Hi All,
I too am a new subscriber looking for advice. I’ve learned
much about this virus in the past 12 hours because the stray cat (Scooter) that
my husband and I are in the process of adopting (well, he’s adopted us
really) is FeLV+. The vet called me today after I dropped
him off for neutering and shots to tell me the test was positive (she repeated
the test to confirm) and recommended Scooter be PTS. We can’t do that – but we
have two negative (but vaccinated) cats already. We are very torn between putting our
cats at risk and saving Scooter. So
after a very difficult day of unsuccessfully trying to find a home for Scooter,
we’ve decided to keep him.
All the web sites say you have to keep the pos cats isolated from the neg, but I don’t see how I can do that without
locking Scooter in a room for the rest of his life. Montana and Karma
are indoor/outdoor cats (we have a door with magnetic-activated lock). We can turn the door around so Scooter
can’t get out but ours can still come and go as they please but we’re
going to give Scooter the run of the house, which isn’t a big house by
today’s standards. I don’t
know if we can keep their food separate – Montana is older and underweight
so I don’t want to take away the gravity feed bowl and limit his eating. Also, Montana and Karma
rarely use the litter pan, as they prefer the great outdoors, but in rainy or
cold weather they use it. Scooter
will have to use it, as he’s got to stay indoors for the rest of his life. From what I’ve read online, these
aren’t the main ways that the virus is transmitted. I know grooming is a big one, but we don’t’
have a clear picture of whether they will eventually become friendly enough for
that (no chance of it just yet). So
my question is – what has been the experience of others in similar
situations, and do you have any good advice for a couple of scared cat lovers? Something I might have missed on the other
web sites that will help me keep all three cats happy and healthy as possible? Montana is about 12
years, Karma maybe 8, and Scooter probably 6 months. (Thanks everyone! I’ve enjoyed reading your posts.)
-peggy
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