Re: [Felvtalk] FELV contagious
THAT IS THE ONLY VACCINE I GET NOW AND I MAY STOP IT SINCE MY PRIDE DOES NOT GET INTO BITING FIGHTS, JUST SNARLING AND HISSING AND SWATTING. Katherine K. kaths...@gmail.com wrote: Hi Maya, I have 2 cats who have lived together for a long time. I found out one was positive. The other tested negative, so I had her vaccinated against FeLV. But, they had already been in very close contact for a long time. If you do decide to bring in a negative cat, definitely make sure he/she is vaccinated against FeLV. It is not a fool proof vaccine but it helps. However, perhaps you could find another FeLV+ friend for Merlot. You could alert volunteers and staff at your local shelters and rescues to contact you before euthanizing if one of their strays tests positive for FeLV or if they hear of any positive cats. Or keep an eye on local rescue websites. We have one in the U.S. called Craigslist where people are always dumping or rehoming their pets. I personally wouldn't want to introduce a healthy cat to my positive cat. But that's an interesting perspective about saving one from death row, and certainly something to consider. And I know others on the list have done it, without many issues. Hopefully you can find a positive friend for Merlot. I do hate to think of him being lonely! 3 Katherine On Mon, Aug 11, 2014 at 5:24 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote: So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] FELV contagious
Thanks everyone, Susan, good points on contacting local rescues. My partner doesn't seem to want to take another positive cat in (too much heartbreak maybe?), which I do understand. Your little one might test negative in six months, so don't lose hope! On Tue, Aug 12, 2014 at 12:16 AM, Susan Grimes sweet2bcota...@att.net wrote: Hi Maya, My Sophia was just diagnosed with FeLV last week. I have 7 other cats who have been living with Sophia since I saved her hours from being eu'd. She was 8 weeks old when I got her and now she is 16+ weeks old. My cats age from one to nine years old. My one year old Jacob has loved, played, and groomed Sophia from her mouth to the other end. Everyone is fixed and has had their vaccinations. My cats are 100% indoors and everyone gets along good. I plan to have Jacob tested since he has so much close contact and hopefully he will be FeLV- then everyone will get a booster just for good measure. I am praying everyone's vaccines and immune systems are working good, but no one will be isolated I will watch the older ones and treat symptomatically then test as needed. I too have been in rescue for 3 yrs and you can check with local groups and if you let them know you are looking for a + cat they will keep watch. They usually have daily contact with local shelters in large cities and will know if a + cat comes in. You can also look on Petfinders.com and can find local rescue groups too. Best of luck, Susan Sophia On Monday, August 11, 2014 4:24 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote: So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] FELV contagious
I have mixed FELV positive cats with negatives for at least 8 years and no problems. My vet said that as long as the negatives were vaccinated, all would be okay. In the last 2 years, no one has received any vaccinations and no problems. Could be that as Lance said, the adults have developed an immunity. All 4 of my cats are healthy. I lost 3 last year due to old age (17 years), not felv.. Lance lini...@fastmail.fm wrote: There are many anecdotes on the FeLV lists of negatives accidentally mixing with positives and never getting sick or testing positive. I saw this happen with several of our own cats. There are posts from guardians who mixed healthy, vaccinated negatives with positives, and the negatives stayed negative. We know that adult cats have a certain natural resistance to the virus and are less likely to be persistently infected. We do not know how strong this resistance is, and for all we know, it might vary from cat to cat. Vaccination works well. It does not prevent 100% of infections. I’ve seen 80-85% as a figure, but I’m not sure that AAFP or any other official organization has given a number. I would be comfortable mixing if the negative was a healthy adult and once the negative was vaccinated. I believe the vaccine takes a little time to kick in, too, and it might require a booster if the cat has not been previously vaccinated. Your vet will know. I would also consider using a PureVax vaccine, as it is (in theory) less likely to cause a fibrosarcoma to form at the vaccination site. Your vet will be able to tell you far more about that than I could. Best wishes for you and Merlot, Lance On Aug 11, 2014, at 4:24 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote: So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] FELV contagious
So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] FELV contagious
Hi Maya, I have 2 cats who have lived together for a long time. I found out one was positive. The other tested negative, so I had her vaccinated against FeLV. But, they had already been in very close contact for a long time. If you do decide to bring in a negative cat, definitely make sure he/she is vaccinated against FeLV. It is not a fool proof vaccine but it helps. However, perhaps you could find another FeLV+ friend for Merlot. You could alert volunteers and staff at your local shelters and rescues to contact you before euthanizing if one of their strays tests positive for FeLV or if they hear of any positive cats. Or keep an eye on local rescue websites. We have one in the U.S. called Craigslist where people are always dumping or rehoming their pets. I personally wouldn't want to introduce a healthy cat to my positive cat. But that's an interesting perspective about saving one from death row, and certainly something to consider. And I know others on the list have done it, without many issues. Hopefully you can find a positive friend for Merlot. I do hate to think of him being lonely! 3 Katherine On Mon, Aug 11, 2014 at 5:24 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote: So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] FELV contagious
There are many anecdotes on the FeLV lists of negatives accidentally mixing with positives and never getting sick or testing positive. I saw this happen with several of our own cats. There are posts from guardians who mixed healthy, vaccinated negatives with positives, and the negatives stayed negative. We know that adult cats have a certain natural resistance to the virus and are less likely to be persistently infected. We do not know how strong this resistance is, and for all we know, it might vary from cat to cat. Vaccination works well. It does not prevent 100% of infections. I’ve seen 80-85% as a figure, but I’m not sure that AAFP or any other official organization has given a number. I would be comfortable mixing if the negative was a healthy adult and once the negative was vaccinated. I believe the vaccine takes a little time to kick in, too, and it might require a booster if the cat has not been previously vaccinated. Your vet will know. I would also consider using a PureVax vaccine, as it is (in theory) less likely to cause a fibrosarcoma to form at the vaccination site. Your vet will be able to tell you far more about that than I could. Best wishes for you and Merlot, Lance On Aug 11, 2014, at 4:24 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote: So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] FELV contagious
Hi Maya, My Sophia was just diagnosed with FeLV last week. I have 7 other cats who have been living with Sophia since I saved her hours from being eu'd. She was 8 weeks old when I got her and now she is 16+ weeks old. My cats age from one to nine years old. My one year old Jacob has loved, played, and groomed Sophia from her mouth to the other end. Everyone is fixed and has had their vaccinations. My cats are 100% indoors and everyone gets along good. I plan to have Jacob tested since he has so much close contact and hopefully he will be FeLV- then everyone will get a booster just for good measure. I am praying everyone's vaccines and immune systems are working good, but no one will be isolated I will watch the older ones and treat symptomatically then test as needed. I too have been in rescue for 3 yrs and you can check with local groups and if you let them know you are looking for a + cat they will keep watch. They usually have daily contact with local shelters in large cities and will know if a + cat comes in. You can also look on Petfinders.com and can find local rescue groups too. Best of luck, Susan Sophia On Monday, August 11, 2014 4:24 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote: So, my one cat Merlot is clearly lonely. He is used to being second in command to our cat Yang who passed away. I work with a cat rescue, and the cats there all live communally until they are adopted (with a quarantine area for cats on meds/who are really sick). She thinks that there isn't much of a problem with bringing another cat in to the house, as long as the other cat is not immune compromised, etc. This contrasts with what my vet says - no other cat contact. I'm not sure who to believe here. Obviously FELV is contagious, and it is passed from cat to cat. The chance of that increases with increased contact, but the lady made it seem that for the 20 years she's been running the place she has only had a handful of FELV+ cats, none of them died from it, and she had a 19 year old cat who had lived with all of them test negative for FELV recently. I can't imagine being responsible for exposing another cat to the virus and getting them sick, but I also feel bad for Merlot who is lonely. I was thining maybe I would consider (in six months or so), trying to take in a cat who was not going to find another home. ie. an older cat, or a cat from a society that they were about to put down. What do you guys think / what has your vet said to you about this? -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
