that said, i know of a number of FIV+ cats who threw off the FeLV virus as quickly and easily as "normal" cats do....FIV cats actually tend to be very hardy, and other than higher incidences of herpes complications and stomatitis, are often the healthiest cats in sanctuary environments. the classic example i keep reminding folks of is the experience here where a feral colony brought in distemper, and tho all the cats had been vaccinated when they first came in, there was no way of knowing if they'd ever had the full series as kittens. two hundred cats were lost to distemper--strays, ferals, FeLVs--and not one of the FIVs contracted it...
On 10/30/06, Jennifer Phaewryn O'Gwynn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Your FIV+ cats are much more apt to catch the FELV than your "healthy" (non-FIV) cats. I would definitely keep this FELV+ baby AWAY from your FIV+ cats! Normally, in healthy adult cats (with good immune systems) it's very hard to transmit. Cats develop a natural immunity against FELV at about a year of age. BUT, in cats with FIV, the immune system is compromised, so the natural immunity goes right out the door, so to speak. Vaccinating your FIV+ cats is also not recommended, as the stressor of the vaccine could put them into a symptomatic form of FIV, AND give them FELV, since they have abnormal immune systems to begin with, their bodies don't use vaccines in an effective way to mount a immune response, it simply is one more stressor in their system, and not advised. The earliest I would do an IFA is no sooner than 6 weeks AFTER they last nursed off of their momma. If the kitten was weaned late (as recommended) at 10 weeks of age, then you're just now entering the stage where a test would begin to show the actual results of the KITTEN, and NOT left-over immunity from the MOMMA. Since your baby is 6 months old already, you should be good to go, any time for an IFA. How old was he at his last ELISA (early Sept, or late Sept)? Keep in mind, if he was under 16 weeks, you could have been seeing MOMMAS test result, NOT his! I'd say your last test was just on the edge of being "sure" that the results were not maternally tainted, so there's still hope he's NEGATIVE. I'd retest on ELISA (since it's cheaper usually) now, then confirm that with an IFA two weeks later. I usually advise a retest at ONE YEAR of age, and at that point, it's fairly sure to be a accurate result. Of course, cats of ANY age can and do sometimes "throw" the virus, and become negative later in life. There's ALWAYS hope! Please read my last post as well (Re: one question), it's a good overview of the basics of the communicable nature of FELV. Phaewryn Please adopt a cat from Little Cheetah Cat Rescue!!! http://ucat.us/adopt.html Low cost Spay&Neuter services in VT, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners: http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html The Sofa Poem: http://ucat.us/sofapoem.html Find us on PETFINDER! http://petfinder.com/shelters/VT44.html No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.408 / Virus Database: 268.13.17/505 - Release Date: 10/27/2006
-- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
