi Niki, I'm sorry your little Ziggy has tested positive.  I'm sure you're already head over heals in love with him, how could you not be?  When I first found out my babies were positive I was devastated and very confused.  You've come to the right place to help you sort through all the information out there   We can also help you with our personal experience in dealing with FeLV.  First, let me try and help reassure you that even though Ziggy may be positive, (he may be testing false-positive because of his mom's antigens, or is it antibodies?), it isn't the automatic death sentence that so many people, and even some vets, think it is.  Many, many of our angels live happy, healthy lives, (although, unfortunately, they usually have shorter life spans).  You can't expect this disease to manifest the same way for any given cat.  What it does is impair their immune system so that they have a harder time fighting off diseases that other cats might not even have a problem with, they are also much more prone to different kinds of cancer.  The most important things you can do for Ziggy, are to feed him the best quality food you can afford, put him on immune supportive supplements, keep his home environment as stress free as possible and never take a 'wait and see' approach to any signs of illness.  Make sure you have a vet that has treated FeLV kitties before, or at least one that is willing to keep an open mind about alternative treatments.  Most of us have found Board Certified Internists that are necessary for any unusual circumstances that regular vets just aren't equipped to handle.  I'd start asking for referrals right away so you have someone to go to when/if the need arises.  I also suggest waiting on re-testing Ziggy.  Usually people wait 3 to 6 months.  Someone else on the list I'm sure will jump in here with advice on that and the many other questions I'm sure you have.  I'm sorry you had the need for us, but welcome.  The members of this list are wonderful, supportive and very well informed.  Give that Ziggy a kiss for me! Nina Nicholena Rushton wrote: Hello.  I have just adopted a 8 week old kitten named Ziggy.  Ziggy had his first vet visit on 6-9-05 and since I knew nothing about his mom or dad I decided to have a FeLV test done which resulted in a positive.  I was devastated and am now trying to figure out the best course for Ziggy.  He is acting like a normal kitten would, getting into all sorts of trouble and shows no signs of the diease.  I am trying to stave off an full blown attack and would like to have information regarding what I should be doing right from the start.  I am going to have retested in a follow up visit on 6-30 and am also curious to know if he could come up neg by then?  I know relatively little about this disease and am becoming increasingly confused  by all of the information on the web.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.   Thanks you   Niki Rushton