Hi, Tracy -- My first thought is that the raspy meow is related to the heat rather than anything else, they get very throaty and LOUD when they're trying to attract males!
I am worried about your vet, who apparently has not had a lot of experience with FeLV. There are cats on this list that have lived for many years with FeLV (and of course many who have died pitifully young as well). If your cat (what's her name?) is otherwise healthy and is not showing any signs of lymphoma or the other things that can really bring an FeLV kitty down, your vet had no right to say that. I would suggest calling around in your area and finding a vet who is more knowledgeable about the current thinking on FeLV. I guess it's a good thing your vet didn't suggest putting her to sleep right then, but he/she should also have offered some advice on diet and the like. Also, please tell us how the diagnosis was reached -- just the ELISA test, just the IFA, or both, and when were they done? You will be getting lots of good advice from the people on this list. Off the top of my head, a couple big things are to feed the cat the best-quality food you can, and try to keep her as stress-free as possible, since stress can undermine kitties' immune systems just like humans. Also, is there a reason she's not spayed? Sometimes it's contra-indicated in FeLV or FIV kitties for certain health reasons, but generally it's way better for them to be spayed. Heat in and of itself is a stressful thing, and much more painful for cats than its human counterpart is for us. Hence the yowling. Thanks for taking on this little girl and her challenges. Here's hoping she stays symptom-free for a long time. Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tracy McLendon Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 3:37 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Felvtalk] scratchy meow Hello! I am new here! I have a 1 1/2 year old blind FLV cat. Two days ago, she started to have an odd scratchy sounding meow. She also went into heat about the same time. She is eating and playing normally. Her meow just suddenly changed and sounds raspy, almost like a parrot. This is my first experience with a FLV cat. She is not on any type of vitamins, she is just like all the other cats, until she started with this weird meow. When she went in originally for her eye enucleation, the vet just said she would be more susceptible to infections and that she would not live long. Can someone help me? Any other signs I should look for? She seems normal otherwise but I am such a hyphochondriac for myself and my animals! I just want to know if anyone else has experienced meow changes.... Thanks in advance! -- Tracy _______________________________________________ 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
