Hey Merlin -- I saw your question over on feral_cats, but didn't realize you were this frantic...
You've come to the right place for information and support. I came here for advice about my own FeLV+ stray, also named Patches, and never left (my Patches was already too sick when we found him, sadly. He was a great guy.) Short answer, stop worrying. Under the circumstances you describe, it's really unlikely that your Patches has picked up FeLV at your friend's house. Also, it isn't as contagious as you fear. It is transmitted through contact with infected cats almost exclusively, since the virus does not have a long life outside the body. It's very likely that any "bugs" Kitty may have left on bedding etc. are long dead. The chances of your friend's other cats being infected may vary. Since Kitty has been with her a while, chances are that anykitty that is likely to be infected, by now is. It can depend on factors like the cat's general health. My Patches had some accidental contact with our other house cats (brought him inside at 3 a.m., quarantined him -- we thought -- in the back hall, he scaled the 6.5 foot full screen door we use to keep the others out of the basement, and I woke 3 hours later to hear him and one of the house cats having a civil conversation in the FRONT enclosed porch room!) None of the house cats have shown any sign of FeLV. None of them had ever been vaccinated for it. Tell your friend not to let a vet hustle her into any decisions she may regret regarding Kitty or any of the others (you didn't mention this aspect but it comes up often). A lot more is known now about FeLV, and it's not an immediate death sentence. Many of the members on this list have kitties who have lived with FeLV for many years. If your friend's vet suggests that Kitty be PTS just because of the FeLV, she should look for a more enlightened vet for him. You'll get lots of good info here on diet, treatment options and the like -- Patches probably won't need these, but maybe you can encourage your friend to join this list for help with Kitty. Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of mary (merlin) marshall Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:42 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Felvtalk] new with questions Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
