Re: New to List FELV + kittens
Hello, I have written numerous messages to the board about my cat, BJ. Well, we adopted another cat, a female orange tabby named Mitzi. Both are feline leukemia positive and both are doing great. For those who might not know our story, here it is. My brother and I adopted a black and white domestic shorthair we call BJ. At the time, he was perfectly healthy. Then, three weeks later he had polyps in his left ear and had surgery to remove them. His middle ear was removed and his left ear closed. He has had no residual effect and his hearing is fine. Then, about two months later, he began having strange, unexplained fevers and was lethargic and not eating well. The diagnosis was feline leukemia. The prognosis given by our vet at the time, a traditional vet, was grim to say the least. She said the best thing to do was to have BJ euthanized. We immediately started looking for a vet who could help. Our last appointment with that vet was on a Friday. We took BJ home that night and had a consultation with an alternative vet the next Monday morning. She practices holistic and homeopathic as well as tradition veterinary medicine. Some of her methods are not recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Some traditional veterinarians would bristle at her ideas about good dog and cat nutrition. However, today, under our new vet's care, BJ is, for all intense and purposes, healthy. He shows no outward sign of illness, even though he still tests positive for feline leukemia. For anyone looking for good veterinary care for an FeLV+ cat or kitten, the best suggestion I can give is to contact the AHVMA, the Holistic Veterinary Medical Association using this link http://www.ahvma.org/referral/. It may help you find a vet in your area who can treat your cat's or kitten's condition. I wish I could tell you how much it means to my brother and me to have a vet who has made the choice to treat feline leukemia, not just kill the host. She has the knowledge expertise to do what a traditional vet could not do. When we were given BJ's diagnosis a year ago, it was like getting hit by a truck. When we were told there was nothing to do but put him to sleep, it was like getting hit by a truck again. We knew very little about the illness then. However, we knew that if there was any chance that our precious BJ could live a good life with this disease, then that's what he would do. We have never looked back and are thankful every single day that we made the choice to get BJ treated. Our vet also successfully treats our little one, Mitzi. She is now almost nine months old and is a curious, rambunctious, lively cat. Our non-traditional vet has made a world of difference for our entire family. Laurie B. Oliver At 12:48 AM 7/14/2005, you wrote: It's highly unlikely any of your healthy adult cats could have caught the virus, even with prolonged contact. It's almost always kittens under one year of age, or immune compromised cats (FIV+) that catch it from carriers. I would definitely test any cats that are weak, or under a year of age that had any contact with any of the known positive cats. On the other hand, it is also very common for cats to fight off the virus if given a few weeks to a few months, and test negative at a later date. So if you decide to test them all, be fully prepared to do it at LEAST twice. On the ones that test positive on both the initial test (I'm assuming you are doing the ELISA snap test), and the second test done 2 to 3 months later, you need to do the confirmation test, the IFA. That is a lab test your vet will have to send samples out for testing to get done. Even if THOSE come back positive, they still might eventually fight it off, so you NEVER know 100% for sure if it's hopeless or not. What you need to consider the most now is, are you willing to turn one of your rooms into a FELV+ cat sanctuary, or do you not have the time, facilities, or funding to do this? The fact is, it's VERY hard to place cats that continuously test positive for FELV. You will probably end up owning them for the rest of their lives. Life expectancy varies VERY much from cat to cat, averaging from about 18 months to 8 years, but with many dying younger, or living up into the normal upper ranges for healthy cats. They wont require any special care, or any expensive treatments if they are not showing active symptoms of the virus, but it is optional, and is thought that it might increase life-span to use some of the unproven treatments outlined on the list website (we think we have seen proof, but we have no official studies, so I don't want to break any laws by saying we have proven results). We have personal experience that the treatments do help when the cats begin to get ill. Not everyone doses their positive cats that are not sick. The main thing they will need, in the way of special care, is a PREMIUM food. This means NO CORN or CORN byproducts in their food, and preferably a grain free diet, or a home made meat
Re: New to List FELV + kittens
Thank you Laurie for sharing your affirming experience with BJ and now little Mitzi! It's music to my heart. Thank you also for including the vet search link. You mention that your vet has BJ and Mitzi on a diet that most vets wouldn't agree with, is it a raw diet? Could you please post about specific treatments that you've found to be successful? Thanks again, you made my day! Nina Laurie B. Oliver wrote: Hello, I have written numerous messages to the board about my cat, BJ. Well, we adopted another cat, a female orange tabby named Mitzi. Both are feline leukemia positive and both are doing great. For those who might not know our story, here it is. My brother and I adopted a black and white domestic shorthair we call BJ. At the time, he was perfectly healthy. Then, three weeks later he had polyps in his left ear and had surgery to remove them. His middle ear was removed and his left ear closed. He has had no residual effect and his hearing is fine. Then, about two months later, he began having strange, unexplained fevers and was lethargic and not eating well. The diagnosis was feline leukemia. The prognosis given by our vet at the time, a traditional vet, was grim to say the least. She said the best thing to do was to have BJ euthanized. We immediately started looking for a vet who could help. Our last appointment with that vet was on a Friday. We took BJ home that night and had a consultation with an alternative vet the next Monday morning. She practices holistic and homeopathic as well as tradition veterinary medicine. Some of her methods are not recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Some traditional veterinarians would bristle at her ideas about good dog and cat nutrition. However, today, under our new vet's care, BJ is, for all intense and purposes, healthy. He shows no outward sign of illness, even though he still tests positive for feline leukemia. For anyone looking for good veterinary care for an FeLV+ cat or kitten, the best suggestion I can give is to contact the AHVMA, the Holistic Veterinary Medical Association using this link http://www.ahvma.org/referral/. It may help you find a vet in your area who can treat your cat's or kitten's condition. I wish I could tell you how much it means to my brother and me to have a vet who has made the choice to treat feline leukemia, not just kill the host. She has the knowledge expertise to do what a traditional vet could not do. When we were given BJ's diagnosis a year ago, it was like getting hit by a truck. When we were told there was nothing to do but put him to sleep, it was like getting hit by a truck again. We knew very little about the illness then. However, we knew that if there was any chance that our precious BJ could live a good life with this disease, then that's what he would do. We have never looked back and are thankful every single day that we made the choice to get BJ treated. Our vet also successfully treats our little one, Mitzi. She is now almost nine months old and is a curious, rambunctious, lively cat. Our non-traditional vet has made a world of difference for our entire family. Laurie B. Oliver
Re: New to List FELV + kittens
I agree with everything Belinda has said. I'm a little more 'out there' than most, but I just truly believe a vaccinated, adult cat is not going to 'catch' leukemia. Period. Kittens are very susceptible and need to be vaccinated asap. I would be very leery of mixing even a fully vaccinated kitten with a positive cat. Other than that, I feel that adults who 'catch' felv either were not vaccinated or had it all along and it just wasn't known until they got sick. tonyaBelinda Sauro [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Terri,I agree with almost everything Jenn said, except I'm not a fan of Cornell, in fact I think almost all of their info about FeLV is very out-dated. And I think the viruses life span outside of the host whether in a wet or dry enviornment is only seconds and not minutes. And I think the average lifespan is longer than suspected because I think alot healthy positive cats are never diagnosed.As far as healthy adult cats getting the virus, yes that is near zero chances, I have 6 furkids, my Bailey is my positive. He and Joey are always playing (sometimes alittle rough), grooming (and they have had tongue to tongue contact when they both want to groom each other at the same time), and I have had Joey PCR tested (tests the cats DNA), and Joey is negative. If anyone were going to get it from Bailey it would be him. I think keeping stress to nil is a very important factor in setting off the virus and yes giving immune boosting supplements is very good as long as it doesn't cause stress. Unfortuntely with Bailey it's impossible to give anything I can't put in his food and that he can't taste, he gets very stressed taking meds.He was positive at 5 months of age when I found him, and he turned 10 years old in May. He's had no health problems until last year when he came down with a pretty bad case of stomastisis and we tried everything from azithromyacin to chinese herbs to acupunture, it all helped but didn't completely resolve the problem (he did test positive for bartonella, and I have not had him retested which I really need to do, but at the time I was taking care of Buddie who had cancer, and taking blood is so stressful I figure as long as things are going OK why shake the boat). After about 6 or 7 months and Bailey was losing a little bit of weight we decided we had to pull his teeth, he still has his canines and the tiny ones in between those but the rest are gone. That seems to have done the trick. He has a bit of arthritis now but other than that he is in good health as far as we know!The vet thing is right on, so many vets EVEN today still say euthanize, and even more once a cat gets sick will say "Well it's the FeLV kicking in", and don't even bother trying to find out what is wrong with the cat. Get your self a good vet, one who is knowledgable about FeLV or at the very least will to be open minded about it.-- BelindaHappiness is being owned by cats ...Be-Mi-Kitties ...http://www.bemikitties.comPost Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittenshttp://adopt.bemikitties.comFeLV Candle Light Servicehttp://www.bemikitties.com/clsHostDesign4U.com (affordable hosting web design)http://HostDesign4U.com---BMK Designs (non-profit web sites)http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: New to List FELV + kittens
Hi Terri, I agree with almost everything Jenn said, except I'm not a fan of Cornell, in fact I think almost all of their info about FeLV is very out-dated. And I think the viruses life span outside of the host whether in a wet or dry enviornment is only seconds and not minutes. And I think the average lifespan is longer than suspected because I think alot healthy positive cats are never diagnosed. As far as healthy adult cats getting the virus, yes that is near zero chances, I have 6 furkids, my Bailey is my positive. He and Joey are always playing (sometimes alittle rough), grooming (and they have had tongue to tongue contact when they both want to groom each other at the same time), and I have had Joey PCR tested (tests the cats DNA), and Joey is negative. If anyone were going to get it from Bailey it would be him. I think keeping stress to nil is a very important factor in setting off the virus and yes giving immune boosting supplements is very good as long as it doesn't cause stress. Unfortuntely with Bailey it's impossible to give anything I can't put in his food and that he can't taste, he gets very stressed taking meds. He was positive at 5 months of age when I found him, and he turned 10 years old in May. He's had no health problems until last year when he came down with a pretty bad case of stomastisis and we tried everything from azithromyacin to chinese herbs to acupunture, it all helped but didn't completely resolve the problem (he did test positive for bartonella, and I have not had him retested which I really need to do, but at the time I was taking care of Buddie who had cancer, and taking blood is so stressful I figure as long as things are going OK why shake the boat). After about 6 or 7 months and Bailey was losing a little bit of weight we decided we had to pull his teeth, he still has his canines and the tiny ones in between those but the rest are gone. That seems to have done the trick. He has a bit of arthritis now but other than that he is in good health as far as we know! The vet thing is right on, so many vets EVEN today still say euthanize, and even more once a cat gets sick will say Well it's the FeLV kicking in, and don't even bother trying to find out what is wrong with the cat. Get your self a good vet, one who is knowledgable about FeLV or at the very least will to be open minded about it. -- 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 List FELV + kittens
I am the President of the rescue group here in Oakdale, CA. There are only 4 of us and of course with kitten season, and no one around here s/n their cats, we are full to the brim. On 3-29-05 Savannah (I had her tested for FeLV/FIV she was negative before she had the babies.) she was dropped off to us while doing adoptions. She gave birth to 6 healthy kittens, one female and 5 males. I filmed their birth since this was my first time (as an adult) to watch kittens being born. I watched them grow and become 6 little kittens with all different personalites. I have seperate areas in my house (all cats and kittens are quarentined for 7 days and tested) Adult cat room for adults - 2 car garage made into kitten and teenage room (awaiting room), them the guest (kitten) room with Moms and babies and then our office turned into the recovery room after their spay and neuter - then they go into the large garage room while they await their adoption or if the kitten room gets to full the older ones go into the 2 car garage Awaiting room. Savannah and her babies at almost 3 months went to the Awaiting room to await their s/n. On s/n day we went,, we had 29 kittens, and about 11 of them tabbies, well I had 3 pretty new (to me) kittens I wanted tested - so they tested them - well they tested the wrong one,, Savannah's only girl, she tested postive. We tested all, 5 of the 6 tested positive- the one kit that was negative (Rome) was neutered the others were not as the Dr there said their glands were swollen. So I brought them home and placed them (5+) in the only room I have left - my hall bath. These kits are so so special to me and I am having a hard time know that they may not be able to fight this and they could die. I also know they maybe able to fight it and win. I hate to think of them having their last days living in a very small bathroom. I am looking for a home where they could be fostered for a month, re-tested and then we will go from there. If they do test negative then I or who has them could adopt them out Anyway I am looking for resources to help these kittens live out there possible last days happy and in a loving home. During this time, I kept wondering where they could of gotten this disease my vet asked me is anyone acting sick or out of sorts,,, I said well yes, Sheeba, she was getting really thin,, so I took her in and she was Positive and very sick. We pts as she was not going to make it to much longer, she probably had this since she was born but her and her 3 sisters were tested when we first got them but they were negative. Her 3 sisters were adopted about 3 weeks ago, they all seem to be fine, I sure hope they don't have it also, maybe another source but no one else is sick. I ahve 93 cats and kittens, this is not counting my own personal cats either What should be our next step, do I need to test every kitten or cat that they came in contact with ? All adults or kittens old enough, have been vaccinated for felv along with their other needed vac's. Sorry this is so long, new to list and lots to say and ask. Thank you Terri Stone anyfelinerescue.org -- Terri Durham-Stone Safe a Life Spay and Neuter Live well, Love much, Laugh Often
Re: New to List FELV + kittens
It's highly unlikely any of your healthy adult cats could have caught the virus, even with prolonged contact. It's almost always kittens under one year of age, or immune compromised cats (FIV+) that catch it from carriers. I would definitely test any cats that are weak, or under a year of age that had any contact with any of the known positive cats. On the other hand, it is also very common for cats to fight off the virus if given a few weeks to a few months, and test negative at a later date. So if you decide to test them all, be fully prepared to do it at LEAST twice. On the ones that test positive on both the initial test (I'm assuming you are doing the ELISA snap test), and the second test done 2 to 3 months later, you need to do the confirmation test, the IFA. That is a lab test your vet will have to send samples out for testing to get done. Even if THOSE come back positive, they still might eventually fight it off, so you NEVER know 100% for sure if it's hopeless or not. What you need to consider the most now is, are you willing to turn one of your rooms into a FELV+ cat sanctuary, or do you not have the time, facilities, or funding to do this? The fact is, it's VERY hard to place cats that continuously test positive for FELV. You will probably end up owning them for the rest of their lives. Life expectancy varies VERY much from cat to cat, averaging from about 18 months to 8 years, but with many dying younger, or living up into the normal upper ranges for healthy cats. They wont require any special care, or any expensive treatments if they are not showing active symptoms of the virus, but it is optional, and is thought that itmight increase life-span to use some of the "unproven" treatments outlined on thelist website (we think we have seen proof, but we have no official studies, so I don't want to break any laws by saying we have proven results). We have personal experience that the treatments do help when the cats begin to get ill. Not everyone doses their positive cats that are not "sick". The main thing they will need, in the way of special care, is a PREMIUM food. This means NO CORN or CORN byproducts in their food, and preferably a grain free diet, or a home made meat diet. Cornell also advises that FELV+ cats get bi-annual exams, instead of the normal annual exams for negative cats, just to head things off should something arise during routine bloodwork. FELV+ cats are prone to anemia, and it doesn't hurt to add a bit of extra iron to their diets either. Vita-drops, Lixo-tinic, or Pet-tinic, are all good liquid iron supplements for cats. Many people on this list also add extra vitamin C to their cat's diets, for it's immune boosting effects. (just like when you take it yourself when you feel a cold coming on). Other list members will be able to give you more detailed info on all the supplements and dosages they use. When my Moogie was sick, she would lick on a mentholated vitamin C drop (yes the fruit flavored ones, like Hall's) on her own... and usually cats KNOW what their bodies need, so I think that's proof on that matter.FELV treatmenta highly personal thing, you wont find many vets that will be able to give you any good advice on FELV, the good ones are few and far between. You may even find yourself having to twist your vet's arm to get him to prescribe some of the things you will hear suggested on this list. Prepare yourself to hear lot's of negative things from your vet, including advise to just euthanise them all. It's up to you, what YOU want to do for YOUR cats, just remember that! Personally, I'd just makethe bedroom the FELV cat room... they REALLY seem to be sweeter than negative cats inlots ofways, and they LOVE to snuggle under the covers when it's cold (it seems to me that most of them seem to know their time might be short, and so they fit as much loving in as they can while they can). Oh and one more thing you are probably worried about... sanitization. The FELV virus dies within minutes in a dry environment, and within 3 hours in a wet one (and I can quote Cornell on that one). No bleach or anything like that is necessary to kill it. Just wash used dishes and litterpans normally, and set them off in a dry spot to completely dry for 3 hours, and then you can use them for the negative cats with no danger. Lot's of people think it's hard to kill and really contagious, and that's really not true at all. You can't carry it on your hands, or anything like that, it has to be moist direct contact, such as a penetrating bite, mutual grooming over long periods, sex, direct contact with fresh waste (such as FELV+ cat poops, Negative cat goes in box, steps in FELV poop, then immediately licks poop off paw while still wet), or so forth. Even these direct routes of transmission only generally apply to kittens under one year of age, or immune compromised cats. Healthy adult cats just do not catch FELV, it's so rare,
