A thought: how about an adult vaccinated cat from a local kill
shelter? Yes, there is a chance he/she will develop FeLV. That
chance appears to exist with any adopted cat. However, the chances of
an adult cat in a kill shelter dying is very, very high. Everyone
wants kittens and the kill rate for most shelters is very high even
for kittens. A thought. You will have to weigh your own values. If
I were a cat in a kill shelter or on the streets alone I would take my
chances with the FeV exposure.
Right now Dixie has a wonderful Tom cat calling on her. He started
coming around several months ago. PC is fully grown, on his own and
appears very healthy. I let them together at times for short periods
of time and my concerns are that he will bring in a disease to her,
not visa versa. We live on a rural farm. I suspect PC has been
exposed to everything he ever will be exposed to. If he continues to
hang around and continues to come in peacefully I plan to try to take
him to a vet for a checkup. This is not very easy for a number of
reasons and there are real questions about neutering him given his
life style. Forcing him to live inside is not an option and, unlike
the colony at my mother's, monitoring him is also questionable.
However, back on topic, a cat whose destiny is death might well
welcome a nice home. I certainly would.
I would also point out that Dixie tested positive 3 years ago and is
and has been extremely healthy and happy since she was tested. Had I
not taken her to be spayed I would never know her status. Feed Athena
the best foods you can and give her the best supplements and forget
her status whether you get a companion for her or not. Just be
vigilant re any problems......as you should for anyone without words.
If you dwell on the status you will loose so very much.
On Feb 25, 2008, at 6:06 PM, Beth Gouldin wrote:
Hi all
So Athena just re-tested on ELISA a weak positive. This is 9 weeks
from the first testing that we did when we lost Orion to FeLV. I
guess I'm just disheartened... I had REALLY hoped (for her sake)
that she would be negative - she seems so healthy...no major
problems or anything... and we really wanted to get another cat for
a companion for her. My husband and I have talked and we just can't
bring closure to ourselves to intentionally get another FeLV +
cat... which means pretty much she's gonna stay a single cat.
I don't know, in my mind it just seems that it would be a
perpetually bleak cycle (and I know that it's not true simply
because of the joy they bring..but this is my bummed out- ness
coming through) to have 'sick' cats that can just die any time.
Do any of you have experiences bringing in another cat? Do you
always elect to get another FeLV +? How do kittens generally fare?
Our vet suggested bringing in a FeLV negative vaccinated adult...but
I don't want even the SLIGHTEST risk of exposing another cat to this.
Any feedback would help me out...I'm so frustrated with this whole
thing.
Thanks for listening :}
--
Beth Gouldin
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
940.395.5393
God Bless!!!
