[Felvtalk] CBCs-Rosie and Murphy/Autumn update
Alice I am so happy for you and your two little ones. They are looking better both clinically and with respect to the lab values. That's fantastic I am so happy you started early with them. That seems to be their best chance at responding. I have heard a number of individuals whose cats turned negative after a few months of treatment. I really hope all continues to go well, please keep us updated. A quick note on Autumn. Her clinical symptoms continue to improve. She is eating very well, drinking and her energy is still improving. She looks more and more like herself everyday. I wish, however, that I had not waited so long. Her CBC is showing an increase in reticulocytes, lymphocytes and platelets. I may, however, have waited too long as there is some indication of MDS - it is basically red blood cells, platelets and neutrophils that are sickly - they don't develop properly and can lead to leukemia. I am hoping that I didn't wait too long and that she can overcome this. Potentially it is because her red blood cells are trying so hard to replicate that they look abnormal or it may be more serious. So her saga continues, but a single injection monthly is far less traumatic, painful and expensive than treating with all the other things normally associated with this disease. I will continue to give the injections, ambrotose and most importantly prayer. God bless you and your sweet little angels. Jenny P.S. Please do not be disheartened by the words of discouragement I have read in this forum recently. I do not understand it. I believe that sometimes the only thing that pulls us through is hope. Don't give up on that. If we never try, we will always fail. On Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 8:00 PM, Hotmail Junk cstet...@hotmail.com wrote: WONDERFUL! Sent from my iPhone On Oct 2, 2009, at 4:53 PM, Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net wrote: Our vet just called-the blood tests results from this morning are back and they are both improving! Rosie's platelets are in the normal range too! She said there is a buzz in the office and they have been telling their other patients about this product and how it appears promising. We will retest in 2 weeks and will be cutting down from once weekly injections. This one tonight will only be the 3rd one. We are following the manufacturer's protocol to be sure it is effective. We did not wait for them to crash before starting the treatments, hoping to get months, not weeks-but it is looking better than that, but I am afraid to hope for too much-I am grateful for every healthy appearing day. ___ 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 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary
THANKYOU.CATHY --- On Fri, 10/2/09, Stray Cat Alliance stray_cat_allia...@hotmail.com wrote: From: Stray Cat Alliance stray_cat_allia...@hotmail.com Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Friday, October 2, 2009, 11:12 AM Here here! I wish we would no longer test at all. If a cat is sick, they are sick. Treat that. It just seems like cats always get the short end of every stick - while I love dogs - they are much higher up the totem pole than cats, who are way down at the bottom. Why don't we declaw dogs? Or test them for parvo - or whatever? _ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd_062009 ___ 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] PA Sanctuary
I agree - didn't used to, but after living with FELV and FIV and normal cats for several years, I really think that's a better approach. Gloria On Oct 5, 2009, at 11:55 AM, CATHERINE DIDONNA wrote: THANKYOU.CATHY --- On Fri, 10/2/09, Stray Cat Alliance stray_cat_allia...@hotmail.com wrote: From: Stray Cat Alliance stray_cat_allia...@hotmail.com Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Friday, October 2, 2009, 11:12 AM Here here! I wish we would no longer test at all. If a cat is sick, they are sick. Treat that. It just seems like cats always get the short end of every stick - while I love dogs - they are much higher up the totem pole than cats, who are way down at the bottom. Why don't we declaw dogs? Or test them for parvo - or whatever? _ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd_062009 ___ 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 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary
amazing how things change when you learn the facts, isn't it? sometimes it amazes me to realize that even less than ten years ago i actually thought that a positive outdoor kitty breathing through a screen door at the housecats could infect them. On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:40 PM, Gloria B. Lane gbl...@aristotle.net wrote: I agree - didn't used to, but after living with FELV and FIV and normal cats for several years, I really think that's a better approach. Gloria -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary
Ten years ago that's what the vet would have told you...I know, because they did! Debbie (COL) Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle Philo From: twelvehousec...@gmail.com Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 16:18:25 -0400 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary amazing how things change when you learn the facts, isn't it? sometimes it amazes me to realize that even less than ten years ago i actually thought that a positive outdoor kitty breathing through a screen door at the housecats could infect them. On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:40 PM, Gloria B. Lane gbl...@aristotle.net wrote: I agree - didn't used to, but after living with FELV and FIV and normal cats for several years, I really think that's a better approach. Gloria -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ Windows Live: Friends get your Flickr, Yelp, and Digg updates when they e-mail you. http://www.microsoft.com/middleeast/windows/windowslive/see-it-in-action/social-network-basics.aspx?ocid=PID23461::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-xm:SI_SB_3:092010 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] PA Sanctuary
the problem is that way too many still DO! but you know that. -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive...
Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for the last day or two reading your posts. My darling Sylvia, the first cat I have owned as an adult, just tested positive for FLV on both the in-office and IFA tests. She's one of my best friends and I'm devastated; she was negative as a kitten and has lived inside for most of her life (as a little baby, she was a stray-- I adopted her from the SPCA at five months, and I know she was there for a while before I adopted her). She was given a confident all-clear by my former vet to move with me to Massachusetts and live in a multiple-cat household less than three months ago. Upon moving, it became obvious that Sylvia doesn't like being left alone in the apartment for long periods of time (prior to our move, we lived with my retired parents and their two dogs so she was almost never home alone). I decided to adopt a kitten, Beatrice, a few weeks after we moved in, after Sylvia had gotten comfortable in the apartment. So when Sylvia started meowing strangely and acting a little lethargic, I assumed it was a kitty flu but took her to the vet anyway, just to be safe, and tested her just to be absolutely sure she was still negative. What a horrible surprise. She's been living with Bea for a month or two now and they're best friends; they wrestle all the time, share food bowls, groom each other, etc. I feel sick with guilt about bringing a young kitten into a house with a FLV+ cat, and now chances are I have two positive cats to care for. Our current vet is wonderful, though, and she feels that if we vaccinate Bea ASAP and keep a close eye on Sylvia (treating her problems as they arise), there's a good chance we can keep both of them healthy for a long time. She says she has other patients and co-workers with FLV+ and negative cats living in the same household who never pass it to each other. I'm feeding them a mix of Wellness and Innova ENVO and giving the kitten multivitamins to boost her immune system and help her fight off the exposure. I'm a young graduate student in an MA/PhD program and I don't have a ton of money. These kitties had been the most stable thing in my life and this diagnosis is totally eating me up, from the inside out. I love them to pieces and want to be the best cat-parent I can to my girls (having chronic illnesses myself that significantly increase my risk of certain health problems, I'm as empathic about this as anyone). The horrible potential of this disease breaks my heart every time I think about it. My childhood cat passed away a few months before I got Sylvia, and I can't bear to lose another one like that (he was very sick for a long time before he died, but we don't know what it was. Could've been FLV or FIV; he wasn't tested every year, though he was vaccinated. He was indoor/outdoor and a fighter). What do you wish you had known when your cat was first diagnosed, if anything? If there is any advice people have, I would appreciate it, and as I gain experience caring for my girls I will share what has worked and what hasn't with anyone who asks. Many thanks and best wishes to you and your families, furry and otherwise. Anna ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive...
If you have access to a holistic vet, check in with her/him. Mine, Betty Boswell, kept Dixie Louise healthy and happy. Betty works well with my regular vets who are wonderful too. The combination worked miracles for three absolutely wonderful years then something through Dixie into anemia in a matter of a couple of days and she left this world. There are a number of supplements, including colostrum, that the holistic recommend. Provide the best food you can (it sounds like you are doing this) and all the love you have. Do not count the days or look at a calendar. You do not know the future. You, as well as the cats, started dying the day you were born. We all are going to die sometime. Accept it and live and enjoy every day you have with your wonderful family. I learned a lot from the Royal Princess Kitty Katt (who died from non-FeLV cancer) and Dixie Louise Doodle Katt, JP. The ability to recognize the mortality of ourselves and those we love is difficult but, when done, frees us to love so much more completely and without fear of the future. Bless you and your little friends. On Oct 5, 2009, at 4:11 PM, Anna Waltman wrote: Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for the last day or two reading your posts. My darling Sylvia, the first cat I have owned as an adult, just tested positive for FLV on both the in-office and IFA tests. She's one of my best friends and I'm devastated; she was negative as a kitten and has lived inside for most of her life (as a little baby, she was a stray-- I adopted her from the SPCA at five months, and I know she was there for a while before I adopted her). She was given a confident all-clear by my former vet to move with me to Massachusetts and live in a multiple-cat household less than three months ago. Upon moving, it became obvious that Sylvia doesn't like being left alone in the apartment for long periods of time (prior to our move, we lived with my retired parents and their two dogs so she was almost never home alone). I decided to adopt a kitten, Beatrice, a few weeks after we moved in, after Sylvia had gotten comfortable in the apartment. So when Sylvia started meowing strangely and acting a little lethargic, I assumed it was a kitty flu but took her to the vet anyway, just to be safe, and tested her just to be absolutely sure she was still negative. What a horrible surprise. She's been living with Bea for a month or two now and they're best friends; they wrestle all the time, share food bowls, groom each other, etc. I feel sick with guilt about bringing a young kitten into a house with a FLV+ cat, and now chances are I have two positive cats to care for. Our current vet is wonderful, though, and she feels that if we vaccinate Bea ASAP and keep a close eye on Sylvia (treating her problems as they arise), there's a good chance we can keep both of them healthy for a long time. She says she has other patients and co-workers with FLV+ and negative cats living in the same household who never pass it to each other. I'm feeding them a mix of Wellness and Innova ENVO and giving the kitten multivitamins to boost her immune system and help her fight off the exposure. I'm a young graduate student in an MA/PhD program and I don't have a ton of money. These kitties had been the most stable thing in my life and this diagnosis is totally eating me up, from the inside out. I love them to pieces and want to be the best cat-parent I can to my girls (having chronic illnesses myself that significantly increase my risk of certain health problems, I'm as empathic about this as anyone). The horrible potential of this disease breaks my heart every time I think about it. My childhood cat passed away a few months before I got Sylvia, and I can't bear to lose another one like that (he was very sick for a long time before he died, but we don't know what it was. Could've been FLV or FIV; he wasn't tested every year, though he was vaccinated. He was indoor/outdoor and a fighter). What do you wish you had known when your cat was first diagnosed, if anything? If there is any advice people have, I would appreciate it, and as I gain experience caring for my girls I will share what has worked and what hasn't with anyone who asks. Many thanks and best wishes to you and your families, furry and otherwise. Anna ___ 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 to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive...
Sorry your kitty has tested positive. Since you are considering vaccinating Bea, are you assuming she is still/originally negative?Perhaps, it was Bea who infected Sylvia, you should test Bea ASAP. Since I started to take in FeLV cats, I have had two young adults and one kitten manage to throw off the virus and now test negative. Although, my understanding is that once they test positive on the IFA test, converting to negative is very rare. If it was Sylvia who had it in the first place and the kitten has been with her for two months and doesn't have it, she probably won't get it, but I would still vaccinate if she is negative. It takes a series of two shots and about 4 or 5 weeks to develop the full immunity the vaccine gives. There are a lot of things out there that people are using for immune boosters and you can see some of the treatment things on the website, some are available and some are not, forget Staph Protein A, you can't get it. I have tried Immuno Regulin and it didn't help my guys. Best Friends in Utah uses it as a immune booster once a month administered Sub-Q. Since I have it, I have been considering giving it a try. It is very hard to determine if something you are using as an immune booster is actually doing anything. I am presently trying Acemannan on a couple of new positive kittens I have, we will see how that works. The best thing to give them is a good diet, low stress, plenty of love and vet quickly if they appear sick. After losing four to a very fast moving anemia, I check their gums frequently for signs of anemia. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Anna Waltman Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 4:12 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive... Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for the last day or two reading your posts. My darling Sylvia, the first cat I have owned as an adult, just tested positive for FLV on both the in-office and IFA tests. She's one of my best friends and I'm devastated; she was negative as a kitten and has lived inside for most of her life (as a little baby, she was a stray-- I adopted her from the SPCA at five months, and I know she was there for a while before I adopted her). She was given a confident all-clear by my former vet to move with me to Massachusetts and live in a multiple-cat household less than three months ago. Upon moving, it became obvious that Sylvia doesn't like being left alone in the apartment for long periods of time (prior to our move, we lived with my retired parents and their two dogs so she was almost never home alone). I decided to adopt a kitten, Beatrice, a few weeks after we moved in, after Sylvia had gotten comfortable in the apartment. So when Sylvia started meowing strangely and acting a little lethargic, I assumed it was a kitty flu but took her to the vet anyway, just to be safe, and tested her just to be absolutely sure she was still negative. What a horrible surprise. She's been living with Bea for a month or two now and they're best friends; they wrestle all the time, share food bowls, groom each other, etc. I feel sick with guilt about bringing a young kitten into a house with a FLV+ cat, and now chances are I have two positive cats to care for. Our current vet is wonderful, though, and she feels that if we vaccinate Bea ASAP and keep a close eye on Sylvia (treating her problems as they arise), there's a good chance we can keep both of them healthy for a long time. She says she has other patients and co-workers with FLV+ and negative cats living in the same household who never pass it to each other. I'm feeding them a mix of Wellness and Innova ENVO and giving the kitten multivitamins to boost her immune system and help her fight off the exposure. I'm a young graduate student in an MA/PhD program and I don't have a ton of money. These kitties had been the most stable thing in my life and this diagnosis is totally eating me up, from the inside out. I love them to pieces and want to be the best cat-parent I can to my girls (having chronic illnesses myself that significantly increase my risk of certain health problems, I'm as empathic about this as anyone). The horrible potential of this disease breaks my heart every time I think about it. My childhood cat passed away a few months before I got Sylvia, and I can't bear to lose another one like that (he was very sick for a long time before he died, but we don't know what it was. Could've been FLV or FIV; he wasn't tested every year, though he was vaccinated. He was indoor/outdoor and a fighter). What do you wish you had known when your cat was first diagnosed, if anything? If there is any advice people have, I would appreciate it, and as I gain experience caring for my girls I will share what has worked and what hasn't with anyone who asks. Many thanks and best wishes to
Re: [Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive...
Hi Anna I can identify with your devastation and can understand the fear and uncertainty around the diagnosis of a best friend. Most of us have been there. The statistics fluctuate, but it has been reported that 80% of cats have a natural immunity to FLV, and if you read the archives on this list you will discover that transmission is not as certain as was once believed although all of us living with FLV kitties know that one time is enough. My advice would be to research supplements that will boost their immune system and feed them the best diet you can. I think I've been able to bring a formally mistreated kitten (she was thrown from the window of a moving truck onto the porch of a 100+ cat home/shelter) back from the brink because she feels so loved and cared for, that she is 'not going anywhere' if she can help it. As we all know, a lot of love and care helps 'a body'. Because she was so highly symptomatic at one time, we are giving her an on again off dose of Interferon, which some people feel is cruel because of side effects. Our kitten plays and eats with abandon so I am reluctant to change anything that is keeping her well and side effects are impossible to imagine. You'll get good advise here. Mine would be to keep their immune systems tuned (DMG liquid is one I use) be careful of stress and just love them. I know I am nuts, but I do bliss therapy sessions daily. I make sure that she gets to sit in my lap and purr as loudly as she can for 10 minute intervals. I've concocted the notion that the purring is helping her heal and so far, it is working. You will get over the shock and will discover that they have a lot to teach us about 'present time' and that love never is subject,object. Welcome to the three of you ! Jane On Oct 5, 2009, at 5:11 PM, Anna Waltman wrote: Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for the last day or two reading your posts. My darling Sylvia, the first cat I have owned as an adult, just tested positive for FLV on both the in-office and IFA tests. She's one of my best friends and I'm devastated; she was negative as a kitten and has lived inside for most of her life (as a little baby, she was a stray-- I adopted her from the SPCA at five months, and I know she was there for a while before I adopted her). She was given a confident all-clear by my former vet to move with me to Massachusetts and live in a multiple-cat household less than three months ago. Upon moving, it became obvious that Sylvia doesn't like being left alone in the apartment for long periods of time (prior to our move, we lived with my retired parents and their two dogs so she was almost never home alone). I decided to adopt a kitten, Beatrice, a few weeks after we moved in, after Sylvia had gotten comfortable in the apartment. So when Sylvia started meowing strangely and acting a little lethargic, I assumed it was a kitty flu but took her to the vet anyway, just to be safe, and tested her just to be absolutely sure she was still negative. What a horrible surprise. She's been living with Bea for a month or two now and they're best friends; they wrestle all the time, share food bowls, groom each other, etc. I feel sick with guilt about bringing a young kitten into a house with a FLV+ cat, and now chances are I have two positive cats to care for. Our current vet is wonderful, though, and she feels that if we vaccinate Bea ASAP and keep a close eye on Sylvia (treating her problems as they arise), there's a good chance we can keep both of them healthy for a long time. She says she has other patients and co-workers with FLV + and negative cats living in the same household who never pass it to each other. I'm feeding them a mix of Wellness and Innova ENVO and giving the kitten multivitamins to boost her immune system and help her fight off the exposure. I'm a young graduate student in an MA/PhD program and I don't have a ton of money. These kitties had been the most stable thing in my life and this diagnosis is totally eating me up, from the inside out. I love them to pieces and want to be the best cat-parent I can to my girls (having chronic illnesses myself that significantly increase my risk of certain health problems, I'm as empathic about this as anyone). The horrible potential of this disease breaks my heart every time I think about it. My childhood cat passed away a few months before I got Sylvia, and I can't bear to lose another one like that (he was very sick for a long time before he died, but we don't know what it was. Could've been FLV or FIV; he wasn't tested every year, though he was vaccinated. He was indoor/outdoor and a fighter). What do you wish you had known when your cat was first diagnosed, if anything? If there is any advice people have, I would appreciate it, and as I gain experience caring for my girls I will share what has worked and what hasn't
Re: [Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive...
Most important thing I wish I had known was NOT to panic. My Tucson was 5 years old before she was diagnosed and had been around my other cats exactly like Sylvia has been with Bea. That was 5 1/2 years ago and so far, everybody is just fine. No one but Tucson tested positive. I feed them all Wellnes food as well and basically, they live a pretty stress free life--LOL. It sounds like you have a really good vet and that's half the battle. Watch for early signs of any sort of infection, cold, etc. Christiane Biagi -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Anna Waltman Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 5:12 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive... Hi everyone, I've been lurking around for the last day or two reading your posts. My darling Sylvia, the first cat I have owned as an adult, just tested positive for FLV on both the in-office and IFA tests. She's one of my best friends and I'm devastated; she was negative as a kitten and has lived inside for most of her life (as a little baby, she was a stray-- I adopted her from the SPCA at five months, and I know she was there for a while before I adopted her). She was given a confident all-clear by my former vet to move with me to Massachusetts and live in a multiple-cat household less than three months ago. Upon moving, it became obvious that Sylvia doesn't like being left alone in the apartment for long periods of time (prior to our move, we lived with my retired parents and their two dogs so she was almost never home alone). I decided to adopt a kitten, Beatrice, a few weeks after we moved in, after Sylvia had gotten comfortable in the apartment. So when Sylvia started meowing strangely and acting a little lethargic, I assumed it was a kitty flu but took her to the vet anyway, just to be safe, and tested her just to be absolutely sure she was still negative. What a horrible surprise. She's been living with Bea for a month or two now and they're best friends; they wrestle all the time, share food bowls, groom each other, etc. I feel sick with guilt about bringing a young kitten into a house with a FLV+ cat, and now chances are I have two positive cats to care for. Our current vet is wonderful, though, and she feels that if we vaccinate Bea ASAP and keep a close eye on Sylvia (treating her problems as they arise), there's a good chance we can keep both of them healthy for a long time. She says she has other patients and co-workers with FLV+ and negative cats living in the same household who never pass it to each other. I'm feeding them a mix of Wellness and Innova ENVO and giving the kitten multivitamins to boost her immune system and help her fight off the exposure. I'm a young graduate student in an MA/PhD program and I don't have a ton of money. These kitties had been the most stable thing in my life and this diagnosis is totally eating me up, from the inside out. I love them to pieces and want to be the best cat-parent I can to my girls (having chronic illnesses myself that significantly increase my risk of certain health problems, I'm as empathic about this as anyone). The horrible potential of this disease breaks my heart every time I think about it. My childhood cat passed away a few months before I got Sylvia, and I can't bear to lose another one like that (he was very sick for a long time before he died, but we don't know what it was. Could've been FLV or FIV; he wasn't tested every year, though he was vaccinated. He was indoor/outdoor and a fighter). What do you wish you had known when your cat was first diagnosed, if anything? If there is any advice people have, I would appreciate it, and as I gain experience caring for my girls I will share what has worked and what hasn't with anyone who asks. Many thanks and best wishes to you and your families, furry and otherwise. Anna ___ 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
