I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of
caution,
that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is
the
leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a
100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to
get
another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even
though
it's not 100% guarantee.
It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a
cure for this horrible disease.
Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with
FeLV daily.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Beth" <create_me_...@yahoo.com>
To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over
10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them
out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My
FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many
as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other -
Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats
re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have
ever gotten the virus.
Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am
not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not
have to be paranoid about FeLV.
Please search the archives on
"mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you
& all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on
something you have never dealt with
before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first
positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into
was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who
didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have
another home or be put down.
My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties
safely.
Beth
Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org
--- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson <longhornf...@verizon.net> wrote:
From: Lynda Wilson <longhornf...@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM
Kasie,
You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat.
You
could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine
has
only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option
if
nothing else.
As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that
Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too
many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with
negatives.
In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in
Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest
of
his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was
neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I
had
to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not
himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart
murmur
and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim
chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too
many
health issues which compromised his immune system.
I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor
cat.
I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it.
Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably
exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we
don't
know exactly when he was shedding the virus). So far, my adult cat, Sugar,
has tested ELISA negative. I had Sugar tested the day I put the kitten to
sleep, then again 30 days later, and again this month. I'm going to test
him
next month as well. Since all the ELISA tests have been negative, we did
not
do an IFA test.
Every cat's immune system is different. I know people do mix, but I hope
at
least they are mixing with negatives that have been vaccinated. This is
just
my opinion. I'm sure that this may work for some, but for newbies like
myself experiencing this for the first time, I proceed with much caution.
I
will not bring home another cat or kitten until I know Sugar is in the
clear. He so wants another companion to play with!
I will keep Grace in my thoughts and prayers and please keep me posted. I
hope she clears the virus so that your cat at home has a new purrfect
companion!
Best wishes and the best of luck to you!!
Lynda
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