Michael, There is such a range that I would not even say 2-3 years. I would say that the younger the cat, the more likely (but not necessarily a lot more likely) they will pass in the first year or third, but that is only based on trends I've seen here, no specific research. This does not include cats that throw the virus, which your cats could do. They say it's more likely for the cat to throw the virus within 3-6 months, but we've seen them become negative after years, which is always a joy to see, though rare. About 30-40% of cats throw the virus after exposure. Adult cats are much less likely to get the virus, which might explain why your younger one may have picked the virus up when he was a kitten (I hope I have that right). My Cricket was diagnosed when he was 2.5 years old; I am 85% sure he got it in utero from his mom. He died at 4.5 years. He only got sick 3 weeks before he died with anemia, that I feel would not have happened without the stress of 10 extra people living in our home for a week during the hurricane. He could still be here had he not been stressed, I don't know. Then, there's the cat at Best Friends that is 22!!!! We had one here live to 16 years old. I forget whose kitty it was. There is another that lived to nine. There is just no way to tell the life expectancy, but I will say this. If you have your cat on immune boosters, a great diet, and no stress while they are asymptomatic, and are loving them well, making them feel good, I really, really believe that extends the life expectancy more than we realize. You might do an archive search on the word 'years' and see posts that tell how old their kitty was when they died. I'm not sure if you can do a Boolean search, like years + death, but it might be possible. I wouldn't get any date stuck in your head though. Positive thoughts all the way!
:) Wendy "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ ----- Original Message ---- From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 8:15:01 PM Subject: Re: Question about eye ulcers Ok, guys, since I'm feeling particularly sad tonight about my babies, let me ask this... How long have you all known of a cat surviving after FeLV+ diagnosis? I know the standard is, according to almost everyone, 2-3 years after diagnosis, but I'm sure some of you all have had experiences with cats living longer? Just curious what everyone's experiences have been. Michael Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow
