[Felvtalk] new with questions
Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] new with questions
Hey Merlin -- I saw your question over on feral_cats, but didn't realize you were this frantic... You've come to the right place for information and support. I came here for advice about my own FeLV+ stray, also named Patches, and never left (my Patches was already too sick when we found him, sadly. He was a great guy.) Short answer, stop worrying. Under the circumstances you describe, it's really unlikely that your Patches has picked up FeLV at your friend's house. Also, it isn't as contagious as you fear. It is transmitted through contact with infected cats almost exclusively, since the virus does not have a long life outside the body. It's very likely that any bugs Kitty may have left on bedding etc. are long dead. The chances of your friend's other cats being infected may vary. Since Kitty has been with her a while, chances are that anykitty that is likely to be infected, by now is. It can depend on factors like the cat's general health. My Patches had some accidental contact with our other house cats (brought him inside at 3 a.m., quarantined him -- we thought -- in the back hall, he scaled the 6.5 foot full screen door we use to keep the others out of the basement, and I woke 3 hours later to hear him and one of the house cats having a civil conversation in the FRONT enclosed porch room!) None of the house cats have shown any sign of FeLV. None of them had ever been vaccinated for it. Tell your friend not to let a vet hustle her into any decisions she may regret regarding Kitty or any of the others (you didn't mention this aspect but it comes up often). A lot more is known now about FeLV, and it's not an immediate death sentence. Many of the members on this list have kitties who have lived with FeLV for many years. If your friend's vet suggests that Kitty be PTS just because of the FeLV, she should look for a more enlightened vet for him. You'll get lots of good info here on diet, treatment options and the like -- Patches probably won't need these, but maybe you can encourage your friend to join this list for help with Kitty. Diane R. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of mary (merlin) marshall Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:42 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] new with questions Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] new with questions
You'll get a lot of good suggestion from folks on this board with tons of experience. I have some limited experience w. my Tucson who tested pos at age 4 1/2 and with my Big Boy who I fed as a stray for a couple of years before bringing him in and discovering he was positive. Tucson is fine but my Big Boy succumbed to cancer earlier this year. First off, take a deep breath! Your friend should get Kitty with the IFA test--that's a blood test sent out to lab. If that comes back pos, it confirms the SNAP test; if it does not, then you can't be certain about pos status. My Tucson lived with my 3 other cats (2 of whom came in as kittens after her) for 3 years before she was diagnosed. She had tested neg as a very young kitten but that can happen if test is too early. They ate out of the same dishes, used the same litter boxes, groomed each other, got into those occasional scrapes, etc. and none of them tested post. I got them the FELV vacc as a precaution only after Tucson tested pos. The 2 vets I consulted after Tucson's test both told me it was not as contagious as some of the literature makes it out to be. My 2nd vet has a good deal of experience had absolutely no problem with continuing to mix everyone no problem w. my integrating Big Boy into the household. Your friend should get the other cats tested shouldn't assume they all caught it. Whoever is neg, she should vaccinate. As for your situation, the virus does not live very long in the air... My guess would be that it would be unlikely that Patches would have caught it from this indirect casual contact. You can have a snap test done if it will ease your mind. Christiane Biagi -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of mary (merlin) marshall Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:42 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] new with questions Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] new with questions
I agree with the others, stop worrying. Guess many of us have been thru this, I certainly have. I remember putting tape at the bottom of a door to keep the pos cat from sniffing the neg, lol. But- It's just not that contagious. I got to the point where I mixed my pos with my neg, and no problems. I think in general, the vet research just hasn't been done on FELV, so we're told it's contagious. Gloria On Oct 20, 2009, at 11:42 AM, mary (merlin) marshall wrote: Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] new with questions
Six years ago I rescued a mommy, 2 teen cats and 3 kittens from outside. The mom was about two (declawed but not spayed...grr) and the teens were less than a year old. The foster mom kept the two teenagers. Several years later she called to tell me one of the two she kept had tested positive for FeLV. The other was negative. I know where the mom and kittens all went. They all were and are still fine. The foster mom had six other cats in her house...they are all fine. Bottom line. I don't think we can ever be 100% sure that a cat won't test positive at some point. My Squeaky's FeLV was suspected of being harbored in his bone marrow. Thus, he was never sick even though he tested positive as a teenager ( he was appr 12 yo). A friend has a sanctuary. One of their cats lived with the FeLV+ cats for 6 or 7 years. They thought he was positive. Since he never got sick they tested (or retested) him. He was negative! and never got FeLV despite living in one room with several feLv+ cats for all that time. He only recently died of VERY old age. Laurie -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of mary (merlin) marshall Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:42 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] new with questions Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] new with questions
if you are really worried, have them all tested to put your mind at ease. when i got my first felv positive (Annie), i tried for a ew days to keep her seperate, but everyone was miserable. my vet said that as long as the others were negative and got their vacinnations for felv evrey year, all should be safe. the others are still negative and Annie is as healthy as can be. my newest NItnoy, is positive and so far, she is fat and sassy, showing no sign of illness. dorlis Chris ti...@mindspring.com wrote: You'll get a lot of good suggestion from folks on this board with tons of experience. I have some limited experience w. my Tucson who tested pos at age 4 1/2 and with my Big Boy who I fed as a stray for a couple of years before bringing him in and discovering he was positive. Tucson is fine but my Big Boy succumbed to cancer earlier this year. First off, take a deep breath! Your friend should get Kitty with the IFA test--that's a blood test sent out to lab. If that comes back pos, it confirms the SNAP test; if it does not, then you can't be certain about pos status. My Tucson lived with my 3 other cats (2 of whom came in as kittens after her) for 3 years before she was diagnosed. She had tested neg as a very young kitten but that can happen if test is too early. They ate out of the same dishes, used the same litter boxes, groomed each other, got into those occasional scrapes, etc. and none of them tested post. I got them the FELV vacc as a precaution only after Tucson tested pos. The 2 vets I consulted after Tucson's test both told me it was not as contagious as some of the literature makes it out to be. My 2nd vet has a good deal of experience had absolutely no problem with continuing to mix everyone no problem w. my integrating Big Boy into the household. Your friend should get the other cats tested shouldn't assume they all caught it. Whoever is neg, she should vaccinate. As for your situation, the virus does not live very long in the air... My guess would be that it would be unlikely that Patches would have caught it from this indirect casual contact. You can have a snap test done if it will ease your mind. Christiane Biagi -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of mary (merlin) marshall Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:42 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] new with questions Hi, I've just subscribed. My friend and I picked up a stray calico and planned to get her spayed and adopted out. We named her Patches. Patches was spayed last Thursday and tested for FIV/FeLV. She tested negative. We had her vaccinated with the basics, including FeLV. Thursday night after her spay, she went to my friend's house to recover. Patches was kept in a separate bed room with her own food and water dishes that hadn't been used by the house cats, her own litter box with fresh litter, and not allowed contact with the house cats. I'm not sure how good my friend was about washing her hands between Patches and her cats. Monday afternoon, my friend found out that her cat Kitty who had been throwing up for a few weeks and now with depressed appetite, tested positive for leukemia. This was the SNAP test. I came and picked up Patches and took her to my house, where she is caged in my basement, separate from my cats. Patches was at my friend's house for 5 days. Do I have to worry that Patches might have caught leukemia from the carpet, bedding and cat bed in those 5 days? The room had been used as a foster room but in between was open so that Kitty could go in there if he wanted. He also sometimes slept in the cat bed. Should I continue to keep her separate from my cats and for how long? Do I need to retest her at some point and when? My own cats have been vaccinated annually against leukemia, except for Rusty who has not been vaccinated in about 5 years. Rusty was sick for 2 days after her first leukemia vaccination since I have had her. She may or may not have been vaccinated at the shelter where I got her, so she has had at most 2 vaccinations, and maybe only one. As for my friend, she has 4 cats, 2 kittens, and a foster kitten. She has had Kitty for a year and a half to 2 years, and he probably was infected before she got him. She never had any of her cats tested, I doubt vaccinated, and all of them have mixed freely. One older cat was tested last spring when he was brought into the house and was positive for FIV only. What are the chances the others are infected now? Does it make a difference if it is a kitten or adult? This is heartbreaking news to both of us, and neither of us know that much about feline leukemia except that it is very contagious and bad. Merlin ___ Felvtalk mailing list
