70% of adult cats can be exposed and throw off the virus, and the current vaccines are over 90% effective--get your other cats vaccinated, and they will be safe. there are NO cases of a true negative cat who is vaccinated ever turning positive from living with a true positive. to make sure your kitty really is positive, ask your vet to do an IFA test. i'm presuming he's been living outdoors all this time, so he probably was first exposed awhile ago.
even unvaccinated cats rarely turn positive, as many folks who had positives BEFORE there was a reliable vaccine can attest--this is just NOT a virus that is easily transmitted nor contracted. (everyone remember mari, spiritcat, from her days posting on this link--she's had FeLVs with her clowder for over 30 years now, long before vaccination was common--and like most folks, never had a problem. and my household was definitely exposed by a lovely girl who'd tested negative at the shelter--that retesting issue again--and tho there were frail elders and 3-month-old kittens in the mix, it's been nine years without any FeLV showing up!) they are now finding that some of the cats who remain testing positive NEVER get sick, and are not contagious--remember that all the theories about carriers, and WHEN a cat is actually contagious, are just that: THEORIES that make sense, but might not stand up to research. we don't KNOW that positives who stay healthy are contagious while they're healthy--and this latest research is showing that to be the case. a healthy cat is a healthy cat, FeLV or not. one that is as friendly as this one is deserves a home, not a sanctuary setting. there are a number of places for posting positives if you really feel you must rehome him; get photos, and we can give you the names of other lists. MC -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
