What were her WBC and HCT numbers? I ask only to understand how anemic she
currently is. If she is eating than she still has the desire to live, many cats
will stop eating when they have given up. It is a good sign that she is eating,
when they are anemic they feel very flu like and many don't eat so I am glad to
hear that she is still eating.
Tanya
________________________________
From: Lee Evans <moonsiste...@yahoo.com>
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 1:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] sick FLV+ kitty, worried owner
As long as she is still eating, that's a good sign. Has the vet given her
Convenia? That's a long-acting antibiotic that seems to keep the level of
infection down until the cat's own immune system can cope. You might try a pet
vitamin with iron for the anemia. I use Nutrived. It has B-complex and Iron.
It brought a rescued FeLv cat back from a skinny, very anemic/high white count
stray to a lunatic fatso. Don't give up. If you can, sit on the floor near the
bed and pet Sylvia. Talk to her using her name or nicknames that you have
given her.
________________________________
From: Anna Waltman <anna.walt...@gmail.com>
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 12:25 PM
Subject: [Felvtalk] sick FLV+ kitty, worried owner
Dear all,
I've been a member of this list since 2009, when Sylvia, the older of my two
(strictly indoor-only) cats, was first diagnosed with FLV (she'd tested
negative twice as a kitten, then at just over a year old came up positive on
both the snap and IFA tests). We have a great vet, and she's been a happy,
healthy, fat, and sassy calico cat for most of her life. I haven't been very
active on this list in the last year or so because Sylvia has been so healthy,
apart from a case of gingivitis that our vet and I were monitoring carefully.
She's about four years old now, and was originally a stray kitten in an urban
area. I adopted her from an ASPCA in New Jersey. The vet thinks she got the
virus from her mama and it was dormant in her system until the stress of moving
from NJ to MA caused it to turn active.
Unfortunately, her run of good health seems to be over. Toward the end of
March, she started having diarrhea and seemed lethargic, so I took her to the
vet, who said she didn't have a fever, but gave her a shot of systemic
antibiotics and some subcutaneous fluids anyway. Her energy levels rose and the
diarrhea resolved itself. However, Sylvia's energy levels took a nosedive again
this past week, and she's been totally lethargic. She started hiding in my
roommate's closet and spent an entire night in there on Wednesday. She's been
refusing to play with my other cat, Beatrice, and hissed last time Beatrice
tried to convince her to play chase (not normal at all-- these two have always
been good buddies and playmates).
Yesterday, we went back to the vet. This time, she did have a high fever (105)
and the vet did blood work, which showed anemia and a high white blood cell
count. The vet said all signs point to infection and suggested antibiotics and
fluids, but she also wanted to do x-rays to check for tumors...then she also
said that even if a tumor showed itself, there would be no treatment options
and we'd have to discuss euthanasia. I opted against the x-rays as I'm on a
limited budget and couldn't really see the point if the tests wouldn't lead to
treatment. We decided to do another round of the injected systemic antibiotics
and sub-Q fluids, and the vet also gave me an oral antibiotic to dose Sylvia
with once a day. I'm going to purchase a thermometer so I can monitor her
temperature daily, as well. I'm under strict instructions to bring her back in
if her temp rises or stays where it is. We go back on Wednesday for another
round of blood work, to see if the
anemia and white blood cell count are improving or getting worse.
I'm a mess. I'm so worried; I broke down crying in the vet's office yesterday
before the vet even came in to see Sylvia. And poor Sylvia has been hiding
under my bed since we got home yesterday. She's not interested in cuddles or
attention (which is not even a little normal for her-- most of the time, she'd
spend her whole evening curled up on my lap if given the chance). She'll come
out to eat (she's still interested in treats) and get a drink of water, and
then she goes right back under the bed to sleep. I realize that this is
instinct...when animals are very sick they have to hide to protect themselves
from predators...but she's never been so adamant about being out of sight
before this week.
Have any of you dealt with this in a FLV+ cat before? Any advice for how to
cope? Is there some other remedy I should be giving her (Lysine, pet-tinic,
etc) in addition to the antibiotics while she's sick to bolster her immune
system? She eats high-quality food to begin with (Wellness CORE and
occasionally Wellness wet food). Also...how do I know when her quality of life
has deteriorated to the point that euthanasia is something to consider? She's
not herself now, that's for sure, but she doesn't seem to be in pain, either.
When she's been in pain in the past because of her mouth/gums, she's been quite
vocal about it. I just don't want her to suffer needlessly.
This has been breaking my heart. Sylvia is my first cat as an adult (I'm 25 and
in grad school); she's outlived two serious relationships, the whole of my
Master's degree work, and a major move. I'm more attached to her than I've ever
been to an animal. When she was diagnosed with FLV I was devastated and wracked
with guilt, since I'd recently adopted a kitten into our household thinking
Sylvia was totally healthy. (Luckily, the kitten, Beatrice, has remained
negative-- she gets retested and vaccinated annually-- and has grown into an
active and healthy indoor cat.)
Those of you with more experience owning FLV+ cats: any help or advice you can
offer would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
All the best,
Anna, Sylvia, and Beatrice
--
Anna E. Waltman
PhD student & Teaching Associate
Department of English and American Literature
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
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