In my experience, my kittens that have been born with FELV and kept the virus havent live much past 2-3 yrs of age. But sometimes their immune systems will throw the virus off and they'll test negative later. And my cats that have acquired FELV after birth can live a long time, and when be tested again (Elisa or IFA) can go negative. With mine, usually once they get sick (not a cold but really sick), they dont come out of it, they drift away and pass on. Their passing is usually easy.
I don't think I've had many(if any) die of leukemia, usually other things like lymphoma. I vaccinate when new cats (not FELV) come into the house, generally not after that. I had one cat die several years ago, had tested negative when she came in, but when I had her necropsied after death she was positive for FELV. All the cats she was with tested negative. I have two FELV cats now, have had them maybe 4 years, and they've never been sick. BUT I only tested them once with the Elisa test, so need to test again and see if it shows positive or negative. There are also some subtypes of the FELV virus and that may play a role in how a cat does. I;ve used Interferon Alpha for immune stimulation, also Dr Belfield's Vitamin C, never used Interferon Omega. Have recently come across a new homeopathic treatment at http://www.pets4homeopathy.com/feline-leukemia-feline-aids-immune-system.html, which sounds very good and I ordered some - Best of Luck, Gloria in Arkansas > From: Michele Fougeres <atomicbetti...@hotmail.com> > Date: April 29, 2013 11:14:01 AM CDT > To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Subject: [Felvtalk] Good morning from South America :) > Reply-To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > > > Hi everyone, I'm new to this group. My husband and I recently adopted a male > cat; we named him Abelardo. We noticed he wasn't in very good shape, and that > he was desperately looking for a home, so we rescued him. He's FeLV positive > and also has anemia. He has low counts for red blood cells, hematocrit, > hemoglobin and leukocytes. The test to determine if he was FeLV positive was > an antigen test (Elisa). No one performs IFA's tests in Ecuador, my country > of residence. The vet said that giving he’s a young cat and that he has been > fighting with a urinary tract infection and showing progress, it’s possible > that he will become a carrier and will be able to lead a normal life. My > research on the internet indicates that after diagnosis, cats usually live > for 3 or 4 more years. I asked the doctor about the chance of this being a > false positive, but he said that with the antigen test the margin of error is > very small. I’ve read about cats that fight the virus and are able to > eliminate it from their organisms, later testing negative for FeLV. I don’t > want to have false expectations, but I want to hang on to whatever hope > there’s still out there for him. > > We've started him on a biostimulant therapy treatment that will last for 2 > weeks with Yatren Caseína (an immune stimulant manufactured by Bayer, don’t > know if it’s sold in the USA), which consists of Casein and Yatreinic Acid. > This is supposed to help him increase his white blood cells. We are hoping > this will boost his immune system. He has also been taking Isoprinosine and B > complex with iron syrup for almost 2 weeks. I don’t know if my cat is > receiving the best treatment or what should I do to increase the odds of him > not having to suffer because of this terrible illness. I’m willing to buy > medicine from another country if needed. > > The vet advised to test my other cat after 30 days to see how he's doing -I > have a 9 year old cat who's in perfect health-. I'm concerned now as he > shared the litter box and bowls with the FeLV positive cat for almost 48 > hours, I didn't even think about this as a risk, and now I feel terribly > guilty for placing my beloved pet in danger. If he isn't infected, then I > should look into applying him the FeLV vaccine, which is not sold in Ecuador > yet. I have to see if there are ways to purchase the vaccine in the US and > have it sent to Ecuador through a merchant. > > I want to keep the FeLV positive cat with me, as chances are no one will want > him or will take care of him the way he needs to. We have grown so fond of > him, he’s such an adorable, loving cat. I thought about dividing my apartment > so the sick cat will not have to remain confined in just one room. I can have > the cats’ alternate spaces every week, after disinfecting everything properly > with Clorox and not letting them share the same litter boxes or bowls. Do you > think this will be a good idea? > > I'm desperate and I need all the information I can get, as you are all going > through the same ordeal, sometimes with moments of happiness when we see even > a little sign of improvement. It's comforting to be able to read about your > experiences. Abelardo has his ups and downs, days when he only wants to sleep > and not be bothered, and others when he's happy and more active. He has kept > a good appetite overall, that gives me hope. > > Thanks for all your help, support and advice. I'm glad to be here. > > Michéle >
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