Yep! Me too, I stay even though my FELV+ girl died years ago. I now have an entire feral cat colony that is FIV+, and much of the things that are good for FELV are also good for FIV.
It's good to have you join, and I'm sure you'll learn much from all the wonderful and knowledgeable members here! If you have any specific questions, do feel free to ask anything at all! Some FELV+ cats don't make it long, others live normal life spans, so it's definitely not hopeless, and there ARE treatments, regardless of what you vet tells you! Let us know what your vet says after your appointment, and keep in mind that MANY vets are uninformed on current FELV treatments, as it's not something that they teach in vet schools, generally speaking, but that is changing, so a YOUNG vet may be better than an older, experienced one. I find it ironic, they teach vets how to HURT animals with declaws, ear crops, and tail docking, but yet we are still struggling to get the vet schools to accept current treatment protocols and even TESTING protocols for FELV and FIV! Anyways, don't euthanise your cat even if you vet advises it, come back and discuss options with this group before you decide on any treatments or make any decisions, you'll get lots of practical advice from people who have gone through it before here! Welcome again! Phaewryn (was Jenn, just changed name) http://ucat.us http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Adopt a cat from Little Cheetah (UCAT) Cat Rescue: http://ucat.us/adopt.html PLEASE DONATE TO THE TANGLE FUND: Tangle is a cat in Greece that was severely injured when someone wrapped wire around his neck to strangle him, Little Cheetah Cat Rescue is raising funds to bring Tangle to Vermont to find him a good home! http://ucat.us/tangle-fund.html DONATE: We could really use a power saw (for construction), a digital camera (for pictures), and more towels! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Hi Noelle, Nice to meet you; welcome to our humble group. My name is Wendy. I am sorry to hear that you have lost your beloved Cleo. Most of us here have lost our loved ones to FeLV as well, and many of us stay, including me, even though we don't have anymore FeLV+ kitties because of the wonderful support and information we got here while tending to our furkids, and want to help others as we were helped. I lost my Cricket in November; he also received the FeLV in utero from his mom. This list was a God-send for me. FeLV is not an immediate death sentence, and many kitties here live happy, healthy lives until the virus kicks in. I believe Bailey here is our poster child, and although is having trouble at the moment, he is I believe 16 years old, if not older. Whatever you do, don't allow the vet to talk you into euthanizing her. If they try to, you will be better off finding a vet who supports caring for FeLV kitties. The main thing in caring preventatively for FeLV kitties is to keep their immune system boosted and keep them stress-free. I am going to send you directly an email with an attachment (we can't send attachments through the group). The attachment is a manual that was put together from posts from all the wonderful members here. There is a lot of great info. in it. Please keep us posted on what your vet says, and if you need anything, just ask. Sorry I didn't get to you yesterday, but things were really hectic at work! :) Wendy Dallas, Tx -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.5/333 - Release Date: 5/5/2006
