i don't test for FIV, either, unless all my vet has with him are the combo tests! i'd like to know if a cat is truly FeLV positive, tho the odds are against it remaining so if it's an healthy adult, just so i can make sure any kittens or vulnerable elders are vaccinated before they come into "persistent, prolonged contact" with it. (and i wish someone would DEFINE what persistent and prolonged mean.) i'd like to know if a cat is positively FeLV, just to be able to do everything possible for it--to know what to look for, to add supplements that it might need, etc. i'm not gonna love a cat any less if it's FeLV positive, and i don't known anyone in my odd circle of contact who would just ever get rid of a cat. positive or not, now that i think of it!
the problem is lack of education--on the diseases themselves, on the reliability of the tests, on the risk to other cats in a household. according to some of the stats susan has found, FeLV snap testing may or may not be as accurate as that for FIV--but no sanctuary or rescue i know of even contemplates calling a cat FIV+ without a western blot. (or, as one vet said, maybe 4 spread-out positive snap tests!) with the DNA testing free from UC Davis, there's absolutely no reason for vets, and even rescues who can hold the cat for the results to come back, to call a cat FIV positive and euthanize it based on a snap test.... your experience points out exactly why we just have to keep educating, educating, educating! i get called by rescues and shelters all the time about what to do when someone tests positive, in or out of foster homes.... when people have the information, they don't have to panic, and can a policy already in effect. it gets tiring to keep sending out the same info time and time again, but we have to do it, because the cats just won't... -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
