subject:"RE\: Help"

I second this.  You say she stayed away from the others pretty much, and
FeLV is pretty hard to catch casually.  And when you do have the others
tested:
 
Please ask your vets BEFORE you take the others in for tests what their
philosophy is on treating FeLV+ or FIV+ cats.  If they routinely
euthanise asymptomatic kitties, you may want to find another vet who is
more enlightened.  Do NOT let the vet euthanize anykitty just because it
tests positive.  There's a huge possibility for false positives with the
in-office test, and aside from that, otherwise healthy FeLV+ cats can
live long happy lives.  
 
It sounds as though the one you lost was starting to get sick, and
possibly the stress of the surgery moved things along.  It sounds to me
like the vet did stuff in the wrong order, actually.  You would think
they'd have done the non-invasive tests first, and maybe an ultrasound,
before doing the invasive stuff.
 
I'm sorry for your loss.  Gentle Bridge vibes to her.  You sound like
great catparents.
 
Diane R.



From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kelley Saveika
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 10:59 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed


Hi Debbie,
 
I would check around with other places in your area to see if you can
find the tests cheaper.   I can get a combo test here for $16 per cat,
which would be way less than $1,000.  
 
At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to test all of them.  They
have been together and likely either have it or they don't (most likely
not).
 
On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 

The cats were all spayed and neutered and had all shots except
the feline leukemia. They have been to the vet yearly or whenever
needed. We aquired so many at once we could not afford the testing and
shots. A lady I worked with found 3 kittens in a dumpster, 2 weeks later
4 more - we bottle raised all of them and they all lived. At that same
time a stray came in winter and had 4 babies. They all lived also. A
month after this we took a trip 500 miles away and found 2 kittens
starving in a field in  the middle of nowhere. We brought them back.
These were tested (not sure why vet decided this) and they were ok at
that time. All the cats got along and seldon fought. If they did it was
not the biting, scratching, etc... Soon after that a cat roamed up at a
barbeque we had. She was young and in heat. We did not want her to get
pregnant and she stayed so we brought her in. She was a very shy cat.
She liked attention but seldom went near the others. Her eyes, nose, and
mouth were clear (no discharge). A few weeks ago she started throwing
up. We took her to the vet. She had nver been seriously ill (none have).
They are all around 4 yrs, old now. Anyhow the vet said something was
probably stuck in her intestines so they operated. All they found was
enlarged lymph nodes. They did a biopsy and said they were not
cancerous. She started doing better but then it was hard to get her to
eat. We took her back in and they said her lungs had fluid in them. They
drained it off. After all of this they came back and said she tested
postive for leukemia. They recommended putting her to sleep. 
Now we have a nightmare. We have all the others, plus just paid
out $700.00 for a cat that they ended up putting down. Don't know if the
operation threw her into it all or what.
We are going to have the others tested but it will be over
$1000.00. We feel awful. If you don't have the money though it isn't
always as some people think to keep up with everything. 


 


-Original Message- 
From: Kelley Saveika 
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:25 AM 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Subject: Re: Help needed 

I don't think anyone can give you odds on that.  I would
say it would be unlikely that they will all be positive and quite
possible that none will be positive.  If there is anything I have
learned from this list it is that FELV is pretty hard to catch.  Were
any of the cats vaccinated against FELV? 


On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED]  wrote: 

What are the odds of having 15 cats and one
tests postive - will the others all be postive? These are cats that are
strictly indoors now in a 1200 square foot house. The infected cat was
not outwardly sick and di not socialize with the other cats, however
they used same litter boxes and ate from same dishes. 
Any help would be greatly appreciated. All cats
are close to same age, different litters, aquired at the same time.






-- 
Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. 

http://www.rescuties.org http://www.rescuties.org

Re: Help needed

2007-02-26 Thread Kelley Saveika


I think it is pretty likely they won't test positive - the disease is pretty
hard to spread in adult cats.

Opinions vary on this list about mixing positive and negative.  In this
case, my opinion would be if they have been together this long why separate
them now?   But they aren't my cats, so you need to make a decision you feel
comfortable with.

I'm sorry for the loss of your cat.


On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:


 the price is for what they call a snap test, a vaccination, and a booster
in a few weeks. This was the cheapest vet in a tri county area. We live in
Ohio.
do you really think there is a possibility that they won't test possitive?
If some do and some don't do they need separated, if vaccinated?




-Original Message-
From: Kelley Saveika
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

Hi Debbie,

I would check around with other places in your area to see if you can find
the tests cheaper.   I can get a combo test here for $16 per cat, which
would be way less than $1,000.

At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to test all of them.  They
have been together and likely either have it or they don't (most likely
not).

On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

  The cats were all spayed and neutered and had all shots except the
 feline leukemia. They have been to the vet yearly or whenever needed. We
 aquired so many at once we could not afford the testing and shots. A lady I
 worked with found 3 kittens in a dumpster, 2 weeks later 4 more - we bottle
 raised all of them and they all lived. At that same time a stray came in
 winter and had 4 babies. They all lived also. A month after this we took a
 trip 500 miles away and found 2 kittens starving in a field in  the middle
 of nowhere. We brought them back. These were tested (not sure why vet
 decided this) and they were ok at that time. All the cats got along and
 seldon fought. If they did it was not the biting, scratching, etc... Soon
 after that a cat roamed up at a barbeque we had. She was young and in heat.
 We did not want her to get pregnant and she stayed so we brought her in. She
 was a very shy cat. She liked attention but seldom went near the others. Her
 eyes, nose, and mouth were clear (no discharge). A few weeks ago she started
 throwing up. We took her to the vet. She had nver been seriously ill (none
 have). They are all around 4 yrs, old now. Anyhow the vet said something was
 probably stuck in her intestines so they operated. All they found was
 enlarged lymph nodes. They did a biopsy and said they were not cancerous.
 She started doing better but then it was hard to get her to eat. We took her
 back in and they said her lungs had fluid in them. They drained it off.
 After all of this they came back and said she tested postive for leukemia.
 They recommended putting her to sleep.
 Now we have a nightmare. We have all the others, plus just paid out
 $700.00 for a cat that they ended up putting down. Don't know if the
 operation threw her into it all or what.
 We are going to have the others tested but it will be over $1000.00. We
 feel awful. If you don't have the money though it isn't always as some
 people think to keep up with everything.




 -Original Message-
 From: Kelley Saveika
 Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:25 AM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: Help needed

 I don't think anyone can give you odds on that.  I would say it would be
 unlikely that they will all be positive and quite possible that none will be
 positive.  If there is anything I have learned from this list it is that
 FELV is pretty hard to catch.  Were any of the cats vaccinated against FELV?


 On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED]  wrote:
 
  What are the odds of having 15 cats and one tests postive - will the
  others all be postive? These are cats that are strictly indoors now in a
  1200 square foot house. The infected cat was not outwardly sick and di not
  socialize with the other cats, however they used same litter boxes and ate
  from same dishes.
  Any help would be greatly appreciated. All cats are close to same age,
  different litters, aquired at the same time.
 
 


 --
 Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time.

 http://www.rescuties.org

 Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!

 http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20




--
Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time.

http://www.rescuties.org

Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!

http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20





--
Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time.

http://www.rescuties.org

Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!

http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20

RE: Help needed

If they all *seem* healthy now, chances are that most if not all of them
*are* healthy.  I'm assuming the girl who got sick already had FeLV when
she came to you and has been asymptomatic up till now (i.e. that there's
not a source among your other cats from whom she could have caught it).
I hope this is the case.  Many listmembers will tell you that they mix
positive and negative cats without the disease spreading, and I believe
some of these aren't even vaccinated.  The vaccine is a further safety
net of course -- if vaccinated, your negative kitties should remain
negative even mixed with the positives.
 
Oh -- I forgot to mention in my other post just now that you should
always insist on a retest (in a few months) with the IFA test.  This
test has to be sent out to a lab for processing, but is more reliable
than the in-office (Snap or ELISA) test.
 
Diane R.



From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Debbie
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 11:07 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed


the price is for what they call a snap test, a vaccination, and a
booster in a few weeks. This was the cheapest vet in a tri county area.
We live in Ohio. 
do you really think there is a possibility that they won't test
possitive? If some do and some don't do they need separated, if
vaccinated?


 

-Original Message- 
From: Kelley Saveika 
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Subject: Re: Help needed 


Hi Debbie,
 
I would check around with other places in your area to see if
you can find the tests cheaper.   I can get a combo test here for $16
per cat, which would be way less than $1,000.  
 
At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to test all of them.
They have been together and likely either have it or they don't (most
likely not).
 
On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 

The cats were all spayed and neutered and had all shots
except the feline leukemia. They have been to the vet yearly or whenever
needed. We aquired so many at once we could not afford the testing and
shots. A lady I worked with found 3 kittens in a dumpster, 2 weeks later
4 more - we bottle raised all of them and they all lived. At that same
time a stray came in winter and had 4 babies. They all lived also. A
month after this we took a trip 500 miles away and found 2 kittens
starving in a field in  the middle of nowhere. We brought them back.
These were tested (not sure why vet decided this) and they were ok at
that time. All the cats got along and seldon fought. If they did it was
not the biting, scratching, etc... Soon after that a cat roamed up at a
barbeque we had. She was young and in heat. We did not want her to get
pregnant and she stayed so we brought her in. She was a very shy cat.
She liked attention but seldom went near the others. Her eyes, nose, and
mouth were clear (no discharge). A few weeks ago she started throwing
up. We took her to the vet. She had nver been seriously ill (none have).
They are all around 4 yrs, old now. Anyhow the vet said something was
probably stuck in her intestines so they operated. All they found was
enlarged lymph nodes. They did a biopsy and said they were not
cancerous. She started doing better but then it was hard to get her to
eat. We took her back in and they said her lungs had fluid in them. They
drained it off. After all of this they came back and said she tested
postive for leukemia. They recommended putting her to sleep. 
Now we have a nightmare. We have all the others, plus
just paid out $700.00 for a cat that they ended up putting down. Don't
know if the operation threw her into it all or what.
We are going to have the others tested but it will be
over $1000.00. We feel awful. If you don't have the money though it
isn't always as some people think to keep up with everything. 


 


-Original Message- 
From: Kelley Saveika 
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:25 AM 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Subject: Re: Help needed 

I don't think anyone can give you odds on that.
I would say it would be unlikely that they will all be positive and
quite possible that none will be positive.  If there is anything I have
learned from this list it is that FELV is pretty hard to catch.  Were
any of the cats vaccinated against FELV? 


On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
wrote: 

What are the odds of having 15 cats and
one tests postive - will the others all be postive? These are cats that
are strictly indoors now

Re: Help needed

2007-02-26 Thread TenHouseCats


have to agree with what the majority have said--by now, the others have all
been exposed anyway, and since 70% of healthy, adult cats can be exposed and
throw the virus off, the odds that your menagerie is mostly safe if high. as
far as i know, once a cat has been exposed and has thrown off the virus,
further exposure isn't going to  affect it, so even if some ARE positive,
the others aren't going to re-catch it, and separating out any positives
now is sort of locking the barn door after etc.  i'd only really worry about
any new cats brought into the house, and if i were going to actually test,
i'd probably only test the high-risk populations, if any: the very young,
the very old, and the otherwise health/immune-compromised. i DID test
everyone almost seven years ago when a cat who'd lived with us, who had
tested negative, died from FeLV, and everyone who'd lived with her tested
negative, including some kittens and elders (high risk)--my vet recommended,
at that time, that i not bother retesting until someone became
symptomatic. no one ever has, and i've never retested.

MC

On 2/26/07, Rosenfeldt, Diane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:


 If they all *seem* healthy now, chances are that most if not all of them
*are* healthy.  I'm assuming the girl who got sick already had FeLV when she
came to you and has been asymptomatic up till now (i.e. that there's not a
source among your other cats from whom she could have caught it).  I hope
this is the case.  Many listmembers will tell you that they mix positive and
negative cats without the disease spreading, and I believe some of these
aren't even vaccinated.  The vaccine is a further safety net of course -- if
vaccinated, your negative kitties should remain negative even mixed with the
positives.

Oh -- I forgot to mention in my other post just now that you should always
insist on a retest (in a few months) with the IFA test.  This test has to be
sent out to a lab for processing, but is more reliable than the in-office
(Snap or ELISA) test.

Diane R.

 --
*From:* [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] *On Behalf Of *Debbie
*Sent:* Monday, February 26, 2007 11:07 AM
*To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
*Subject:* Re: Help needed

 the price is for what they call a snap test, a vaccination, and a booster
in a few weeks. This was the cheapest vet in a tri county area. We live in
Ohio.
do you really think there is a possibility that they won't test possitive?
If some do and some don't do they need separated, if vaccinated?




-Original Message-
From: Kelley Saveika
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

Hi Debbie,

I would check around with other places in your area to see if you can find
the tests cheaper.   I can get a combo test here for $16 per cat, which
would be way less than $1,000.

At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to test all of them.  They
have been together and likely either have it or they don't (most likely
not).

On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

  The cats were all spayed and neutered and had all shots except the
 feline leukemia. They have been to the vet yearly or whenever needed. We
 aquired so many at once we could not afford the testing and shots. A lady I
 worked with found 3 kittens in a dumpster, 2 weeks later 4 more - we bottle
 raised all of them and they all lived. At that same time a stray came in
 winter and had 4 babies. They all lived also. A month after this we took a
 trip 500 miles away and found 2 kittens starving in a field in  the middle
 of nowhere. We brought them back. These were tested (not sure why vet
 decided this) and they were ok at that time. All the cats got along and
 seldon fought. If they did it was not the biting, scratching, etc... Soon
 after that a cat roamed up at a barbeque we had. She was young and in heat.
 We did not want her to get pregnant and she stayed so we brought her in. She
 was a very shy cat. She liked attention but seldom went near the others. Her
 eyes, nose, and mouth were clear (no discharge). A few weeks ago she started
 throwing up. We took her to the vet. She had nver been seriously ill (none
 have). They are all around 4 yrs, old now. Anyhow the vet said something was
 probably stuck in her intestines so they operated. All they found was
 enlarged lymph nodes. They did a biopsy and said they were not cancerous.
 She started doing better but then it was hard to get her to eat. We took her
 back in and they said her lungs had fluid in them. They drained it off.
 After all of this they came back and said she tested postive for leukemia.
 They recommended putting her to sleep.
 Now we have a nightmare. We have all the others, plus just paid out
 $700.00 for a cat that they ended up putting down. Don't know if the
 operation threw her into it all or what.
 We are going to have the others tested but it will be over $1000.00. We
 feel awful. If you don't have the money though it isn't always

Re: Help needed

I personally thought that the operation was a bit extreme for vomiting, but 2 vets were in agreement. They x rayed her and saw just like a fuzzy mass in her intestines that they thought was something stuck. We brought her home after the operation and she had stopped vomiting. Her name was Elsa. She was such a good kitty. I just couldn't get her to eat at the last so we called the vet. They asked then if she had had a leukemia test. I had told them no in the beginning. That's when they ran it and said it was possitive. We went ahead and agreed to put her to sleep because the vet said she thought the fluid would just come back on her lungs.
We have been heartbroken on all of this. A few months ago we found two other cats. One had been injured by farm equiment and ended up dying. The other was so diseased and debilitated that they put him down. My husband and I both cried over these and they weren't even ours.
We have tried to help and now I wonder if we just made matters worse.
-Original Message- From: Kelley Saveika <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Sent: Feb 26, 2007 12:22 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Help needed
I think it is pretty likely they won't test positive - the disease is pretty hard to spread in adult cats.

Opinions vary on this list about mixing positive and negative. In this case, my opinion would be if they have been together this long why separate them now? But they aren't my cats, so you need to make a decision you feel comfortable with.

I'm sorry for the loss of your cat.
On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

-Original Message- From: Kelley Saveika
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Help needed
Hi Debbie,

On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

Re: Help needed



all of our cats are within 3 1/2 to 4 yr. group, so no one is elderly. We have one cat that had problems with urinary tract crystals, 2 with hormone problems (loss of hair by tail), and only one that is what I would call thin. They all run, jump, play, eat well, and like I said they have all their other vaccinations. 

Does the group feel like a snap test is accurate at all? If we have them tested can I know that a negative is truly a negative? I doubt we will be able to retest everyone if we test all 14 now. 
How do you think a vet should approach this sort of thing? I live in a rural community so our vets are more than likely not exceptionally qualified on feline leukemia. No insult intened.


-Original Message- From: TenHouseCats <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Sent: Feb 26, 2007 12:35 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Help needed have to agree with what the majority have said--by now, the others have all been exposed anyway, and since 70% of healthy, adult cats can be exposed and throw the virus off, the odds that your menagerie is mostly safe if high. as far as i know, once a cat has been exposed and has thrown off the virus, further exposure isn't going to affect it, so even if some ARE positive, the others aren't going to "re-catch" it, and separating out any positives now is sort of locking the barn door after etc. i'd only really worry about any new cats brought into the house, and if i were going to actually test, i'd probably only test the high-risk populations, if any: the very young, the very old, and the otherwise health/immune-compromised. i DID test everyone almost seven years ago when a cat who'd lived with us, who had tested negative, died from FeLV, and everyone who'd lived with her tested negative, including some kittens and elders (high risk)--my vet recommended, at that time, that i not bother retesting until someone became symptomatic. no one ever has, and i've never retested. MC
On 2/26/07, Rosenfeldt, Diane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:


If they all *seem* healthy now, chances are that most if not all of them *are* healthy. I'm assuming the girl who got sick already had FeLV when she came to you and has been asymptomatic up till now (i.e. that there's not a source among your other cats from whom she could have caught it). I hope this is the case. Many listmembers will tell you that they mix positive and negative cats without the disease spreading, and I believe some of these aren't even vaccinated. The vaccine is a further safety net of course -- if vaccinated, your negative kitties should remain negative even mixed with the positives.

Oh -- I forgot to mention in my other post just now that you should always insist on a retest (in a few months) with the IFA test. This test has to be sent out to a lab for processing, but is more reliable than the in-office (Snap or ELISA) test.

Diane R.


From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of DebbieSent: Monday, February 26, 2007 11:07 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Help needed


the price is for what they call a snap test, a vaccination, and a booster in a few weeks. This was the cheapest vet in a tri county area. We live in Ohio. do you really think there is a possibility that they won't test possitive? If some do and some don't do they need separated, if vaccinated?

-Original Message- From: Kelley Saveika Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Help needed 
Hi Debbie,

I would check around with other places in your area to see if you can find the tests cheaper. I can get a combo test here for $16 per cat, which would be way less than $1,000. 
At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to test all of them. They have been together and likely either have it or they don't (most likely not).

On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 


The cats were all spayed and neutered and had all shots except the feline leukemia. They have been to the vet yearly or whenever needed. We aquired so many at once we could not afford the testing and shots. A lady I worked with found 3 kittens in a dumpster, 2 weeks later 4 more - we bottle raised all of them and they all lived. At that same time a stray came in winter and had 4 babies. They all lived also. A month after this we took a trip 500 miles away and found 2 kittens starving in a field in the middle of nowhere. We brought them back. These were tested (not sure why vet decided this) and they were ok at that time. All the cats got along and seldon fought. If they did it was not the biting, scratching, etc... Soon after that a cat roamed up at a barbeque we had. She was young and in heat. We did not want her to get pregnant and she stayed so we brought her in. She was a very shy cat. She liked attention but seldom went near the others. Her eyes, nose, and mouth were clear (no discharge). A few weeks ago she started throwing up. We took her to the vet. She had nver been seriously ill (none hav

RE: Help needed

Bless you for trying to help these babies.  Sometimes all you can do is
provide comfort and caring at the last.  Elsa was lucky to have you.
 
Diane R.



From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Debbie
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 11:41 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed




I personally thought that the operation was a bit extreme for vomiting,
but 2 vets were in agreement. They x rayed her and saw just like a fuzzy
mass in her intestines that they thought was something stuck. We brought
her home after the operation and she had stopped vomiting. Her name was
Elsa. She was such a good kitty. I just couldn't get her to eat at the
last so we called the vet. They asked then if she had had a leukemia
test. I had told them no in the beginning. That's when they ran it and
said it was possitive. We went ahead and agreed to put her to sleep
because the vet said she thought the fluid would just come back on her
lungs. 
We have been heartbroken on all of this. A few months ago we found two
other cats. One had been injured by farm equiment and ended up dying.
The other was so diseased and debilitated that they put him down. My
husband and I both cried over these and they weren't even ours. 
We have tried to help and now I wonder if we just made matters worse. 


-Original Message- 
From: Kelley Saveika 
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 12:22 PM 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Subject: Re: Help needed 


I think it is pretty likely they won't test positive - the
disease is pretty hard to spread in adult cats.
 
Opinions vary on this list about mixing positive and negative.
In this case, my opinion would be if they have been together this long
why separate them now?   But they aren't my cats, so you need to make a
decision you feel comfortable with. 
 
I'm sorry for the loss of your cat.

 
On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 

the price is for what they call a snap test, a
vaccination, and a booster in a few weeks. This was the cheapest vet in
a tri county area. We live in Ohio. 
do you really think there is a possibility that they
won't test possitive? If some do and some don't do they need separated,
if vaccinated? 


 

-Original Message- 
From: Kelley Saveika 

Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Subject: Re: Help needed 


Hi Debbie,
 
I would check around with other places in your
area to see if you can find the tests cheaper.   I can get a combo test
here for $16 per cat, which would be way less than $1,000.  
 
At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to
test all of them.  They have been together and likely either have it or
they don't (most likely not).
 
On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
wrote: 

The cats were all spayed and neutered
and had all shots except the feline leukemia. They have been to the vet
yearly or whenever needed. We aquired so many at once we could not
afford the testing and shots. A lady I worked with found 3 kittens in a
dumpster, 2 weeks later 4 more - we bottle raised all of them and they
all lived. At that same time a stray came in winter and had 4 babies.
They all lived also. A month after this we took a trip 500 miles away
and found 2 kittens starving in a field in  the middle of nowhere. We
brought them back. These were tested (not sure why vet decided this) and
they were ok at that time. All the cats got along and seldon fought. If
they did it was not the biting, scratching, etc... Soon after that a cat
roamed up at a barbeque we had. She was young and in heat. We did not
want her to get pregnant and she stayed so we brought her in. She was a
very shy cat. She liked attention but seldom went near the others. Her
eyes, nose, and mouth were clear (no discharge). A few weeks ago she
started throwing up. We took her to the vet. She had nver been seriously
ill (none have). They are all around 4 yrs, old now. Anyhow the vet said
something was probably stuck in her intestines so they operated. All
they found was enlarged lymph nodes. They did a biopsy and said they
were not cancerous. She started doing better but then it was hard to get
her to eat. We took her back in and they said her lungs had fluid in
them. They drained it off. After all of this they came back and said she
tested postive for leukemia. They recommended putting her to sleep. 
Now we have a nightmare. We have all

Re: Help needed

It depends on their ages.  Kittens have a much harder
time throwing off the virus if exposed-about a 40%
chance they will test positive for it after 6 months. 
Within that time frame, they can be in the process of
throwing it off, but after that, if they are still
testing positive, it's more likely they won't throw it
off, but not impossible.  We've had cats here prove
that.  Kittens born with their mother's positive
antibodies have the same chance of fighting it off. 
Older cats are much less likely to catch it.  From
what I have seen here, only less than about 3%, if
that, of adult cats actually contract FeLV from
another cat they live with, and since there wasn't
much contact between yours, it's highly unlikely any
of them contracted it.  Fighting (blood/saliva
transfer) is a big cause of adult transmission, from
what I've seen.  I have three cats that never caught
FeLV from the 4th after living with him for 4 years
and using the same food and litter boxes.  We didn't
know he was FeLV+ for a long time.  They are all
negative.  Hope this helps.

:)
Wendy


--- Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 What are the odds of having 15 cats and one tests
 postive - will the others all be postive? These are
 cats that are strictly indoors now in a 1200 square
 foot house. The infected cat was not outwardly sick
 and di not socialize with the other cats, however
 they used same litter boxes and ate from same
 dishes. 
 Any help would be greatly appreciated. All cats are
 close to same age, different litters, aquired at the
 same time.
 
 



 

Get your own web address.  
Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/?p=BESTDEAL

Re: Help needed

2007-02-26 Thread TenHouseCats


http://ucat.us/FELVFIVFIP.html

play out the wonderful articles on FeLV that phaewyrn has collected on the
above page, and sit down with your vet and go over them. believe us, it
doesn't matter what size city you're in, there are good and bad vets
everywhere--what matters is if they are willing to learn for so long,
the treatment of choice for FeLV was euthanasia, so too many vets just
stopped bothering to find out if that had changed

you gave elsa love and warmth, and a home--that can only be a good thing.

MC

On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:


 all of our cats are within 3 1/2 to 4 yr. group, so no one is elderly. We
have one cat that had problems with urinary tract crystals, 2 with hormone
problems (loss of hair by tail), and only one that is what I would call
thin. They all run, jump, play, eat well, and like I said they have all
their other vaccinations.

Does the group feel like a snap test is accurate at all? If we have them
tested can I know that a negative is truly a negative? I doubt we will be
able to retest everyone if we test all 14 now.
How do you think a vet should approach this sort of thing? I live in a
rural community so our vets are more than likely not exceptionally qualified
on feline leukemia. No insult intened.






-Original Message-
From: TenHouseCats
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 12:35 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

have to agree with what the majority have said--by now, the others have
all been exposed anyway, and since 70% of healthy, adult cats can be exposed
and throw the virus off, the odds that your menagerie is mostly safe if
high. as far as i know, once a cat has been exposed and has thrown off the
virus, further exposure isn't going to  affect it, so even if some ARE
positive, the others aren't going to re-catch it, and separating out any
positives now is sort of locking the barn door after etc.  i'd only really
worry about any new cats brought into the house, and if i were going to
actually test, i'd probably only test the high-risk populations, if any: the
very young, the very old, and the otherwise health/immune-compromised. i DID
test everyone almost seven years ago when a cat who'd lived with us, who had
tested negative, died from FeLV, and everyone who'd lived with her tested
negative, including some kittens and elders (high risk)--my vet recommended,
at that time, that i not bother retesting until someone became
symptomatic. no one ever has, and i've never retested.

MC

On 2/26/07, Rosenfeldt, Diane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

  If they all *seem* healthy now, chances are that most if not all of
 them *are* healthy.  I'm assuming the girl who got sick already had FeLV
 when she came to you and has been asymptomatic up till now (i.e. that
 there's not a source among your other cats from whom she could have caught
 it).  I hope this is the case.  Many listmembers will tell you that they mix
 positive and negative cats without the disease spreading, and I believe some
 of these aren't even vaccinated.  The vaccine is a further safety net of
 course -- if vaccinated, your negative kitties should remain negative even
 mixed with the positives.

 Oh -- I forgot to mention in my other post just now that you should
 always insist on a retest (in a few months) with the IFA test.  This test
 has to be sent out to a lab for processing, but is more reliable than the
 in-office (Snap or ELISA) test.

 Diane R.

  --
 *From:* [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:
 [EMAIL PROTECTED] *On Behalf Of *Debbie
 *Sent:* Monday, February 26, 2007 11:07 AM
 *To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 *Subject:* Re: Help needed

  the price is for what they call a snap test, a vaccination, and a
 booster in a few weeks. This was the cheapest vet in a tri county area. We
 live in Ohio.
 do you really think there is a possibility that they won't test
 possitive? If some do and some don't do they need separated, if vaccinated?




 -Original Message-
 From: Kelley Saveika
 Sent: Feb 26, 2007 11:59 AM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: Help needed

 Hi Debbie,

 I would check around with other places in your area to see if you can
 find the tests cheaper.   I can get a combo test here for $16 per cat, which
 would be way less than $1,000.

 At this point I'm not sure I'd be in a rush to test all of them.  They
 have been together and likely either have it or they don't (most likely
 not).

 On 2/26/07, Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 
   The cats were all spayed and neutered and had all shots except the
  feline leukemia. They have been to the vet yearly or whenever needed. We
  aquired so many at once we could not afford the testing and shots. A lady I
  worked with found 3 kittens in a dumpster, 2 weeks later 4 more - we bottle
  raised all of them and they all lived. At that same time a stray came in
  winter and had 4 babies. They all lived also. A month after this we took a
  trip 500 miles away and found 2

RE: Help needed

It's sort of amazing how widely vets' philosophies can differ, even
within the same practice.  Old School is to automatically euthanize,
sometimes without even asking the owner's permission, which is why it's
important to ask your vet *up front* what their procedures are, so you
don't end up with unnecessary losses without even knowing it till it's
too late.  People on this list have also printed off the tons of good
info on the website and brought it to their vets to read, and it has
resulted in more knowledgeable and open-minded vets.  Any good vet
should be willing to learn and adapt.  Your rural vet may not be up to
speed on all the issues, but a couple of forward-looking articles on
current FeLV prognosis and treatment might help them progress.
 
I think there can be false negatives as well as false positives under
certain circumstances, though the latter are far more prevalent.  As far
as retesting, only the cats that test positive need to be retested.  And
probably you should wait until after any retests to vaccinate, should
you decide to vaccinate, since vaccinating an already positive cat isn't
good.  Chances are that if they've all mingled this long, nobody will be
*further* infected during this waiting period.
 
I thought MC's suggestions were really good -- your present group is
stable and not at particular immunological risk, so hold off on testing
unless someone else starts showing symptoms, but make sure to have any
new additions tested to make sure you're not releasing a wolf among the
sheep, or pigeons, or whatever that saying is.  Best of luck and thanks
for caring so much.
 
Diane R. 



From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Debbie
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 11:51 AM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed


all of our cats are within 3 1/2 to 4 yr. group, so no one is elderly.
We have one cat that had problems with urinary tract crystals, 2 with
hormone problems (loss of hair by tail), and only one that is what I
would call thin. They all run, jump, play, eat well, and like I said
they have all their other vaccinations. 
 
Does the group feel like a snap test is accurate at all? If we have them
tested can I know that a negative is truly a negative? I doubt we will
be able to retest everyone if we test all 14 now. 
How do you think a vet should approach this sort of thing? I live in a
rural community so our vets are more than likely not exceptionally
qualified on feline leukemia. No insult intened.
 



 

-Original Message- 
From: TenHouseCats 
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 12:35 PM 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Subject: Re: Help needed 

have to agree with what the majority have said--by now, the
others have all been exposed anyway, and since 70% of healthy, adult
cats can be exposed and throw the virus off, the odds that your
menagerie is mostly safe if high. as far as i know, once a cat has been
exposed and has thrown off the virus, further exposure isn't going to
affect it, so even if some ARE positive, the others aren't going to
re-catch it, and separating out any positives now is sort of locking
the barn door after etc.  i'd only really worry about any new cats
brought into the house, and if i were going to actually test, i'd
probably only test the high-risk populations, if any: the very young,
the very old, and the otherwise health/immune-compromised. i DID test
everyone almost seven years ago when a cat who'd lived with us, who had
tested negative, died from FeLV, and everyone who'd lived with her
tested negative, including some kittens and elders (high risk)--my vet
recommended, at that time, that i not bother retesting until someone
became symptomatic. no one ever has, and i've never retested. 

MC
 

On 2/26/07, Rosenfeldt, Diane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 

If they all *seem* healthy now, chances are that most if
not all of them *are* healthy.  I'm assuming the girl who got sick
already had FeLV when she came to you and has been asymptomatic up till
now (i.e. that there's not a source among your other cats from whom she
could have caught it).  I hope this is the case.  Many listmembers will
tell you that they mix positive and negative cats without the disease
spreading, and I believe some of these aren't even vaccinated.  The
vaccine is a further safety net of course -- if vaccinated, your
negative kitties should remain negative even mixed with the positives.
 
Oh -- I forgot to mention in my other post just now that
you should always insist on a retest (in a few months) with the IFA
test.  This test has to be sent out to a lab for processing, but is more
reliable than the in-office (Snap or ELISA) test.
 
Diane R.



From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED

Re: Help needed

Hi Debbie,

It sounds like you and your husband are doing and have
done everything you can.  That's all anyone can ask
for.  Don't be so hard on yourself; you've taken a lot
on.  I agree that printing off information and taking
it to your vet would be wise, although since it's so
expensive there, you might look into low cost clinics
that are the closest.  Most likely they will be
located in the more densely populated cities, like
Cincinnati, etc.  That would probably save you quite a
bit of money and the clinic might be willing to work
with you pricewise since you have so many (ie. only
charging for one office visit instead of 15, etc.). 
Your current vet should also be willing to work with
you pricewise.  If not, I'd start looking elsewhere. 
Definitely do not allow any pts.  That is an old
school practice.  

:)
Wendy


 

Now that's room service!  Choose from over 150,000 hotels
in 45,000 destinations on Yahoo! Travel to find your fit.
http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097

Re: Help needed

what does the pts stand for?

Definitely do not allow any pts. 

-Original Message-
From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 1:33 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

Hi Debbie,

It sounds like you and your husband are doing and have
done everything you can.  That's all anyone can ask
for.  Don't be so hard on yourself; you've taken a lot
on.  I agree that printing off information and taking
it to your vet would be wise, although since it's so
expensive there, you might look into low cost clinics
that are the closest.  Most likely they will be
located in the more densely populated cities, like
Cincinnati, etc.  That would probably save you quite a
bit of money and the clinic might be willing to work
with you pricewise since you have so many (ie. only
charging for one office visit instead of 15, etc.). 
Your current vet should also be willing to work with
you pricewise.  If not, I'd start looking elsewhere. 
Definitely do not allow any pts.  That is an old
school practice.  

:)
Wendy

Now that's room service!  Choose from over 150,000 hotels
in 45,000 destinations on Yahoo! Travel to find your fit.
http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097

RE: Help needed

Put to sleep. 

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Debbie
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:50 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

what does the pts stand for?

Definitely do not allow any pts. 

-Original Message-
From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 1:33 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

Hi Debbie,

It sounds like you and your husband are doing and have
done everything you can.  That's all anyone can ask
for.  Don't be so hard on yourself; you've taken a lot
on.  I agree that printing off information and taking
it to your vet would be wise, although since it's so
expensive there, you might look into low cost clinics
that are the closest.  Most likely they will be
located in the more densely populated cities, like
Cincinnati, etc.  That would probably save you quite a
bit of money and the clinic might be willing to work
with you pricewise since you have so many (ie. only
charging for one office visit instead of 15, etc.). 
Your current vet should also be willing to work with
you pricewise.  If not, I'd start looking elsewhere. 
Definitely do not allow any pts.  That is an old
school practice.  

:)
Wendy

___
_
Now that's room service!  Choose from over 150,000 hotels
in 45,000 destinations on Yahoo! Travel to find your fit.
http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097

This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may 
be privileged.  
They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient.  If you have 
received this 
transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the 
transmission from 
your system.  In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we 
are required to 
inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, 
any advice we 
provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or 
submissions is not 
intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax 
penalties.

Re: Re: Help needed

2007-02-26 Thread Nina

Hello Debbie and welcome.  I'm so glad you found us, you sound like 
you'll fit right in here.  Most of us, and I would guess most folks that 
have had to deal with felv are the type that bring in the wayward ones 
off the street.  Bless you and your husbands for having such open and 
caring hearts. 

I'm so sorry for your recent losses.  I understand completely how heart 
wrenching it is to find an animal in need when it's already too late to 
save them.  Please take some comfort in knowing that you helped relieve 
their suffering and gave them the opportunity to be loved and cared 
about.  As far as sweet Elsa goes, it does sound like she was in the 
last stages of a very serious illness, (kitties with felv are immune 
compromised and succumb to secondary illness, not felv itself).  Once 
they start developing symptoms like fluid build up it's costly both in 
suffering and expense to turn them around, usually, unfortunately, it 
does signal the beginning of the end.  You did the best you could for 
her and you have nothing to feel guilty about with what took place.  
Life's hard lessons can really get you down, but you have learned and 
will learn more as you do your homework about the realities of felv.  
That's a good thing.  You might be able to help educate your vets too, 
so you may be influencing the lives of many kitties and their guardians 
in the future.  It's an unhappy fact that many well intentioned vets 
still think of felv as a death sentence and advise euthanasia when 
someone tests pos, even if the kitty has no symptoms of illness.  It's 
probably because, like you kind folks, the vets usually don't know they 
are dealing with felv until the end stages when not a lot can be done to 
turn things around.  They see kitties suffering and they just don't know 
the facts.  The facts are that many cats test pos and throw off the 
virus, the test is actually a false-pos, or they do actually have felv, 
but with aggressive preventative care, (acting immediately at the first 
sign of illness, good nutrition, low stress environment, etc), they can 
and do live happy and healthy lives for a long time to come.  It may 
just be Elsa's legacy to enlighten not only you but your vet as well.  
That little girl may change the lives of many to come.  Please do your 
best to fight the feeling that you did/do the wrong thing in giving cats 
in need refuge and love.  It's always a good thing to help those in need 
to the best of your ability.  Just look around you at all the sweet 
angels that call your house home when you start to doubt that.


As others have stated, a good many of us have mixed felv pos and negs 
together.  It's a judgement call to do so, but in your case it doesn't 
make a whole lot of sense to me to separate cats that have been living 
together for so long.  They've either caught it or they haven't, 
separating them now will only cause them stress, (one of the no nos with 
felv).  Healthy adult cats have a very good chance of not catching it at 
all or catching it and fighting it off.  I would probably test the four 
you mention here, and would separate any newcomers that enter your 
household until they are tested and if neg, vaccinated.  If anyone 
starts acting sick, I'd bring them to the vet immediately and the first 
thing I'd do is get them tested so you know whether you are dealing with 
felv or not.  Did you say they are all indoor kitties?  I probably 
wouldn't even vaccinate indoor only cats.  If you do decide to 
vaccinate, then you should test those cats first because imo there's no 
sense, (and could be harm, although there has been debate about that), 
in vaccinating a cat that already has felv.


It is suggested to retest anyone testing pos because the snap test isn't 
100% reliable, and also because an infected cat can throw the virus and 
become neg later.  You wouldn't retest a cat that tests neg on the snap 
test, (false neg tests are more unlikely than false pos), unless you had 
reason to suspect they had been infected since the last test.  The 
reason it has been suggested to retest using the IFA is because it is 
more reliable.  You asked if you can be sure that a neg snap test result 
means the cat is truly neg...  The answer to that is no, but it is more 
likely that they are neg though.  Felv can be sequestered in the bone 
marrow, (not present in the blood), and a ELISA test would not show 
that.  If your kitties are acting healthy, then I wouldn't worry, I know 
that is sometimes easier said than done, but worry does not help.  Arm 
yourself with information, watch them all carefully, get the ones that 
seem compromised tested and go from there.  That's my two cents, (well, 
I guess it's more like a buck fifty :-) ).

Nina

Debbie wrote:
all of our cats are within 3 1/2 to 4 yr. group, so no one is elderly. 
We have one cat that had problems with urinary tract crystals, 2 with 
hormone problems (loss of hair by tail), and only one that is what I 
would call

Re: Help needed

My husband and I agreed to have the cats all tested. We called close to 20 vets 
for pricing. None are extremely cheap. The cheapest test by itself was close to 
$38.00. There was only one vet that offered a snap test cheaper. It is 
somewhat aggravating because we have spent close to $10,000.00 on the cats and 
paid all in cash. No one vet seems willing to reduce rates by that much. We 
will end up I am sure paying at least $900.00 (this yr. alone). Guess they 
don't realize eventually the money will run out. If it weren't for my husband I 
would never be able to do this. He retired in the U.K. and moved to the U.S. He 
took an early lump sum retirement. That is the only way we have been able to do 
this. I work full time but we live on about $32,000.00/ yrly. before taxes. 
There are so many pets in need and also people. Sometimes it gets very 
overwelming. Sure wish we got tax breaks for pet care, but heck most people are 
lucky to get reimbursed for human healthcare these days.

I want to thank EVERYONE for answering my post. All the info. has been greatly 
appreciated. It is nice to hear from others who love animals like I do. I am at 
work at the moment and the folks here really don't care at all about pets. It 
is refreshing to hear that there are people out there that do. Thanks again. 
Please stay in touch.

regards,
Debbie 

-Original Message-
From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Feb 26, 2007 1:33 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: Help needed

Hi Debbie,

It sounds like you and your husband are doing and have
done everything you can.  That's all anyone can ask
for.  Don't be so hard on yourself; you've taken a lot
on.  I agree that printing off information and taking
it to your vet would be wise, although since it's so
expensive there, you might look into low cost clinics
that are the closest.  Most likely they will be
located in the more densely populated cities, like
Cincinnati, etc.  That would probably save you quite a
bit of money and the clinic might be willing to work
with you pricewise since you have so many (ie. only
charging for one office visit instead of 15, etc.). 
Your current vet should also be willing to work with
you pricewise.  If not, I'd start looking elsewhere. 
Definitely do not allow any pts.  That is an old
school practice.  

:)
Wendy


 

Now that's room service!  Choose from over 150,000 hotels
in 45,000 destinations on Yahoo! Travel to find your fit.
http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097

Re: Help needed

2007-02-26 Thread Kat

Debbie, 

I don't know if you know any vet techs that would come to your house and
draw a tiny bit of blood from some of your kitties, but you can buy the
FeLV test kits online CHEAPER at the Revival Animal Health website.

The STAT Screen FeLV Test  at RevivalAnimal.com at
http://www.revivalanimal.com/product.asp?pn=99%2D033 
for under $8 a test (sold in lots of 10 tests).
It is a whole blood test, not a saliva test.

The Assure FeLv Leukemia Virus Antigen Test Kit is also available at
http://www.revivalanimal.com/product.asp?pn=99%2D004  
for a little under $10 a test (sold in lots of 25 tests).

Where there's a will, there's a way...

Kat (Mew Jersey)

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007, Debbie wrote:

 Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:25:18 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
 From: Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Reply-To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: Help needed
 
 Again I just want to say Thank You. This post has been so helpful. Most 
 groups ignore new post or you might get one opinion. Everyone here has been 
 so helpful. I have always loved cats and will go on loving them. When I was a 
 child my mother suffered from schizophrenia - often times I felt very 
 alone. My cats were my best friends. We lived isolated in the country and 
 mom and dad never put out food for the cats (although I used to snitch bread 
 and milk for them). Back then they were expected to catch mice and fend for 
 themselves. I found that even without them getting food on a regular basis 
 they still stayed and still showed love! That type of companionship and 
 friendship can never be replaced.

Re: Help needed

Debbie,

There is financial help out there.  Scholarships if
you will.  Especially if you are living on a fixed
income, and are a senior.  Here's just one link with
links to places that will help out!  I gave this list
to one lady on the hyperthyroidism site, and one of
the groups helped her out!

http://www.cavycareinc.org/help_w_vet_bills.htm

:)
Wendy

--- Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 My husband and I agreed to have the cats all tested.
 We called close to 20 vets for pricing. None are
 extremely cheap. The cheapest test by itself was
 close to $38.00. There was only one vet that offered
 a snap test cheaper. It is somewhat aggravating
 because we have spent close to $10,000.00 on the
 cats and paid all in cash. No one vet seems willing
 to reduce rates by that much. We will end up I am
 sure paying at least $900.00 (this yr. alone). Guess
 they don't realize eventually the money will run
 out. If it weren't for my husband I would never be
 able to do this. He retired in the U.K. and moved to
 the U.S. He took an early lump sum retirement. That
 is the only way we have been able to do this. I work
 full time but we live on about $32,000.00/ yrly.
 before taxes. There are so many pets in need and
 also people. Sometimes it gets very overwelming.
 Sure wish we got tax breaks for pet care, but heck
 most people are lucky to get reimbursed for human
 healthcare these days.
 
 I want to thank EVERYONE for answering my post. All
 the info. has been greatly appreciated. It is nice
 to hear from others who love animals like I do. I am
 at work at the moment and the folks here really
 don't care at all about pets. It is refreshing to
 hear that there are people out there that do. Thanks
 again. Please stay in touch.
 
 regards,
 Debbie 
 
 -Original Message-
 From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Sent: Feb 26, 2007 1:33 PM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: Help needed
 
 Hi Debbie,
 
 It sounds like you and your husband are doing and
 have
 done everything you can.  That's all anyone can ask
 for.  Don't be so hard on yourself; you've taken a
 lot
 on.  I agree that printing off information and
 taking
 it to your vet would be wise, although since it's
 so
 expensive there, you might look into low cost
 clinics
 that are the closest.  Most likely they will be
 located in the more densely populated cities, like
 Cincinnati, etc.  That would probably save you
 quite a
 bit of money and the clinic might be willing to
 work
 with you pricewise since you have so many (ie. only
 charging for one office visit instead of 15, etc.).
 
 Your current vet should also be willing to work
 with
 you pricewise.  If not, I'd start looking
 elsewhere. 
 Definitely do not allow any pts.  That is an old
 school practice.  
 
 :)
 Wendy
 
 
  


 Now that's room service!  Choose from over 150,000
 hotels
 in 45,000 destinations on Yahoo! Travel to find
 your fit.
 http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097
 
 
 
 



 

Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate 
in the Yahoo! Answers Food  Drink QA.
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=listsid=396545367

Re: Help needed

I totally agree!  Pets often give us what we can't get
from humans!!!

:)
Wendy

--- Debbie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 Again I just want to say Thank You. This post has
 been so helpful. Most groups ignore new post or you
 might get one opinion. Everyone here has been so
 helpful. I have always loved cats and will go on
 loving them. When I was a child my mother suffered
 from schizophrenia - often times I felt very
 alone. My cats were my best friends. We lived
 isolated in the country and mom and dad never put
 out food for the cats (although I used to snitch
 bread and milk for them). Back then they were
 expected to catch mice and fend for themselves. I
 found that even without them getting food on a
 regular basis they still stayed and still showed
 love! That type of companionship and friendship can
 never be replaced.
 
 
 
 



 

Don't get soaked.  Take a quick peak at the forecast
with the Yahoo! Search weather shortcut.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#loc_weather

Re: Help needed

2007-02-26 Thread Nina

I know how hard it is to come up with the cash and how expensive vet 
care can be.  I have been fortunate enough to find a rescue organization 
in my area that helps me with costs sometimes.  I've developed a 
relationship with them and they trust me enough to know that I have the 
cats best interest at heart.  If they have enough money in the till, 
they will pay for spay/neuters and some vet care for new arrivals.  If 
they don't, or if it's a procedure that their group wouldn't normally 
allocate funds to, they'll let me use their group discount, (at the vet 
that gives discounts to them), put the cost on their bill and then I pay 
them back in the form of a donation.  This helps me because I get the 
discount and also can deduct the donation on my taxes.  It helps them 
because they can show my donation on their books, and of course they 
appreciate my efforts to help the animals.  Call around to all the 
groups in your area and tell them what you do for the cats in your 
care.  Let them know that you don't expect them to do anything for you, 
but would be grateful for suggestions and any help they might provide.  
They might have extra food/supplies to share, or they might be willing 
to let you use their vets for things like testing, vaccinations, or 
spay/neuters.  Some groups do their own vaccinations and testing, they 
may be willing to test your guys at their cost.  It never hurts to ask 
and usually it's so refreshing to them to get calls from people that are 
doing their part to help animals.  So many people call rescues to dump 
what should be their own responsibility in the rescue's lap and expect 
them to rush over and take care of whatever problem they need help with 
never taking into account how overwhelmed and under resourced they 
are.   Approach them in the right way, and I'm sure you'll find a 
valuable resource.


I'm glad if the group has helped you to feel less alone in the good work 
you are doing.  It's been a Godsend to me and so many others.  I love 
the people here!  Good luck Debbie, I hope you stay in touch and let us 
know how you guys are doing.

Nina

Debbie wrote:

My husband and I agreed to have the cats all tested. We called close to 20 vets for 
pricing. None are extremely cheap. The cheapest test by itself was close to $38.00. There 
was only one vet that offered a snap test cheaper. It is somewhat aggravating 
because we have spent close to $10,000.00 on the cats and paid all in cash. No one vet 
seems willing to reduce rates by that much. We will end up I am sure paying at least 
$900.00 (this yr. alone). Guess they don't realize eventually the money will run out. If 
it weren't for my husband I would never be able to do this. He retired in the U.K. and 
moved to the U.S. He took an early lump sum retirement. That is the only way we have been 
able to do this. I work full time but we live on about $32,000.00/ yrly. before taxes. 
There are so many pets in need and also people. Sometimes it gets very overwelming. Sure 
wish we got tax breaks for pet care, but heck most people are lucky to get reimbursed for 
human healthcare these days.

I want to thank EVERYONE for answering my post. All the info. has been greatly 
appreciated. It is nice to hear from others who love animals like I do. I am at 
work at the moment and the folks here really don't care at all about pets. It 
is refreshing to hear that there are people out there that do. Thanks again. 
Please stay in touch.

regards,
Debbie

To Kat Re: Help needed

Kat,

Do you know if a prescription is needed before buying
the FeLV tests online?

:)
wendy


 

Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate 
in the Yahoo! Answers Food  Drink QA.
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=listsid=396545367

Re: Help needed