Karen, Danielle and Robert,
Oh man, my heart goes out to you! I've been in your place, confused,
grief stricken, hopeful, desperate... I too learned about felv through
rescuing a litter of kittens. Let me first say, after all the
heartache, all the uncertainty, it was an experience I wouldn't trade
for the world. Knowing and loving my sweet little Angels was a Godsend,
not a curse.
How do you know ALL the kittens are pos? Sometimes rescue groups and
organizations will test only one, or two and then figure the whole group
has to be pos. It's not necessarily so. Tim, one of the 6 kittens I
found at 2 1/2 weeks old, (almost certainly got it from his mom), tested
neg, another, Lucky, who has never been tested, has never been sick a
day in his life, (they are now close to 2 1/2 yrs old). Even being pos
is not an automatic death sentence, (even though many vets still seem to
think so). Don't despair, there are many things you can do to help
prolong their lives and keep them happy and healthy, many things that
don't take a great deal of money. Did the shelter tell you that they
wouldn't pay for the spay/neuters because of their status? Be careful
about the vaccines. Don't have them vaccinated at the same time they
are neutered. Sometimes stressful events, like neuter/vac can cause
their immune system to falter, you want to stretch out these things and
only when they seem perfectly healthy. There has been a great deal of
discussion on the list about vaccines, (you can check the archives on
just about anything). Personally, I never vac against rabies when I can
help it, there's certainly no reason to vac against felv, (although I do
remember some controversial dialog about that). See if you can vac with
single strain shots, rather than combos. You need to find yourself a
vet that is friendly to and/or familiar with felv if you can. I'd start
looking for a board certified Internist. You have to remember that
kitties don't get sick from felv itself, they get sick because their
immune response is poor and diseases that wouldn't necessarily take hold
in a neg cat may wreak havoc with them.
Everyone on this list has come to know that it's quality, not quantity
of life that matters. There's something very special about felv pos
kitties. We've discussed it many times. I'm sorry you had the need to
find us, but so glad you did. The folks here are very caring and
knowledgeable, you'll find information and support to help you through
whatever you have to face. I'm so glad you didn't listen to the folks
at the shelter! Thank you for following your heart and giving these
guys a chance at life and love.
The most important things you can do is create as stress free
environment as possible, feed good quality food and immune boosting
supplements, and keep a watchful eye on any symptoms that might occur.
You never want to take a 'wait and see' approach with felv kitties. You
didn't mention having any other cats... We have found that healthy
adult vaccinated cats don't seem to be in any danger of
contracting/succumbing to felv.
Give those little sweethearts a head bump from me! (Adorable names,
btw). Ask us anything, we're here to help,
Nina
clarissa- Floyd wrote:
hi,
i'm new to email groups and not sure about all of this.
i just found out the 8 kittens ive been fostering are FeLV posative
and would apreciate any information on what to expect with this
illness if i choose to keep them. the vet and the humane society whom
im fostering for want to put them down.
the kittens are around 5 months old and from 3 different litters. 2
were born from a FeLV+ mom and 2 of the others nursed with them. the
other 4 have been in contact with them from about 4 weeks of age. we
found out they were FeLV+ when the humane society finally got them in
to be "fixed" last thursday. the vet did not fix them and taked to me
about not keeping them. the woman from the humane society has yet to
call me about this.
right now the kittens are in good health and have wonderful
personalities. i don't know what to expect in the near future w this
illness. ive gone from crying the last 5 days to sounding cold about
this. one of my concerns is not being able to aford medical care or
medication in the future which would not be fair to the kittens. the
cost of fixing them and initial shots is going to have to be borrowed.
if anyone can let me know what to expect, what they have been
through, any hope if we keep the angels we would apreciate it.
Karen, Danielle (18), Robert (13)
pogo, teddy, stitch, houdini, salem, bandit, boots, oreo
