Kasie, You and your partner are doing a wonderful thing in giving Grace a chance to overcome this virus. I think her chances of kicking it are probably more than 30% so keep your fingers crossed. Going out of your way to improve her immune system surely will make a huge difference. My rescue just took in a mama cat that has tested positive on two ELISA tests but negative on the IFA done a month later. We're hoping she'll kick it too but are keeping her for further testing to be sure. She had two kittens that tested negative and two that tested positive on their first combo test. It's such a confusing disease.
I think keeping her at the warehouse is fine for her. No need to rent an apartment although it's a sweet sweet thought. She probably gets more attention there since she doesn't have to share you with another cat like at home so don't worry. Just get extra toys and play with her a lot so when you're not there she'll be tired and sleep and won't even miss you. Ever heard of Da Bird cat toy? It's awesome and would completely wear her out. You could also borrow or rent a t.v. to keep there and play those cat videos. Some of my cats like it but some could care less. If she likes it though it would keep her entertained for long periods of time. Be sure to bring something for her to scratch on though. I can understand about not wanting to expose your other cat. I think he would be perfectly safe, especially if you get him vaccinated, but I can understand your hesitation. Although, I've learned a lot about the virus through research it would still worry me to bring in a positive cat. I'm not in that situation but I remember before I discovered that one of mine had it that I was hesistant to bring in a new cat that tested positive. It never came up but since I fostered for my rescue it was always a thought. After I found out that one of mine that had previously tested negative actually had the virus, I had several of the other cats at my house tested since they were not vaccinated but had lived with the positive cat for two years. All four have turned out to be negative. That's another testament to how hard it is for a healthy adult cat to become persistently viremic when exposed to the virus. Anyway, I have a friend, like lots of the ladies here, that has positive cats mixed with her vaccinated negatives and no problem about the negative cats catching it. So if she keeps testing positive but you can't stand the thought of giving her up I don't think it would be wrong to bring her home to your other cat if you get him vaccinated. You would not be a bad mommy for doing that. But if you decide to find her another home that would be understandable. That decision would be up to you at that time. It's a tough one to make and I'm glad I don't have to do it. Keep us posted. I would love to hear how this turns out. Either way, you're doing a great job for Grace. Maureen “I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn’t….the pain which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further.” – Mark Twain > From: ka...@sonic.net > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 17:14:51 -0700 > Subject: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > > Hello, > > We recently adopted a spayed female adult cat (2-3 years of age), Grace, > that was tested for FeLV/FIP (neg. results) upon intake in Oct 2009 by the > rescue. She was retested the morning we took her home by the rescue's local > vet with a "low positive" ELISA for FeLV (FIV still neg.). The rescue > allowed me to take her on a foster agreement because of my dedication and > experience level, not with this disease in particular, but with caring for > animals in general (former vet tech, former assistant to a veterinary > homeopath, past pet sitter, herbalist for animals and founder of a large raw > feeders co-op). > > We drove a long distance to meet her (from San Francisco to the Oregon > border) - requiring a stay in a pet-friendly hotel. She seemed healthy when > we met her (we spent a few hours at the rescue, then stayed overnight and > picked her up the next morning) but she sneezed a few times and had a tiny > bit of snot while we drove away from the rescue in her crate, and had a few > fairly dramatic sneezing fits overnight in the hotel, but seemed otherwise > healthy and has a wonderful, strong appetite and normal elimination. > > She developed a full blown URI in the days following and we had her retested > by a local feline specialist. She had a positive FeLV ELISA and negative > IFA. > > We have not brought her home yet as I have one very healthy 4 yr old male > neutered cat at home that has never been exposed to any cat illnesses. I am > keeping the new kitty, Grace, at my work office and warehouse (it's my own > business and while not a home environment, I'm there twice daily and spend > hours with her every day) and changing clothes/shoes, etc. and doing a lot > of laundry to ensure I don't bring anything home to my cat. > > She's finally getting over her URI and will be retested for FeLV again on > May 26th (30 days after the first time I tested her at the local feline > specialist vet). I know the odds are not in our favor, but I am hoping > she'll be part of that 30% that clear the disease from their systems and are > no longer considered persistently infected. The reason why she's at my work > is that was the only safe place to keep her in isolation because we live in > the city, in a tiny studio, so we do not have a separate room to keep her > in. We decided this while we drove home and I discussed the situation with > my own vet (who is also a dear friend). We even considered renting an > apartment for her and my partner to live in for the next 60 days while we > test her every 30 days - that would be really expensive though and she's > doing okay so far at my warehouse/office. > > I just wonder what other's experiences have been with discordant tests in > adult cats (not kittens). IMO, it would not be ethical to expose my healthy > cat to a positive FeLV cat. But we are totally in love with Grace -- we > have been actively looking at cats to adopt since we lost our two Great > Danes to senescence last year (in June and in Oct - both were aged 12). > Since Nov, we've gone to so many shelters and rescues looking for just the > right kitty, with the perfect temperament, to be a companion to our kitty > that really misses his beloved elder dog pack. We knew Grace was "the one" > the minute we met her. We adore her and hope to spend the next 20+ years > with her as part of our family. We hope she will test double negative and > can come home where we can then start a proper, slow introduction to our > feisty resident kitty. > > Has anyone had this experience? If she tests positive for both or continues > to remain discordant, we'll need to find her another home - breaking our > hearts. She's getting a lot of special care, homeopathy and supplements in > addition to her species appropriate diet, which we feel will support her > towards the best possible outcome (the rescue feeds raw only to all her > animals and I've fed raw exclusively since 1989). > > Thanks in advance! > > Kasie > > PS - I noticed today she has also cutaneous horn growth on her paw pads - > one resembles a toenail, but the others are just short little tips/horns. I > know this condition may be related to FeLV infection, but it may also be > found in FeLV negative cats. I've never seen them before - sort of neat to > see something so unusual/uncommon. > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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
