You are correct about the antibiotics were for the abscess, and the vet
seemed sure they were cat bites. I never heard about a faint pos., just
pos. The vet guessed he is about 8 months. He has no symptoms at all.
The vet said that he was shocked when the test came back pos. They
didn't do any other tests or shots that day because he had a fever (due
to the abscess ).
As far as the puddles, they don't smell at all! He has gotten SOOO far
since he has been here. He eats great. He also drinks water a lot,
well a lot to me but I am new to cats. He does use his litter box, he
doesn't appear to strain and he doesn't cry. Some times he walks around
me and just meows for no apparent reason. I think he just wants to be
held. What a lap cat! He is sleeping on the desk beside me now. He is
very spunky. At night he is calm and loving, but at 5 AM, any things
that moves is fair game for a pouncing! LOL. Any tips for getting him
to use a scratching board instead of my couch and office chair. I am
firmly against declawing him but my husband is threating it. I told him
I would definger him if he did! Can you recommend a food, I am sure you
would scold me over his current food. But take it easy on me, I am new
to this! LOL
Midnight will be neutered somewhere around the end of Jan. and beginning
of Feb. I will make the appointment of Tues. Oh and stress free may be
hard. We have 3 kids, but he seems to love them. They are crazy
amongst themselves but the all calm down and get very gentle when
dealing with him. All they know is that he is sick and very special.
Thanks again
Jennifer
Nina wrote:
Hi Jennifer,
I'm glad you found us and so very glad Midnight found you. I take it
the antibiotics were for the abscess on his tail and not because he is
displaying any other symptoms of illness? Did the infection clear up
okay? How old does the vet think Midnight is? Adult, healthy cats
have a much better chance of clearing the virus than an older, sickly,
or young kitten. Because he was a stray, there's no way for you to
know when he contracted the disease. It may have happened when he got
the abscess on his tail. I'm not sure why your vet is having you
retest in only 3 weeks. If Midnight is in the process of clearing
felv, a three week interval between testing is probably too soon to be
reliable. Usually it is recommended to wait 3 to 6 months. Did the
vet tell you it was a faint pos? If the vet suspects the test was a
false pos, then a retest in 3 weeks makes more sense. It is also
usually recommended to retest using an IFA, (not the in house ELISA).
When you are ready to have him neutered, please ask us about protocols
and procedures to help reduce the stress on his body during surgery.
Felv cats need to be kept as stress free as possible and fed as high a
quality diet as you can.
I'm not sure what these "puddles" on the floor might be. Do they
smell like urine? Has he been using his litter box? Have you noticed
any straining, or does he cry when he urinates? It sounds more like
it might be vomit to me. Have you mentioned the slight blood tinge to
the vet? It doesn't sound "right", but I'm hoping it's nothing
serious. Has he been showing any other symptoms? Any coughing or
upper respiratory congestion? Is he eating normally? Keep a close
eye on him and see if you catch him in the act of excreting these
puddles.
I'm sure others will be posting soon with suggestions. Ask as many
questions as you like. The people on this list are wonderfully
supportive and we all know how scary this diagnosis is.
Nina
Jennifer Madon wrote:
Hi everyone! Let me start by saying that my name is Jennifer. I am
new to the whole feline leukemia situation. We had a stray cat adopt
us right after Christmas. When he wouldn't go away, we decided to
adopt him. He is so sweet and loving, I am so glad my husband said
yes!! We took him to the vet and he tested positive. He also had an
abscess on the base of his tail. We are done with the antibiotics
but I still put to ointment on him. We go back next Tuesday (3 weeks
after original test) for a retest. After that, we are having him
fixed. My question is that I have found (about 3 times) some puddles
of water on the kitchen floor. I thought maybe he was peeing on the
floor but the liquid is clear with a pink tint to it. Does this
sound right? Any ideas? I am very new to this so any info or tips
on this or anything else is appreciated!! Thanks!
Jennifer and Midnight
