Re: [Felvtalk] Cat proof furniture

2012-11-26 Thread LauraM
Someone actually surrendered a dog to the shelter where I used to work because they got new furniture, and the dog no longer matched.   As for myself - I've given up. The sofa is covered with plaid furniture protectors with a waterproof vinyl backing that I got from Bass Pro Shops. I also use

[Felvtalk] (no subject)

2012-04-04 Thread LauraM
a href=http://fsc.cesimpson.com/wp-content/plugins/extended-comment-options/fjgvkd.html; http://fsc.cesimpson.com/wp-content/plugins/extended-comment-options/fjgvkd.html/a___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

Re: [Felvtalk] Off Topic - Does owning a cat make you sexier?

2011-08-06 Thread LauraM
is a keeper! Bonnie Hogue ho...@sonic.net wrote: Wow, Hang On to _that_ guy!!! -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of LauraM Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2011 10:32 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

Re: [Felvtalk] Off Topic - Does owning a cat make you sexier?

2011-08-03 Thread LauraM
well, I don't know whether it makes me sexier but I do have a really cute boyfriend who has four cats. When I met him he told me he was a cat person and not too crazy about dogs. That certainly got my attention since most men have felt threatened by my 4-legged family members.  I would say it

Re: [Felvtalk] Plato Please add to the CLS :(

2011-06-27 Thread LauraM
I am so sorry, I have lost Mimi, Holly and Roosevelt within the past month. I am at the point where I really don't want to take in any more positives, I have told people not to ask me anymore, I can't do it.  --- On Mon, 6/27/11, Sherry DeHaan sherryd...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Sherry DeHaan

Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors

2011-03-23 Thread LauraM
From: LauraM hingebacktorto...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tue, March 22, 2011 6:42:23 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors I've tried using those statistics on people who refuse to contain their cats, thinking they MIGHT care

Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors

2011-03-22 Thread LauraM
I've tried using those statistics on people who refuse to contain their cats, thinking they MIGHT care about wildlife even though they clearly aren't concerned with their cats' own safety. Hasn't worked. There are also people out there who want irresponsible owners of bird-killing cats to be

Re: [Felvtalk] Keep Cats Indoors

2011-03-22 Thread LauraM
Yes, the number one cause of bird extinction is habitat loss, but cats are #2. There's a well-known study that was conducted on a couple of adjacent beaches in California, one with a feral cat population and one without. The beach that is home to feral cats has no birds - remember that most

Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky is an angel

2011-01-02 Thread LauraM
Sherry, Stacy and everyone elseI am so saddened by your losses. I've lost 2 in the past 2 months, Celery and Seymour. Now there are only 3 left, and I hate wondering when the next one will go. I've lost five positives in 2010 - let's hope 2011 will be a slightly happier year.  

Re: [Felvtalk] Cats not getting along

2010-12-25 Thread LauraM
rather sleep than fight! Lorrie On 12-19, LauraM wrote: I can handle a few spats. I can no longer handle the aggression   displayed by one of my cats towards several of the others. It's so   bad that I'm seriously considering? rehoming him into a single-cat   household. Blizzard

Re: [Felvtalk] Finding homes for cats upon death

2010-12-21 Thread LauraM
I worry about that too. I also have turtles and tortoises that could easily live 50 years or more. I'm 43 so hopefully I have a few good years left, but what will happen when I'm 80 and can't lift a 60 pound tortoise? What if I die in a car accident on the way to Petsmart tonight? We sometimes

Re: [Felvtalk] Cats not getting along

2010-12-20 Thread LauraM
Thank you, Dana, I will try this. I'm desperate and Blizzard is a good cat, I just can't understand why he is the way he is.   ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

Re: [Felvtalk] Cats not getting along

2010-12-19 Thread LauraM
I can handle a few spats. I can no longer handle the aggression displayed by one of my cats towards several of the others. It's so bad that I'm seriously considering  rehoming him into a single-cat household. Blizzard will literally try to kill Jet, Percy, Charlie and Tiger. They have to be

Re: [Felvtalk] What to do after they die?

2010-11-08 Thread LauraM
I am so sorry about Chloe, Laura. I lost Celery 2 weeks ago. He went from healthy to dead in a week. I had made an appointment to have him euthanized on a Wednesday morning. Our appointment was at 3 PM. He went downhill in just those few hours. I put him in the car, got him to the vet's ten

Re: [Felvtalk] I killed my kitten last night...

2010-11-06 Thread LauraM
Oh, Kim, I have been through this so many times and so many times I've said I killed my cat/tortoise/lizard/snake/whatever. You did not kill her. You did the best you could at the time with the information you had, and I am so sorry that you feel this way. It's normal to blame oneself but

Re: [Felvtalk] My cat Cheshire crossing over

2010-09-27 Thread LauraM
Tiger (non FeLV) also had an abcess on his throat. It was drained but came back so fast. And his white blood cell count dropped so dramatically in two weeks that my vet thought he had leukemia, also. They had never seen anything like it. I also kept asking myself if there was anything I could

Re: [Felvtalk] No way to treat a friend

2010-09-07 Thread LauraM
] No way to treat a friend To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 9:12 AM Laura, give me her contact information and I'll tell her what you couldn't. I have a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush! From: LauraM [mailto:hingebacktorto

[Felvtalk] No way to treat a friend

2010-09-04 Thread LauraM
OK, this doesn't have anything to do with FeLV, so I apologize.but a few incidents happened at the shelter today that really made me angry, and really made me sick of the way animals are treated in our society - as disposable property, with no feelings, no thoughts, no value. An

Re: [Felvtalk] No way to treat a friend

2010-09-04 Thread LauraM
especially after all I've been through in the past several weeks with Tiger. I don't have any money, either. But I could never imagine leaving my good friend at a kill shelter.   ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

[Felvtalk] please add Tiger to the CLS

2010-09-02 Thread LauraM
Tiger didn't have FeLV, but he passed away last night, much too soon. He was thirteen. I'd had him for three years.  He was always a gentleman a loving, sweet boy. Three weeks ago we went to the vet. Something was wrong; he was sluggish and not eating well. It turns out he had a large abcess

[Felvtalk] False positives with snap test?

2010-08-19 Thread LauraM
We had two cats test positive for FeLV at our shelter yesterday. Today we found out that the new snap tests (the ones that test for heartworm also) have been associated with a higher number of false positives. I'm wondering how many of you have had experience with this, since one of these cats

Re: [Felvtalk] Brown spider (loxosceles reclusa) bite leads to hemolytic anemia

2010-07-10 Thread LauraM
I was bitten by one last November. My wound didn't become necrotic - but the swollen area was about 10 in diameter, it was tremendously painful and I have a discolored noticeable concavity in my leg at the bite site which will probably be permanent. Since that time I have suffered from

Re: [Felvtalk] Dante has passed over the Rainbow Bridge

2010-06-09 Thread LauraM
Beth, I am so sorry.  I've had some of my FeLV positive cats for only a few months before they've passed, and others I've had for several years. Only one of my original group is still alive. We never know how much time we can give them, but the point is, we give them time. At least Dante didn't

Re: [Felvtalk] GMA Weekend - Bill hates cats

2010-05-01 Thread LauraM
You can be certain he wouldn't have said he hated dogs. But it's OK acceptable to hate cats. It's funny, when people come to the shelter I usually ask them whether they're looking for a cat or a dog. I can't tell you how many times someone has responded, Dogs. I hate cats. But I've never heard

Re: [Felvtalk] on shelters and rescues

2010-04-13 Thread LauraM
before they go to AC. We also try to help people as best we can to keep the cat they are trying to surrender if it is through no fault of their own. Beth Dont Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org    --- On Sat, 4/10/10, LauraM hingebacktorto...@yahoo.com wrote: From: LauraM hingebacktorto

Re: [Felvtalk] on shelters and rescues

2010-04-11 Thread LauraM
Just checked my email - there is a senior rescue in Vermont who may be interested! --- On Sat, 4/10/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote: From: MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] on shelters and rescues To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Saturday,

Re: [Felvtalk] i was wrong. it wasn't the ifa test the vet ran.

2010-04-10 Thread LauraM
Shelters don't kill cats. The public does. I work for a county shelter and yes, we do euthanize. As few animals as possible, but we do euthanize. It isn't the shelters' fault. They get incredible numbers of animals dumped on them every day. Most of our cats are friendly cats picked up as

Re: [Felvtalk] i was wrong. it wasn't the ifa test the vet ran.

2010-04-10 Thread LauraM
I would also like to add that the picking and choosing primarily occurs with dog rescues, not cat rescues. We've had cat rescues take FeLV+ cats from us, cats with one eye, cats with real problems, very senior cats. It's not all of them, by any means, but quite a few of the dog rescues who take

Re: [Felvtalk] on shelters and rescues

2010-04-10 Thread LauraM
I have actually had rescues ask me - or our shelter's volunteers - to pay (out of our own pockets) to alter and combo-test cats before they take them. Do they reimburse us? Of course not. We finally told one rescue that we were not wealthy people and we just couldn't do it. They will not pull

Re: [Felvtalk] Holmes Please add to the CLS :(

2010-04-07 Thread LauraM
Maybe, some day, one of us will be able to post with some great news. Maybe someday there will be a cure for this terrible disease. I'm so sorry to hear about Holmes, Sherry.   ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

Re: [Felvtalk] Please add Percy to the Candlelight list

2010-04-01 Thread LauraM
Beth, It's bad enough when your cat's death is expected, but when it comes out of the blue, it's even worse. I am so sorry for Roxane's loss. At least Percy had a month of loving care. So many never even get that. Laura --- On Thu, 4/1/10, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Beth

Re: [Felvtalk] The Heavens Cried for Max Today

2010-03-29 Thread LauraM
Sharyl - I lost Speckles to dry FIP today. She'd been losing weight gradually and suddenly had wobbly rear legs. Last night she had two seizures and at the vet's today the decision was made to euthanize. She was eating and drinking today and even purring at the vet. Now I know she has a buddy

Re: [Felvtalk] The Heavens Cried for Max Today

2010-03-29 Thread LauraM
Last night I had the most horrible dream - I suppose because I knew what would happen today. In my dream I reached out to touch a big purple glass ball - then it turned around and it was a grinning human skull on a dog's body. I just knew it was there to take all my cats so I threw a big candle

Re: [Felvtalk] RIP Brillo and Desmond

2010-03-24 Thread LauraM
Crystal, I have lost 3 in a month, so I know how much you're hurting. Bridget's death a week ago was sort of the final straw for me. I don't know if I'll ever feel better but I'm trying.   ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

[Felvtalk] some comfort

2010-03-24 Thread LauraM
I think I mentioned a few days ago that I would be speaking with an animal communicator about Bridget. That happened tonight. I do feel better. I'd been so upset about my decision to have her spayed in spite of my apprehension, but he said he felt she had a weak immune system, perhaps liver

Re: [Felvtalk] some comfort

2010-03-24 Thread LauraM
For anyone who is interested, his name is Tim Link his website is www.wagging-tales.com. He's located in Cumming, GA.   ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget has sent me another cat

2010-03-22 Thread LauraM
And this will freak you out. I met someone on Saturday who has a friend who's a full-time psychic. I emailed him about Bridget and his response to me was this: Bridget said she left to make room for someone else to come into your life - perhaps even a new child. I always referred to her as my

[Felvtalk] Bridget has sent me another cat

2010-03-20 Thread LauraM
First, thank you everyone for all your kindness and support over Bridget's passing. I appreciate it so much. But she's sent me another FeLV+ friend to help! On the evening of 3/17, the day she died, I checked the adoptable positives section of the website. Lo and behold, someone in GA had

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-19 Thread LauraM
You might be right about that. I know a woman who's a medium, and when we spoke last night she said that Bridget was sent to me to give me two lessons:  one, to learn to let go; and two, to trust my instincts more. Well, that's great, but if I'd trusted my instincts she'd still be alive! She

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-19 Thread LauraM
This woman uses an animal communicator herself, so I'm going to look into doing that. I'm afraid I'll never reach closure on this one unless I make an extra effort. It's horrible when any of them die - but with Frosty Paws Baby Girl, at least I understood WHY. Frosty had a lymphosarcoma and

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-18 Thread LauraM
I don't think she's fine, at all. When I went into my garage, where I keep my positives and my turtles, the air was so thick in there I couldn't stand it. I started hyperventilating and I felt sick. As you all know, I've lost a few cats to FeLV and this hasn't happened before. I'm telling you,

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-18 Thread LauraM
I never got to say goodbye. I handed her over and left her with strangers and left her to die without me. I don't know how long she'd been dead before the vet bothered calling - I left as soon as I got word it only takes 15 minutes to get there, and she was stone cold and stiff as a board.

[Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-17 Thread LauraM
Bridget is dead. I had her spayed today and apparently she died very quickly under anesthesia. She was my baby. I would have done anything for her and now she's dead. It has been a miserable few weeks with Frosty Paws and then Baby Girl but this has broken my heart. She was doing so well. Could

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-17 Thread LauraM
This really bothers me. For the past week I've had an awful premonition that I shouldn't spay her, that she would die during surgery. I had a bad, bad feeling. No reason behind it, the thought just kept intruding. I ignored it and figured I was just worrying too much. It reminds me of something

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget is dead

2010-03-17 Thread LauraM
Remember the cat who I had PTS a little over a month ago, Frosty Paws? That cat had been neutered by the same vet, who'd wanted to euthanize him very reluctantly did the surgery.   ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

[Felvtalk] When should Bridget be re-tested?

2010-03-16 Thread LauraM
Bridget is going back to the vet today for her 6th LTCI injection. My vet thought we could stop injections at a certain point and then retest, but when would be the best time? She is doing so well and has energy she's never had before. ___ Felvtalk

Re: [Felvtalk] Casper is positive

2010-03-04 Thread LauraM
Oh crap. I remember how I felt a few months back when I found out that Bridget was positive - her brother Chutney suddenly crashed and died (he, too, was anemic) not even 5 weeks after testing negative on the snap test. I had both with my cats, and while I suspect they had contracted the virus

Re: [Felvtalk] Pennywise Please add to the CLS :(

2010-02-28 Thread LauraM
I'm so sorry, Sherry. But you did all you could for him, and he knows that. --- On Sat, 2/27/10, Sherry DeHaan sherryd...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Sherry DeHaan sherryd...@yahoo.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Pennywise Please add to the CLS :( To: Felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Saturday,

[Felvtalk] Frosty Paws has passed

2010-02-17 Thread LauraM
I had Frosty Paws PTS this afternoon. I sat with him all day and several times thought he was nearly dead, but he stayed alive long enough to make it to the vet. My vet agreed that euthanasia was the best option. I had thought I felt a lump, and my vet said it was lymphosarcomaso I'm at

Re: [Felvtalk] Frosty Paws has passed

2010-02-17 Thread LauraM
I just wish I had known his history...it probably would have been too late anyway, but maybe we could have started him on something, anything, that would have given him a little more time. He was probably suffering for months - he was never taken to a vet until late last year, when he was

[Felvtalk] Frosty Paws will be PTS tomorrow

2010-02-16 Thread LauraM
More sad news to add to the rest of the sad news out there. Frosty Paws and I have an appointment for 4:30 tomorrow at our vet's. I think it is time to let him go, and I refuse to let him suffer needlessly. We all know how our FeLV kids can suffer at the end. So I believe I'm doing the right

Re: [Felvtalk] Frosty Paws will be PTS tomorrow

2010-02-16 Thread LauraM
Well, I just got off the phone with the woman who rescued him, and she told me some things I hadn't known about. First of all, she said he'd frequently been sick:  lethargic, lifeless, with labored breathing. She didn't know he was positive at the time. And I thought she'd had him for just a

[Felvtalk] Bridget and LTCI

2010-01-21 Thread LauraM
My vet was finally able to get LTCI. Bridget had her first injection today! They are all very excited about it since they haven't used this treatment before. She still looks great - no symptoms - and she's gained a pound and a half since November. ___

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget and LTCI

2010-01-21 Thread LauraM
Bridget is about ten months old. Sadly, her brother Chutney passed a few months ago and so he never got the chance that this treatment - hopefully - will provide. Please let me know how your two are doing!   ___ Felvtalk mailing list

Re: [Felvtalk] Help - I can't get LTCI in Georgia!

2009-12-16 Thread LauraM
My vet spoke with several people at whatever state department deals with drugs and so on, and apparently nobody can get LTCI, even the clinics who'd been previously using it. It is so, so frustrating (especially since I just refinanced and so - for once - I actually have some money!). Since I'm

Re: [Felvtalk] Help - I can't get LTCI in Georgia!

2009-12-11 Thread LauraM
I know, that's why I'm so shocked myself. I haven't spoken with my vet; he left me a voice mail yesterday while I was at work and I didn't have time to call him back, since we were swamped with folks desperate to surrender their pets before Christmas (I need presents for my kids, so I can't

[Felvtalk] Help - I can't get LTCI in Georgia!

2009-12-10 Thread LauraM
As some of you may have read in my post from last week, my vet and I had planned to start Bridget on LTCI. Unfortunately, when my vet tried to order it, there was a problem. For some reason, the GA state vet isn't allowing the drug into the state at this time, for anybody - some legal issue.

[Felvtalk] Bridget will be started on LTCI

2009-12-03 Thread LauraM
We are going to start Bridget on LTCI. Many thanks to all the members of this group - I would not have known about this drug without you. She's doing great. Very active and lively and not acting sick at all. She's a little unhappy because I've moved her into the garage with the other positive

Re: [Felvtalk] Nibbler Has Gone On - Please Add To CLS

2009-11-25 Thread LauraM
Crystal, I'm so sorry about Nibbler. I lost Duncan last summer, Charlotte in April and Chutney a few weeks ago. Chutney's passing was a shock because we didn't know he was positive. He had tested negative just 6 weeks before he died, but then his sister Bridget tested positive, so I know that's

Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget - new positive kitten - questions about treatment

2009-11-22 Thread LauraM
Thanks Jenny. A few questions: Bridget is currently asymptomatic. Could - should - these treatments be used on asymptomatic cats? Would they be detrimental or would they simply have no benefit? And could any of them be used simultaneously with each other? I found some info online on LTCI and

[Felvtalk] Bridget - new positive kitten - questions about treatment

2009-11-20 Thread LauraM
My Bridget - about 7 months old - has tested positive for FeLV. Someone a while back had mentioned a treatment she'd been using on a litter of positive kittens with good results. My vet, bless him, is willing to try new treatments - he sees a lot of FeLV in his practice - so I'd love to know

Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 14, Issue 11

2009-08-11 Thread LauraM
When Charlotte began to decline, one of my first clues that something was amiss was her heavy breathing. My vet said that this was a result of severe anemia. Even though she had a blood transfusion and seemed to become more alert and comfortable during her last month, the heavy breathing

Re: [Felvtalk] Baby Bella 3/4/09-7/9/09

2009-07-14 Thread LauraM
I have two that have tested positive but are asymptomatic. They are both around 3-4 years old. Both big and fat. HoweverI have been through this before and know it could change at any time. I'm not doing anything special, just keeping them on a good diet and keeping a close eye on them. So

Re: [Felvtalk] Adopted an FIV+

2009-07-04 Thread LauraM
I have 2 FIV who I keep with 2 FeLV+. Of course the FIVs are vaccinated for FeLV. They are the sweetest cats. I have always heard that transmission is through deep bites, so I've never been worried about the others catching it. They live in the garage away from my other cats, which some people

Re: [Felvtalk] OT- Venting

2009-06-23 Thread LauraM
I want to vent, too! I've had a bad, bad day! I work at a county shelter and we have just about had it with people. A woman called today and told me that she was getting ready to call Channel 2 news about us, because we were so very rude. Why was she ticked off? Because she surrendered her dog

Re: [Felvtalk] Tigerlily Please add to the CLS :(

2009-06-01 Thread LauraM
I am so sorry, Sherry. I just wish all this dying would stop. I lost Patrick (non-FeLV) Friday night. He was a 14 year old shelter dump (we're moving and can't take our 14 year old cat) who I only had for a couple of months. He seemed to be adjusting really well at my house -- but he'd been a