I would keep this cat. And the chances that he will catch leukemia and it would cause him problems before all these other things do is slim to none. He's much better off with you. To be extra safe, you might want to vaccinate and wait a few weeks before mixing. But in his condition, and considering he's been outside, I'm sure he would already have leukemia if he were going to get it. Good luck! tonya
Pat Kachur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: As far as the "feeling guilty" is concerned--anyone who lets their cat get into that condition doesn't deserve to have an animal of any type. ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 11:31 AM Subject: Whitey View full size View full size For those of you without the history, Whitey came to me about six months ago relatively permanently. She showed up and just sort of stayed. When she came, she was boney (You could feel its ribs) and her long white fur was literally in huge mats all over her body. After months of feeding and brushing, I got her fur cleaned up and she put on a few pounds. Last night I went to feed her and found her so disoriented she couldn't even stand up, so Jeff took her to the vet this morning, and this is where the story picks up... Ok, guys. Jeff just got back from the vet with Whitey. Here's what we learned. (Pictures Attached.) "She" is a "He" LOL He is about 10-12 years old. He has not been neutered. :( He has a severe inner-ear infection. He has a grade 3 heart murmur He has advanced/severe gingivitis. Needs several teeth pulled. FeLV/FIV NEGATIVE. (Thank God for something!) He also has hyperthyroidism. They found a benign tumor on his thyroid. We're starting with oral antibiotics to get the ear infection cleaned up. They drew blood for a thyroid and kidney check, as well as a fecal sample. Doc wants to get the ear infection cleared up before we start with thyroid medicine and such to make sure its not the infection causing all those other problems. He also wanted to wait on vaccines until we get everything else cleared up. They cleaned his ears and clipped his nails today. He's going back for vaccines/teeth pulling when we get the infection cleared up. Now here's the dilemma. First of all, I'm starting to feel bad about "taking" someone else's cat. He just wandered to the house and sorta stayed, but he does go "home" from time to time for a few hours, but is always at teh house at night and in the morning for food. I *think* I know who he belongs to, but I'm not certain. The vet says he must stay indoors (at least for now) due to the severe infection and his imbalance, otherwise they said he couldn't run from cats/dogs or cars, he's very much at risk right now, so he's going in my Sun Room, which I suppose will become the "kitty suite." What do you guys think? I don't think I should feel bad for taking him, for the simple fact that if someone is so irresponsible a pet owner that they'd let him get in that shape, do they really care or deserve to own an animal? I really do think its in HIS best interest that he stays with me, but again, he doesn't technically "belong" to me, so its a dilemma. What do you guys think? Another issue I'm having is his FeLV negative status. With two positives in the house, what do I do? For now he's going to be isolated in the sunroom where he's safe, but if I keep him long term, should I let him back outdoors? I just don't know what to do. I really don't feel good about mixing him with the positives and exposing him to FeLV. My other negative had already been exposed before I knew. But this is a totally different situation. I could keep him isolated til he's better, then let him back out, that's one option. Another option is mixing :( I really can't see leaving him in the sunroom the rest of his life, that just wouldn't be fair. I'd appreciate input/opinions, guys. Michael --------------------------------- Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail!