Re: New to FeLV
Hi Gia, I sensed a lot of love for your cats in your email. I am also new to FeLV, and have not been on this list for very long. I have one young positive little orange cat, Cotton who is new to my household and 3 established adults, one of whom has tested positive. My cats are not particularly cozy, and after much thought, I have decided that they should continue to live together as they are. I have found much comfort, guidance and acceptance in this list, and I hope that you do too. But more importantly, I'm learning every day what I can do to ensure that my cats have dietary and supplemental immune system support to go along with the most loving life I can provide. I have already seen a difference in Cotton, the young orange cat. He had quite swollen lymph nodes, and they are slowly getting smaller by the addition of L-lysine to his food. He will begin Interferon treatment soon, and as soon as some of his digestive issues resolve, I plan on switching to super premium food and perhaps other supplements. I'm very hopeful that even though he may not live for long through no fault of his own, he will have the best chance at the most quality life I can provide, as well as my other cats. I look forward to learning with you. Sandy C. and cats Cotton, Miss, Myca and Cricket
Re: Sandy ~ Sleeping Kitty
Patti, I like it even more now that I know the story behind it!
Thanks for telling me about Pee Wee and Mr. Chow. Sandy
- Original Message -
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 5:57
PM
Subject: Sandy ~ Sleeping Kitty
Sandy ~
Thanks.the kitty is one of the few things I actually enjoy,
compliments of AOL... LOL!
That little kitty looks like one of my first cats, Pee Wee. (I know,
the name..., but it fit her so well. She was the
runt in her litter & the ONLY short hair, so naturally she was
"overlooked" & I just couldn't stand it, so I took her. And when the Three
Mile Island episode hit here, I ended up getting one of her brothers, from an
earlier litter. Their "guardian", and I use that term "loosely", dumped him
& all her animals & went out to California!!! However, her loss
was my gain!)
Mr. Chow ("Mean 'Ole Mr. Chow", full name ~ who actually didn't have a
mean bone in his body), was my first cat that I lost to Felv.)
Sadly, way back then there wasn't too much known about the disease.
My darling Pee Wee ("Pee Wee T. Cat" ~ full name), lived to be
18.
Gosh, talking about them is still hard, cause it doesn't matter how much
time has passed, I miss them..
Patti
Sandy ~ Sleeping Kitty
Sandy ~
Thanks.the kitty is one of the few things I actually enjoy, compliments
of AOL... LOL!
That little kitty looks like one of my first cats, Pee Wee. (I know,
the name..., but it fit her so well. She was the runt
in her litter & the ONLY short hair, so naturally she was "overlooked" &
I just couldn't stand it, so I took her. And when the Three Mile Island episode
hit here, I ended up getting one of her brothers, from an earlier litter. Their
"guardian", and I use that term "loosely", dumped him & all her animals
& went out to California!!! However, her loss was my gain!)
Mr. Chow ("Mean 'Ole Mr. Chow", full name ~ who actually didn't have a mean
bone in his body), was my first cat that I lost to Felv.)
Sadly, way back then there wasn't too much known about the disease.
My darling Pee Wee ("Pee Wee T. Cat" ~ full name), lived to be
18.
Gosh, talking about them is still hard, cause it doesn't matter how much
time has passed, I miss them..
Patti
RE: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers!
These little furballs just steal our hearts right out from under us Congratulations Hideyo again on Garfunkle's surprising recovery!!! We are all rooting for him and for you! --- Hideyo Yamamoto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Thank you, Wendy, very much. Garfunkle actually > started eating last > night on his own! I brought the food to all the > kitties and I did not > see Garfunkle where he usually rests and I was > worried as to where he > went ---and he was right in front of me, waiting to > be fed! I cried.. > so unexpected. I know he has a long way to recover, > and this does not > guarantee anything.. but at least, I have one more > day with him that I > thought I did > > Hideyo > > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of wendy > Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 11:31 AM > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Subject: Re: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - > thank you for your > prayers! > > Hideyo, > > What a wonderful story! I can't believe Garfunkle > made it after being so sick! Wow! Your story made > me > choke up and then laugh out loud at the wonderful > turn > around. Miracles do happen and I believe in them. > Even if they don't happen for everyone, they do > happen. Your vigil and your belief in a miracle > brought him through. And I hope that everyone > reading > your post realizes not to give up until after you > just > have to. > > So happy for you and Garfunkle- > :) > Wendy > > > > __ > Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in > one click. > http://farechase.yahoo.com > > > > __ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com
RE: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers!
I meant “you are given a second chance” and not giving.. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hideyo Yamamoto Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 1:36 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers! Thank you for sharing the story of Simon – I so agree, Michelle – you must have cried so hard when he stood up all of sudden and eating and drinking… I am so glad that you had more time to spend time with Simon after such a crisis --- it’s sort of like.. you are giving a second chance to appreciate them even more.. huh? Hideyo From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 8:05 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers! Hideyo, I don't know if you were on the list when my Simon was sick, but he was so close to death that I and everyone else was sure he would die within hours-- could not even stand, had not eaten or drunk in days, jaundiced and with lymphoma not responding to chemo. I gave him steroids but they did not seem to help. I just stayed with him and held him, expecting him to die at any point. And then in the middle of the night he sat up and wanted water, and then food, and then was running around the next day and able to get more chemo and he lived another month feeling pretty good. I do not tell you this to scare you-- Garfunkel as far as I know does not have cancer so he may heal entirely and have much more than a month, God-willing. But I am telling you this because everyone thought I should euthanize him when it seemed so obvious he would die, and I am glad I didn't and he got that extra month. It really is impossible to know what will happen, and sometimes miracles do. Michelle
RE: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers!
Thank you for sharing the story of Simon – I so agree, Michelle – you must have cried so hard when he stood up all of sudden and eating and drinking… I am so glad that you had more time to spend time with Simon after such a crisis --- it’s sort of like.. you are giving a second chance to appreciate them even more.. huh? Hideyo From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 8:05 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers! Hideyo, I don't know if you were on the list when my Simon was sick, but he was so close to death that I and everyone else was sure he would die within hours-- could not even stand, had not eaten or drunk in days, jaundiced and with lymphoma not responding to chemo. I gave him steroids but they did not seem to help. I just stayed with him and held him, expecting him to die at any point. And then in the middle of the night he sat up and wanted water, and then food, and then was running around the next day and able to get more chemo and he lived another month feeling pretty good. I do not tell you this to scare you-- Garfunkel as far as I know does not have cancer so he may heal entirely and have much more than a month, God-willing. But I am telling you this because everyone thought I should euthanize him when it seemed so obvious he would die, and I am glad I didn't and he got that extra month. It really is impossible to know what will happen, and sometimes miracles do. Michelle
RE: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers!
Thank you, Wendy, very much. Garfunkle actually started eating last night on his own! I brought the food to all the kitties and I did not see Garfunkle where he usually rests and I was worried as to where he went ---and he was right in front of me, waiting to be fed! I cried.. so unexpected. I know he has a long way to recover, and this does not guarantee anything.. but at least, I have one more day with him that I thought I did Hideyo -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wendy Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 11:31 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers! Hideyo, What a wonderful story! I can't believe Garfunkle made it after being so sick! Wow! Your story made me choke up and then laugh out loud at the wonderful turn around. Miracles do happen and I believe in them. Even if they don't happen for everyone, they do happen. Your vigil and your belief in a miracle brought him through. And I hope that everyone reading your post realizes not to give up until after you just have to. So happy for you and Garfunkle- :) Wendy __ Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click. http://farechase.yahoo.com
Re: New to FeLV
First off: The FELV virus dies almost instantly in the air, so there's NO need to bleach or sanitize or even throw out anything. Common misconception that costs people lots of money for no reason. Wash with normal soap and water, let dry completely, and any feline leukemia virus on it is GONE, period, just like that. In fact, not really any need to even wash, just dry everything well with a hair dryer, just as effective at killing the FELV virus as bleach (more so, actually). Now, that being said, There is no reason to vaccinate your cats against FELV again. Like you said, they have already been exposed. The ones with weak immune systems will have already caught it, the ones with strong immune systems have already proven that they are immune to it. Giving the vaccine would be redundant and a pointless expense. HOWEVER, I DO think you should have all of your cats TESTED for FELV. The reason is this: YOU VET WAS WRONG WHEN HE TOLD YOU "NOTHING" COULD BE DONE. If any of your cats test positive, you should order Interferon, and supplement them with it ASAP. There are also other treatments listed on the website that you might also consider, such as Acemann, and supplements such as Lysine and vitamin C. It is known that it IS possible for a cat that tests positive to later test negative, giving them good immune support will help them do this! They CAN fight it off with the right care! I also strongly urge you to switch to a premium diet if you already are not feeding one. Innova, California Natural, Waltham, Royal Canin, and Wellness are a few good ones (others here can name more). Supporting your cat's immune system is the priority now, and feeding a GOOD diet with natural ingredients and solid nutrition is a CORE need. My final suggestion: GET A NEW VET. Yours is ignorant at best, and an INCOMPETENT, IGNORANT FOOL at worst. I would "fire" him so fast his head would swim! In addition, 10 FELV vaccines should not come to $465! That's an outrage! I just called my own vet, and told them your situation, and they said that yes, your vet sounds like he made some huge mistakes, and secondly, they said that if you got 10 cats vaccinated with the FELV vaccine, it would come to a total bill of $175. That's the $10 for the vaccine itself, and $7.50 for a brief combined office visit each. Even if you paid for the booster that they should have gotten 2 weeks later at the time, that would only come to $350. Lastly: You should NOT beat yourself up for rescuing that cat. You did a good thing. Yes, you made a mistake by mixing him in with your others without getting him tested for FELV first, BUT, it WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. Your vet SHOULD have informed you of the test for FELV, and suggested you get it done before adding this cat into your household. Your vet was incompetent, NOT YOU! You did a good thing, and should not blame yourself (or the cat) for anything that has happened. Mistakes happen. All you can do is call this whole disaster a learning experience, and grow from it. Take all the things you have learned and take them with you for "next time" and make the most of the experience. Afternote: Many of us have or have had mixed households, with FELV positive cats mixed in with negative cats, and have never had any of the negative cats catch FELV from them. Many of us choose to do this because the risk is so small. Test your cats. Supplement the ones that test positive. Then just live, keep it all as it is, and enjoy them all, as they are all precious, no need to separate or stress out about contagiousness. I sure hope I have helped you to see that there IS hope, and that it's not your fault this has happened to you! Jennhttp://ucat.ushttp://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.htmlAdopt a cat from UCAT rescue:http://ucat.us/adopt.html Adopt a FIV+ cat: http://ucat.us/AWrescue/FIV/Adopt a FELV+ cat:http://ucat.us/FELVadopt.html"Saving one animal won't make a difference in the world, but it will make a world of difference for that one animal."~~~I collect KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil, a 3 yr old special needs cat who must live on a liquid diet for the rest of his life.Bazil's caretaker collects labels and sends them to KMR, where they add up until she earns a free can of formula!PLEASE save your KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil! If you use KMR, even just one can, please email me for the NEW address to send them to! No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.3/173 - Release Date: 11/16/2005
Re: New to FeLV
Gia, I'm sorry for all of your misfortune, boy did your old vet let you down, he should NEVER have vaccinated without testing first, it makes no sense to vaccinate an already positive cat and I have talked with several people who have had bad experiences unknowningly vaccinating a positive cat. I would at some point get them tested if you plan on getting them vaccinated for the FeLV atleast because if there are anymore positives, I personally wouldn't vaccinate them. I do not seperate my negs ad pos, I currently only have 1 pos. and he has lived with his housemates unseperated for over 10 years and nobody has gotten it from him. I am glad to hear you have a new vet, but it still worries me that they would vaccinate without testing, sorry but this is a red flag for me that maybe they are not very knowledgable about FeLV altoghether. My guess ie Elvis had it back years ago and it just now activated. I have had positives live long lives before they got active and passed from an opportunistic disease, usually cancer or anemia. Just curious what does your vet say is wrong with Elvis?? If they said FeLV mainifesting nothing we can do I'd run as fast as I could and find an new vet who has more experience with FeLV and doesn't just write a positive cat off that gets sick. I've nursed many positives through many illnesses, BUT you have to know what is wrong with them!! -- Belinda Happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties ... http://www.bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candle Light Service http://www.bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com (affordable hosting & web design) http://HostDesign4U.com --- BMK Designs (non-profit web sites) http://bmk.bemikitties.com
RE: New to FeLV
Title: Message Dear Gia As Kat said, I'm sorry for the reason you had to find us, but welcome to the list. You won't find a more supportive/generous/kind-hearted/better FeLV-informed bunch of people anywhere---I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found this list--so you have definitely come to the right place. And bless *you* Gia for all that you do---you are clearly a very caring cat "mom", and your kitties are lucky to have found someone like you. Too many never know what it is to be loved, wanted, and cared-for. I totally understand your heartbreak and regret but please please don't beat yourself up---you simply didn't know, and you can't blame yourself for action/inaction when you literally didn't know any better. (Your vet however is a different matter---he or she should certainly have known better. It looks like you've switched vets-I hope you are happy with and able to trust your new vet. It took me a while -- really the penny didn't drop until I joined the list-- to realize that my naive belief that every vet must be, by definition, a good vet whose first priority was animal welfare, was wrong, wrong, wrong. I now have 2 vets that I do really trust.) I believe you'll find that most people mix their positives and negatives (having vaccinated their negs first). Yours have already been exposed however, so -- in my view, and you will be able to get feedback from others who mix (I don't mix--the positive kits live in my 2nd bedroom) --- there may be no point in vaccinating. Many healthy adult cats remain uninfected because their immune systems are sufficiently strong to withstand infection. Among my feral colony of 6 cats that I took in, 5 turned out to be positive (4 of them were 3-month-old kittens; one was a bit older). The 6th was an adult, and she has tested negative twice even though she continued to live with the positives (it would have been pointless as well as heartless to separate her from her buddies). I'm pretty certainly she was never vaccinated against FeLV. (She lived on the street and is still resolutely feral, so I doubt she ever had a home or anyone who cared for her.) I agree with your decision not to re-test. I feel the same--I have 3 other negative people-friendly cats, and sometimes, even though they share nothing with the positive cats, rational or not, I still worry about them becoming infected. I used to think I should have them tested when they go for their check-ups, but now I see no point. They appear healthy in every respect and if that ever changes that will be the time to do tests. Gia, re your comment>I did not know that they could been (and obviously, WERE) infected after nearly 2 years...that it could take so long for the disease to manifest itself. I thought the danger had passed ,here's an excerpt you may find helpful from The New Natural Cat--A Complete Guide for Finicky Owners, by Anitra Frazier-- it's in the Feline Leukemia section on pages 326/327 should you happen to see the book: "When a positive cat---one carrying the virus--comes into contact with a negative cat--one not carrying the virus--the negative, but exposed cat may: *not become affected in any way; *become infected (positive), develop immunity, and revert again to being negative; *become positive, but not become ill and remain positive--thus becoming a new carrier of the virus; *become positive and develop lymphosarcoma, leukemia, or other cancer; or *become positive and be ill from the virus infection, much like flu; and then recover and remain positive or become negative. A positive cat who has not developed cancer can be tested again in three months. If he has been treated by an experienced veterinary homeopath and put on a high-quality diet designed to build general health and strengthen the immune system, chances are good that he will have reverted to negative. "(my emphasis) Hope that helps.take care, Kerry -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David PrescottSent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 12:26 AMTo: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: New to FeLV Summer 2002: Finally took in stray cat that'd been hanging around for a year or so. Sweet, beautiful short-haired black kitty with yellow eyes, about 2 years old - she met the others, got along fairly well. Was absolutely IN LOVE with my husband. One Month Later: To vet for check-up, vaccinations, and spay. Passed physical. Did NOT have FeLV vaccine or test, due to my ignorance and lack of info from vet. January 2003: Had been fine up to now, but has she lost weight? Began vomiting, drooling, labored breathing. To vet immediately. Diagnosis: FeLV, pneumonia - no air capacity at all left in lungs. Humanely euthanized. Nothing from vet re: contagious nature of disease nor any questions from vet re: other cats in household, despite fact that he had spayed/neutered ALL the other
Re: New to FeLV
Gia, I am sorry to hear about your loss of the black stray kitty and sorrier to hear that your Elvis has been diagnosed with FeLV. You should not feel guilty because of your ignorance. Even the vets are somewhat mystified by FeLV as not a lot is known about the virus. You can akin FeLV to HIV. The veterinary industry only knows for sure that FeLV is spread by blood or birth. They do not know for sure that it is spread any other way, but many suspect that close contact (saliva) is another way you can spread the virus. The virus can only live outside the host for a very short period of time. If Elvis and your black kitty were close, it is possible Elvis got it that way. But if not, maybe (but not proven) through litter boxes of food/water bowls or maybe Elvis already had it from birth and it is just now manifesting itself. It would probably be very unlikely that ALL your cats have contracted FeLV from that one kitty. So many of us here have a lot of cats, but maybe only one or two who have FeLV. Many have cats that lived for years with FeLV and they never contracted it. Mine haven't, and were with my Cricket for 4 and a half years before he passed last week. Also, FYI, the FeLV vaccine is supposed to last 2-3 years, so your others are most likely ok from the first vaccine. How old is Elvis? This website was a life saver for me when Cricket was sick. He was my baby and I took his illness very hard. He was sick for 3.5 weeks before he died. Everyone here was so kind, encouraging, and best of all, informed. I hope Elvis, with proper care from you, lives a long life with FeLV. I want to encourage you to read up on all the posts you can because you will learn a lot and learn that FeLV is not an 'immediate death sentence' as many vets think it is. Let us know if you need anything. Prayers- Wendy __ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Pls Read: A miracle of Garfunkle - thank you for your prayers!
Hideyo, What a wonderful story! I can't believe Garfunkle made it after being so sick! Wow! Your story made me choke up and then laugh out loud at the wonderful turn around. Miracles do happen and I believe in them. Even if they don't happen for everyone, they do happen. Your vigil and your belief in a miracle brought him through. And I hope that everyone reading your post realizes not to give up until after you just have to. So happy for you and Garfunkle- :) Wendy __ Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click. http://farechase.yahoo.com
Re: 20 CATS...
Title: Message My hubby thought I was crazy, too, but I kept talking about it and first we put up a cheap wood framed one ... graduated to a nicer looking white vinyl frame ... then I won what I really wanted, a regular $200 professionally installed screen door! Yeah! We mounted a pleated shade which can open from top or bottom for privacy to use if visitors are staying here. With the first two we put clear lucite on the bottom panel so the other cats would not push through the screen or pass germs (important for the FeLV+). Del - Original Message - From: Dudes To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 10:11 PM Subject: Re: 20 CATS... You know, when Miss decided she was not coming out of our bedroom, I considered putting a screen door on the bedroom entrance. My husband thought that was crazy. Maybe not so much, hunh? Sandy - Original Message - From: Del H. Daniels To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 9:55 PM Subject: Re: 20 CATS... Oh, yeah, one here lived in the bedroom (screen door to the hall) for about ten months because he thought he should "take out" some of the resident kitties ... he would come out once a day when I could supervise and learned that "bad boy, go to your room" meant going back into his room ... all I had to do was say it and off he would trot and I'd close his screen door. After a while he would just sit in there even I didn't close the door. Sometimes he looked quite proud of himself for being naughty to the others and happily bounced down the hall to his room like he felt slapping them around was worth it! One day he strolled out of his room with a visibly different attitude and all was well ... has been for years now. Go figure! Maybe because I had been telling him Effie (FeLV+) needed that bedroom and he understood. Del - Original Message - From: MacKenzie, Kerry N. To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 11:14 AM Subject: RE: 20 CATS... >>>The first rule at my house is, everybody must get along. There will be harmony, or else! :). So clearly it's possible?!!Nina, do you think I could /should do this with Tiger? The trouble is, it would mean him being on his own in the bedroom while I was at work until he got the message. How long did it take Kimba to "get it"? Kerry -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of NinaSent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 11:02 AMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: 20 CATS...Sandy,That's wonderful that you persevered and allowed the kitties to work things out in their own time. How frustrating for you that must have been. The first rule at my house is, everybody must get along. There will be harmony, or else! :). I'm a bit too alpha to not intercede in squabbles, (must be the dog trainer in me). When a stray named Kimba adopted us and insisted on joining the family, we had a terrible time adjusting. You can see his picture and plea for adoption at my website: http://www.companiondogtraining.com/kimba.html Poor Kimba is socially inept and hated all cats, he got along fine with the dogs, but just couldn't seem to figure out how to be a gentleman around the adult kitties in our house. I searched for another home for him for months with no takers. In the meantime, he spent a good deal of time in the garage looking out at the rest of the family from behind a screen door. I'd let him out when I had time to supervise, and the second there was any sort of squabble, back he'd go! I kept talking to him and telling him the rules. Slowly, he started to get the idea, if he started something, he'd lose his house privileges. He so desperately wanted to be with me that it finally worked. Now if I see him stalking someone, or getting that too tense for comfort posture, all I have to do is give him a little verbal warning and he backs off. If Kimba can adjust, anybody can!Dudes wrote: Kerry, It's good and bad to know that these bedroom wars happen. What I believe happened in my case, is that my little Cricket matured to adulthood, and felt the need to assert herself. And I gave you the short version of the bedroom saga. The way things came to a head, all three cats fought in a flurry of teeth and claws. The male cat got in on the fight just because it upset him. Miss ended up with a huge abscess from an ugly bite on her abdomen, and she was very, very angry. I don't kno
Re: New to FeLV
Hi Gia, Welcome to our list - but I'm sorry you had to find us. You will learn alot from all of the members here - and we have all been in your shoes in the beginning - not knowing anything about the disease and not having very many vets offer anything more than pts (put to sleep) options. As far as exposure and spreading to your other cats goes: the statistics indicate that only a third of all cats exposed will actually succumb to the disease - a third will contract it but then fight it off, and a third will never catch it at all. The virus itself is rather fragile outside of the body - the saying "when it dries - it dies" pretty much says it all. We have members here who mix their positives and negatives, and we have people who separate them - it's really a personal choice that is made based on everyone's particular situation. We have shared enough knowledge between us, that we have been able to inform our vets of our choice of treatments and we have been able to decide if we need to find another vet who will listen to us or if we can work well with our current vets. I, personally, do not have any FeLV+ kitties anymore, but I stay because of our "community of caring" - you will not find a more responsive, compassionate, understanding and supportive group of people anywhere! Again, so sorry to welcome you here. Kat (Mew Jersey) On Thu, 17 Nov 2005, David Prescott wrote: > Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:25:49 -0600 > From: David Prescott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Subject: New to FeLV > > Summer 2002: Finally took in stray cat that'd been hanging around for a year > or so. Sweet, beautiful short-haired black kitty with yellow eyes, about 2 > years old - she met the others, got along fairly well. Was absolutely IN > LOVE with my husband. > One Month Later: To vet for check-up, vaccinations, and spay. Passed > physical. Did NOT have FeLV vaccine or test, due to my ignorance and lack of > info from vet. > January 2003: Had been fine up to now, but has she lost weight? Began > vomiting, drooling, labored breathing. To vet immediately. Diagnosis: > FeLV, pneumonia - no air capacity at all left in lungs. Humanely euthanized. > Nothing from vet re: contagious nature of disease nor any questions from > vet re: other cats in household, despite fact that he had spayed/neutered > ALL the others. > Back home. Began (finally) thinking. Called vet back. Asked about other > household cats. Devasted by info given. Immediately began shuttling other > 10 cats to vet for vaccinations. Total bill: $465.00. Told by vet to > "watch" others for about 6 months. Everything fine, until... > November 16, 2005. Elvis, big orange tabby, genius IQ, love of my life, has > lost weight. To (different) vet. Diagnosis: Feline Leukemia. Called vet > back (was at work, husband took) re: other cats. Told: "They've already > been exposed. If they have it, there's nothing we can do, anyway." > > Now that the long story, semi-short has been told...I intend to re-vaccinate > all the others immediately. If you are wondering why I didn't repeat the > vaccine in 2004, all I can tell you is that my cats have NOT been > re-exposed...that they have NEVER gone outside themselves...that my house was > sanitized top-to-bottom, including brand-new litter boxes, food and water > dishes, and bleach everywhere else. (I don't have any carpet, all linoleum > and ceramic tile, so it's easy.) > I have only one excuse: ignorance. It's only now that I have learned to > operate my computer in this very limited fashion, and only now that I see my > devastating error. I did not know that they could been (and obviously, WERE) > infected after nearly 2 years...that it could take so long for the disease to > manifest itself. I thought the danger had passed. Actually, I have no > excuse...I only have my heartbreak. > Can anyone tell me how likely it is that my others have it? Or are likely to > get it? I don't really see any point in testing; my house does not lend > itself to separation of infected/non-infected, plus the emotional toll on > some would be too much. > > Never have I regretted an act of kindness to animals...until now. > > Thanks for listening. > Gia
