Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV
Hi, I'm new to this site, and have a question. This past weekend, I answered an ad in the paper for a kitten found in backyard of someone's house. I went to the house, and the man there told me the kitten showed up at his doorstep about 1 month ago. They he had been feeding him, and I saw the food/water bowls outside. He told me he had 2 indoor cats. I saw one of them while I was there. He brought the kitten I adopted inside (it was very friendly, obviously not ferrel) for me to see. I ended up taking the kitten home. He looks like he's about 10-12 weeks old. The next day he called me and told me his 2 indoor cats were FeLV+ and that he lost another cat this past July to FeLV. I asked him if the kitten I took was exposed to his cats, and he said they remained outdoors and separted all the time. However, he did allow the kitten inside when I was there visiting, so I'm not certain I believe him 100%. I will be having the kitten tested Wednesday for FeLV/FIV, and if negative again in 90 days. This kitten is now in my home strictly indoors, with no other animals. My question is this, if the combo tests I have done show up negative, could the kitten still have FeLV lying dormant until something stressful happens to him, or he gets sick with something else? I've read some controversies on the Web, and would like to know what the possibilities are. I had a 19 year old cat that lived her last 4 years with Vaccine Associated Sarcoma, and it was very emotionally draining. She died this past July. I'd like to be sure I start with a healthly kitten, not one that could have this disease lying dormant. Thank you for your time. -MaryAnne - Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
Need Home or Foster Home, Chicago IL
Hello all, I was wondering if you knew of anyone who would be willing to take in a 2 year old FeLV+ cat I adopted. I have two other cats that I do not want to risk exposing, although I may already have. I am in the Chicago area but willing to travel to find her a good home. Any information or other groups, websites you think may help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you D Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=listsid=396545469
RE: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV
MaryAnne, Welcome to this list! I do not currently have an FeLV cat, but from what I've learned, it is rather difficult to transfer. The kitten would need to have come in contact with saliva from those cats or been bitten by them, etc. I would compare it to the difficulty in transferring AIDS from casual contact. Also, most people believe that the virus cannot stay alive very long. What I mean: once the saliva is dry, the virus is dead and non-transferable. I hope that the man is telling the truth when he says that the cats were separated. As for vaccinations, I never vaccinate my cats against FeLV for the very reason you've listed: Vaccine Associated Sarcoma. I'm so sorry you had to go through this! I am terrified that my cats will get that, so I vaccinate as little as possible, and definitely not for FeLV since my cats do not go outside or come in contact with positive cats. As for testing, I think that if your cat tests negative on the IFA (the test the vet's office sends out for) twice, then you should be fine, but I'm not sure. I know that with kittens, they need to be of a certain age before testing is even accurate. Others on this site will know better than I. As for your peace of mind, if your kitten appears healthy right now, I would hope that all is okay. From what I've read on here, kittens with FeLV are very symptomatic. However, I'm not as experienced, so I'm sure that you'll get lots of good advice from others here. What is most important is that you did a wonderful and compassionate thing by taking this baby into your home. Thanks for helping the helpless! Melissa _ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Maryanne Velard Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:18 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV Hi, I'm new to this site, and have a question. This past weekend, I answered an ad in the paper for a kitten found in backyard of someone's house. I went to the house, and the man there told me the kitten showed up at his doorstep about 1 month ago. They he had been feeding him, and I saw the food/water bowls outside. He told me he had 2 indoor cats. I saw one of them while I was there. He brought the kitten I adopted inside (it was very friendly, obviously not ferrel) for me to see. I ended up taking the kitten home. He looks like he's about 10-12 weeks old. The next day he called me and told me his 2 indoor cats were FeLV+ and that he lost another cat this past July to FeLV. I asked him if the kitten I took was exposed to his cats, and he said they remained outdoors and separted all the time. However, he did allow the kitten inside when I was there visiting, so I'm not certain I believe him 100%. I will be having the kitten tested Wednesday for FeLV/FIV, and if negative again in 90 days. This kitten is now in my home strictly indoors, with no other animals. My question is this, if the combo tests I have done show up negative, could the kitten still have FeLV lying dormant until something stressful happens to him, or he gets sick with something else? I've read some controversies on the Web, and would like to know what the possibilities are. I had a 19 year old cat that lived her last 4 years with Vaccine Associated Sarcoma, and it was very emotionally draining. She died this past July. I'd like to be sure I start with a healthly kitten, not one that could have this disease lying dormant. Thank you for your time. -MaryAnne _ Be a better Heartthrob. Get http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48255/*http:/answers.yahoo.com/dir/_ylc=X3oDMTI5 MGx2aThyBF9TAzIxMTU1MDAzNTIEX3MDMzk2NTQ1MTAzBHNlYwNCQUJwaWxsYXJfTklfMzYwBHNs awNQcm9kdWN0X3F1ZXN0aW9uX3BhZ2U-?link=listsid=396545433 better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
RE: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV
Hi, Maryanne -- You'll get some great advice from this bunch, but just a couple things: 1.FeLV isn't as drastically contagious as is often thought. The virus doesn't live long in air, and is mostly transmitted through exchange of bodily fluids, so if the kitten hasn't been eating or fighting with the indoor cats, chances are the kitten is OK, at least as far as contracting it from them; there is still a chance, of course, that it had an FeLV+ mother. 2.I am assuming that you had the IFA test done on the kitten on Wednesday, since you don't yet know the results; the ELISA tests are done in-office so you know right away, but they are much less accurate. Please know that even if positive you should have the kitten retested in 90 days, since sometimes (this is mostly in cases where it was exposed via its mother) kits will test positive but throw the virus later as their immune systems develop. I believe there have been cases of false negatives (but especially in the case of the ELISA tests, far more false positives). I'm sorry for the loss of your old kitty. It's very hard watching them be ill and not being able to help. Diane R. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Maryanne Velard Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:18 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV Hi, I'm new to this site, and have a question. This past weekend, I answered an ad in the paper for a kitten found in backyard of someone's house. I went to the house, and the man there told me the kitten showed up at his doorstep about 1 month ago. They he had been feeding him, and I saw the food/water bowls outside. He told me he had 2 indoor cats. I saw one of them while I was there. He brought the kitten I adopted inside (it was very friendly, obviously not ferrel) for me to see. I ended up taking the kitten home. He looks like he's about 10-12 weeks old. The next day he called me and told me his 2 indoor cats were FeLV+ and that he lost another cat this past July to FeLV. I asked him if the kitten I took was exposed to his cats, and he said they remained outdoors and separted all the time. However, he did allow the kitten inside when I was there visiting, so I'm not certain I believe him 100%. I will be having the kitten tested Wednesday for FeLV/FIV, and if negative again in 90 days. This kitten is now in my home strictly indoors, with no other animals. My question is this, if the combo tests I have done show up negative, could the kitten still have FeLV lying dormant until something stressful happens to him, or he gets sick with something else? I've read some controversies on the Web, and would like to know what the possibilities are. I had a 19 year old cat that lived her last 4 years with Vaccine Associated Sarcoma, and it was very emotionally draining. She died this past July. I'd like to be sure I start with a healthly kitten, not one that could have this disease lying dormant. Thank you for your time. -MaryAnne Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48255/*http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/_ylc=X3o DMTI5MGx2aThyBF9TAzIxMTU1MDAzNTIEX3MDMzk2NTQ1MTAzBHNlYwNCQUJwaWxsYXJfTkl fMzYwBHNsawNQcm9kdWN0X3F1ZXN0aW9uX3BhZ2U-?link=listsid=396545433 from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. 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: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV
Hi Diane - Thank you for the advice. I will be having the kitten tested this Wednesday with the ELISA in the doctor's office test, it has not yet been tested. Should I ask then for the IFA test if comes back negative? I'm not sure the sequence of what to ask for when. I was just wondering if the exposure this little guy had to the indoor FeLV+ cats in the man's home could show up later in life and negative now. Thanks again - MaryAnne Rosenfeldt, Diane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, Maryanne -- You'll get some great advice from this bunch, but just a couple things: 1.FeLV isn't as drastically contagious as is often thought. The virus doesn't live long in air, and is mostly transmitted through exchange of bodily fluids, so if the kitten hasn't been eating or fighting with the indoor cats, chances are the kitten is OK, at least as far as contracting it from them; there is still a chance, of course, that it had an FeLV+ mother. 2.I am assuming that you had the IFA test done on the kitten on Wednesday, since you don't yet know the results; the ELISA tests are done in-office so you know right away, but they are much less accurate. Please know that even if positive you should have the kitten retested in 90 days, since sometimes (this is mostly in cases where it was exposed via its mother) kits will test positive but throw the virus later as their immune systems develop. I believe there have been cases of false negatives (but especially in the case of the ELISA tests, far more false positives). I'm sorry for the loss of your old kitty. It's very hard watching them be ill and not being able to help. Diane R. - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Maryanne Velard Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:18 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV Hi, I'm new to this site, and have a question. This past weekend, I answered an ad in the paper for a kitten found in backyard of someone's house. I went to the house, and the man there told me the kitten showed up at his doorstep about 1 month ago. They he had been feeding him, and I saw the food/water bowls outside. He told me he had 2 indoor cats. I saw one of them while I was there. He brought the kitten I adopted inside (it was very friendly, obviously not ferrel) for me to see. I ended up taking the kitten home. He looks like he's about 10-12 weeks old. The next day he called me and told me his 2 indoor cats were FeLV+ and that he lost another cat this past July to FeLV. I asked him if the kitten I took was exposed to his cats, and he said they remained outdoors and separted all the time. However, he did allow the kitten inside when I was there visiting, so I'm not certain I believe him 100%. I will be having the kitten tested Wednesday for FeLV/FIV, and if negative again in 90 days. This kitten is now in my home strictly indoors, with no other animals. My question is this, if the combo tests I have done show up negative, could the kitten still have FeLV lying dormant until something stressful happens to him, or he gets sick with something else? I've read some controversies on the Web, and would like to know what the possibilities are. I had a 19 year old cat that lived her last 4 years with Vaccine Associated Sarcoma, and it was very emotionally draining. She died this past July. I'd like to be sure I start with a healthly kitten, not one that could have this disease lying dormant. Thank you for your time. -MaryAnne - Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. 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. - Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
RE: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV
I thought you had already had the kitty tested, sorry. You might not even want to bother with the ELISA, actually, since it is not that accurate either way. I have limited experience but if it were me, knowing what I do now, I'd go straight for the IFA, and then have another IFA in 3 months or so, either way. Sometimes the disease is dormant in the bone marrow for many years, but if I recall correctly, the IFA should show whether the kitten has it in his bone marrow at all. Diane From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Maryanne Velard Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:51 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV Hi Diane - Thank you for the advice. I will be having the kitten tested this Wednesday with the ELISA in the doctor's office test, it has not yet been tested. Should I ask then for the IFA test if comes back negative? I'm not sure the sequence of what to ask for when. I was just wondering if the exposure this little guy had to the indoor FeLV+ cats in the man's home could show up later in life and negative now. Thanks again - MaryAnne Rosenfeldt, Diane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, Maryanne -- You'll get some great advice from this bunch, but just a couple things: 1.FeLV isn't as drastically contagious as is often thought. The virus doesn't live long in air, and is mostly transmitted through exchange of bodily fluids, so if the kitten hasn't been eating or fighting with the indoor cats, chances are the kitten is OK, at least as far as contracting it from them; there is still a chance, of course, that it had an FeLV+ mother. 2.I am assuming that you had the IFA test done on the kitten on Wednesday, since you don't yet know the results; the ELISA tests are done in-office so you know right away, but they are much less accurate. Please know that even if positive you should have the kitten retested in 90 days, since sometimes (this is mostly in cases where it was exposed via its mother) kits will test positive but throw the virus later as their immune systems develop. I believe there have been cases of false negatives (but especially in the case of the ELISA tests, far more false positives). I'm sorry for the loss of your old kitty. It's very hard watching them be ill and not being able to help. Diane R. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Maryanne Velard Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:18 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Kitten potentially exposed to FeLV Hi, I'm new to this site, and have a question. This past weekend, I answered an ad in the paper for a kitten found in backyard of someone's house. I went to the house, and the man there told me the kitten showed up at his doorstep about 1 month ago. They he had been feeding him, and I saw the food/water bowls outside. He told me he had 2 indoor cats. I saw one of them while I was there. He brought the kitten I adopted inside (it was very friendly, obviously not ferrel) for me to see. I ended up taking the kitten home. He looks like he's about 10-12 weeks old. The next day he called me and told me his 2 indoor cats were FeLV+ and that he lost another cat this past July to FeLV. I asked him if the kitten I took was exposed to his cats, and he said they remained outdoors and separted all the time. However, he did allow the kitten inside when I was there visiting, so I'm not certain I believe him 100%. I will be having the kitten tested Wednesday for FeLV/FIV, and if negative again in 90 days. This kitten is now in my home strictly indoors, with no other animals. My question is this, if the combo tests I have done show up negative, could the kitten still have FeLV lying dormant until something stressful happens to him, or he gets sick with something else? I've read some controversies on the Web, and would like to know what the possibilities are. I had a 19 year old cat that lived her last 4 years with Vaccine Associated Sarcoma, and it was very emotionally draining. She died this past July. I'd like to be sure I start with a healthly kitten, not one that could have this disease lying dormant. Thank you for your time. -MaryAnne Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48255/*http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/_ylc=X3o DMTI5MGx2aThyBF9TAzIxMTU1MDAzNTIEX3MDMzk2NTQ1MTAzBHNlYwNCQUJwaWxsYXJfTkl fMzYwBHNsawNQcm9kdWN0X3F1ZXN0aW9uX3BhZ2U-?link=listsid=396545433 from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged.They should be read or
RE: Need Home or Foster Home, Chicago IL
Welcome Dawn, I was in your place in April. I already had 3 cats (not FeLV+), but I took in a stray who was positive. I kept him in our home office room since I don't mix the positives and negatives. I did a lot of work looking for a home for him. I spent days on the computer emailing different places. Eventually, he was accepted at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah for their FeLV building. He is now a very happy kitty and very spoiled there with other FeLV kitties. So, you might try contacting them. I don't have the name of my contact handy, but when I get home (I'm at work), I'll try to find it for you. In the meantime, here's their website: http://www.bestfriends.org http://www.bestfriends.org/ Also, there's a place in Minnesota (Minneapolis) that has a haven for FeLV kitties. I'll work on finding that place for you since they are much closer than Utah. However, I did not have luck with them returning my calls. Bless you for taking care of an FeLV+ kitty, and I hope you are able to find a home for he/she. What's the name? Melissa _ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dawn Morrison Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 11:29 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Need Home or Foster Home, Chicago IL Hello all, I was wondering if you knew of anyone who would be willing to take in a 2 year old FeLV+ cat I adopted. I have two other cats that I do not want to risk exposing, although I may already have. I am in the Chicago area but willing to travel to find her a good home. Any information or other groups, websites you think may help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you D _ Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48223/*http:/get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gameke y=monopolyherenow Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games.
