Nina:
Thank you for the information. Right now I am feeding Ziggy Iams
Kitten Formula (dry - as he turns his nose up at the wet food) and give him
catmilk every other day. I am not sure if this is good enough for him or
if I should be feeding him something else that would be better for him. If
you have any suggestions it would be appreciated. Also, should I begin
giving him any kind of supplements? I know there is something out there
called Transfer Factor and I have looked up their website but I am not sure if I
should be doing that at this stage. Like I said he is a normal kitten
right now and even constantly torturing my dog (I have been trying to keep it
stress free as much as I possibly can although my mutt likes to play with him
and she does not realize how small he is.). Are there any other
suggestions you may regarding immune supplements? I have spoken to my vet
and he is very open to any and all treatments when it comes to FeLV kitties
which is a good thing. He especially did not even say anything about
euthanasia even though he tested + which I took as a blessing. Thanks for
the help so far and I am hoping for the best and that I can give Ziggy a
productive life for whatever amount of time God wishes to have me blessed
by this little guy.
Niki
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 11:54
PM
Subject: Re: Information
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
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- Re: Information Nicholena Rushton
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