[Felvtalk] Autumn the cat
My cat Autumn died last night due to complications arising from Feline Leukemia. She was four years old. In her short life she was a joy to us, a beautiful, highly intelligent little cat. I can't believe she's gone. I had almost fooled myself into believing that I might get to keep her for a very long time, but the disease won. We are grief-stricken. I joined this list in 2007 after searching everywhere for information and support for FELV owners. I'm so glad it exists. I've drawn a lot of support and knowledge over the years - even when just lurking. I just wanted to add Autumn to the list. She was precious, loved to cuddle, watch Baby Einstein and steal pizza. My home will be so empty without her. I love you, baby girl. ~Susan Ang ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Cat Bite
Wash the wound with antibiotic soap and keep antibiotic ointment on it. Also treat with hot compresses. It will draw white blood cells to the area. The Dr told me to do this. Autumn bit the fire out of me when I was 6 months pregnant. My hand swelled up and was red and sore. I never developed streaks, but went to Urgent Care for antibiotics. Make sure you eat your yogurt, if you get them. They are STRONG. FELV + have filthy mouths:-/ I also urge you not to tell them that it was your cat. Just emphasize that said cat had it's rabies shot. ~Susan A Sent from my iPhone On Jun 4, 2011, at 8:07 AM, Jannes Taylor jannestay...@yahoo.com wrote: Last night I had Amber in my lap upstairs. I am trying to get her use to seeing the other cats and use to the upstairs life. I had the IFA test performed by another vet and will hear from it next week. I am being optimistic so I wanted to get a head start on getting her acclamated. My youngest cat Moses decided to suddenly jump in my lap with her and Amber freaked out! In the process of holding on to her she bit me very hard on my hand. It hurt so bad and still does. It is red and slightly swollen. My husband thinks I am being paranoid about it, but I had a friend who almost lost his arm due to infection from a cat bite. Should I visit the doctor?? Jannes ___ 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] yearly vaccinations for FeLv+ cats
Autumn bites so we did the two year rabies shot for her. She was slightly sick for a couple of days, but came out fine. Her vet said that if she handled that well that he wanted to do distemper. I am not going to schedule that because we almost lost her twice as a kitten and I think it was the distemper shot that did it. She was on antibiotics for almost a month! I know the vets push for vaccinations, but rabies is all I will consider. I wouldn't even do that, but I don't want to chance her biting someone and not having it. ~Susan On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 6:02 PM, Cougar Clan maima...@duo-county.comwrote: I have not reached that point with Copper and Thomas yet (they are FeLV-) but I will not do a lot of vaccines. The ones they got as kittens were spread out instead of being lumped in one or two visits. No animal of mine who is immune system compromised will be vaccinated for anything. Mai Mai Puppy had Auto Immune Hemophilic Anemia and wasn't vaccinated after diagnosis; The Royal Princess Kitty Katt (cancer) wasn't and Dixie (FeLV+) wasn't. I have to figure the odds of them contracting something vs the possible harm of the vaccinations. On May 12, 2009, at 12:00 PM, souther...@aol.com wrote: It's time for the General's yearly checkup. I've had him for 2 years. He's had a rabies shot and a calici virus shot and FVRCP booster when I got him and then the next year as well. I'm not a big vaccination person, I no longer allow my dog to be vaccinated. This cat was a stray, and he is now a 100% indoor cat. I'm thinking I should ask the vet to titer him. I just don't feel good about giving vaccinations to an immune compromised cat. What do you folks do? Sidney and the General ** A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! ( http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221322936x1201367173/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx ?sc=668072amp;hmpgID=115amp; bcd=Mayfooter51209NO115) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org Marylyn, Copper Thomas ___ 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] Please add Charlotte to the CLS
Laura, I'm so sorry for your loss of beautiful Charlotte. My thoughts are with you. :-( Sleep Sweet, Baby Girl. ~Susan On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:51 PM, Laura Mostello hingebacktorto...@yahoo.com wrote: Charlotte has just passed away. I came home from work, went into her room and she was lying on her side, crying and breathing heavily. I ran and let my dogs out, came back to her and held her for what turned out to be about 4 hours. She gradually slowed down, but was responding to my voice for quite a while. Eventually that stopped and I knew she was probably unconscious. She passed at the stroke of midnight, and I know it sounds crazy, but I immediately felt so calm - I can only explain it by saying that as soon as she died I physically felt her suffering end. It was so strange. I am sitting here crying as I write this even though I know it's better and she won't be in pain any more. But she'd been doing so well and eating like a pig. Just this morning she was stuffing her face with chicken. So I thought that maybe I could have her with me for just a while longer, and just maybe she'd be one who survived despite the odds. Guess I was wrong. I hate this disease. Thanks everyone for all your help. Laura ___ 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] Wilson and I
I have to say that Nutrical was invaluable to us in saving Autumn's life. She couldn't keep anything down and everytime she had diarrhea, she also vomited. Nutrical and Pedialyte kept her hydrated and nourished. I am sure that without it we would have lost her. Of course, we got her back on her Evo and prescription soft food as soon as she could keep it down. My mother also used Nutrical as a suplement for a 20 year old cat. She lived to be 24! Not all cats like it though. ~Susan Sent from my iPhone On Apr 24, 2009, at 9:33 AM, Diane Rosenfeldt drosenfe...@wi.rr.com wrote: This was definitely the case with my Luc, who stopped eating and we didn't notice right away (4 other cats free-feeding from same bowls). Still don't know if it was some sort of pancreatitis or what. Finally noticed he wasn't himself, took to high-class emergency vet 20 miles away for tests -- hepatic lipidosis. We had an esophageal tube inserted and fed him A/D from the vet's office watered down and blendered, which we alternately syringed and spooned down the tube using a small funnel (it was really easy for one slightly larger bit of food to block the syringe). This went on for a few days and then he started licking A/D off a spoon. We still tube-fed him for another couple days but his appetite picked right up. From another list I'm on, I understand that for newborns at least, corn syrup (most often rubbed on their gums) is a zero-energy-expending way for them to get some nourishment. I wonder if that is the rationale behind the Nutrical formula? Diane R. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Sharyl Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 9:12 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Wilson and I Judy, I don't want to get into a food fight with Karen but Nutri-Cal should not be used as a replacement for food. Here are the ingredients from Doctors Foster and Smith web site. Regular Nutri-Cal Ingredients: Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil, Malt Syrup, Cod Liver Oil, Cane Molasses, Methylcellulose, Water, Gelatin By-products, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Manganese Sulfate, Iron Peptonate, Thiamine HCl, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate (Source of Calcium and Pantothenic Acid), Magnesium Sulfate, Pyridoxine HCl, Vitamin A Palmitate D3 supplement, Potassium Iodide (Source of Iodine and Potassium), Riboflavin5, Phosphate Sodium (Source of Vitamin B2 and Phosphorus), Folic Acid and Cyancobalamin (Vitamin B12). As you can see the primary ingredient is corn oil. A much better choice for short term assistance is meat baby food. A jar of Gerber 2 Chicken and Gravy has 100 calories. Try to work up to 200 calories per day with Wilson. The only way to know for sure if he is getting enough calories is to weigh him regularly on a good digital postal or baby scale. Most pate style canned foods can be blended with a little liquid and are easily syringed. My Pequita, CRF, prefers her food offered on a baby spoon. She wont eat off her plate but I am able to maintain her body wt. by offering her food several times per day on her baby spoon. Each kitty is unique. You just need to find the feeding method that works best for Wilson. May kitties will start eating on their own again once they feel better. Sharyl --- On Fri, 4/24/09, Karen Griffith griff...@frognet.net wrote: From: Karen Griffith griff...@frognet.net Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Wilson and I To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Friday, April 24, 2009, 2:58 AM Judy, It is great that you are getting some food down him. You can also syringe feed Nutrical (can get from your vet or order online, but vet would be best bet due to delay for shipping), though they usually lap it up themselves if they are not in too bad of shape. About 3cc twice/day will do wonders, and can be used for a total food replacement in totally anorexic cats. The B-complex vitamins in it will also stimulate appetite. 3cc once/day will do if they are eating anything at all (10 lb. cat). Since you are a nurse, you will also easily be able to give him sub/cutanious fluids. It is important that his fluid and electrolytes are sufficient. Lactated Ringers are better than saline, due to the extra electrolytes. About 100cc/day with an 18 g needle will help. May need to put it in 2 injection sites. As a rule of thumb, don't get a bigger bubble of fluids under the skin that a 10 year old child can cup in their hand. Wishing you good luck. Sounds like you are making progress. I just got back in the house, and will be online for a while longer. You can email me at griff...@frognet.net if you have questions. I am rural as well and on dial up. If I receive your email, I can go off-line and give you a call. Karen Griffith - Original Message - From: Judy Eaton jude...@yahoo.com To:
Re: [Felvtalk] Anyone else on Facebook?
I'm on Facebook and my cat Autumn has a Catbook. I also started a Group for Felv+ cats and their owners. Susan Ang Sent from my iPhone On Mar 28, 2009, at 12:43 PM, Laura B laurai...@yahoo.com wrote: I am on facebook! If anyone wants to friend me please note FeLV on the request so I don't ignore!Laura Biringer --- On Thu, 3/26/09, Belinda Sauro ma...@bemikitties.com wrote: From: Belinda Sauro ma...@bemikitties.com Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Anyone else on Facebook? To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 12:13 PM I'm on facebook Kelley. Just got on, not real familiar with it yet and don't have a lot of time to do anything with it. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... http://bemikitties.com http://BelindaSauro.com ___ 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 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] FELV Survey Answers and a question
AT WHAT AGE DID YOUR CAT BECOME FeLV POSITIVE? WHAT TREATMENTS DID YOU DO/ARE DOING? WHAT FOOD DO/DID YOU FEED? WHAT LIFESTYLE DO YOUR CATS LEAD, E.G; INDOOR, OUTDOOR/BOTH ? LIVE WITH OTHER CATS OR NOT? HAS YOUR CAT HAD/HAVE ANY OTHER ILLNESSES AND OR STRESS IN LIFE? IF SO WHAT? WHAT AGE IS YOUR CAT NOW? OR WHEN THEY DIED? WHAT DID THEY DIE OF? Autumn was born FELV+ and tested positive at 8 weeks and ever since. I found her outdoors at an apartment complex. We don't treat her Leukemia per se, we just try to keep her stress level down and treat conditions as they arise. Autumn eats Innova Evo. She is an only cat and an indoor cat. Last week I let her play in some powdery snow on the balconey and she LOVED it. So cute! Autumn has had some bad illnesses related to the Distemper shot. They tend to make her very ill and once caused all of her lymph nodes to swell. We couldn't pick her up without causing extreme pain. She is fine with the 3 year rabies vaccine. She is poorly socialized perhaps from not having siblings (?) and bites people so we thought it best to get the rabies. Autumn also had eye problems that cause her eyes to swell up and close. We are currently trying to revent flares with Ocufen. One drop a day in each eye. It stings:-( She usually flares after stress like if we have large amount of company. Sometimes it flares for no reason at all. She is 1 and 1/2 and seems to be thriving. Our biggest issue with Autumn is that she wants constant people interaction and if you don't entertain her she will go into a rage and bite and scratch. Rage is the only way to describe it. She will sit and stare at you meow and sometimes I can't figure out what she wants. At that point it is only a countdown to her attacking me. I end up with bloody bites, bruises and scratches. We have tried very hard to break her of this.You have to do something because if you ignore her it only escalates. We have tried the squirt bottle on the vet's recommendation and she will simply sneak up behind me and bite the back of my arm and run away. She bites hard and leaves terrible bruises and puncture wounds. The best thing is Time Out which removes all the stimulation. It's the only thing that seems to calm her, but if you let her out too early she will stalk back over to you and attack. My best guess is that she didn't have siblings or anyone to play with and teach her that biting hurts. We love her, she can be very sweet, but I wish I could break her of these attacks. I don't know if she's frustrated or bored? She has a ton of toys and some are free-standing and she can and does play with them by herself. I just don't know. Has anyone else had this problem? ~Susan ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] New to Group
One think that has really worked for Autumn has been brushing her teeth. When she was six months old she suddenly developed terrible breath-odor. I went out and got her a tooth brush from Petsmart the next day. She loves the tste of the toothpaste. It was easier when she was a kitten, but she runs now. I just make sure to get the gum line on either side every day. I can tell a difference, if I miss an area. I think that keeping her gums healthy has been one reason she's enjoyed relatively good health. She eats Innova Evo food, which I can't say enough good things about. She has an excellent coat. She's about 15 months old now. ~Susan On Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 11:03 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We inherited a positive kitten a?number of months ago and don't know a whole lot of what we should do to keep her healthy. Macy is such a sweet 7 month old girl. She normally has lots and LOTS! of energy. She has her favorite toys and even puts them in her condo occasionally. In the past couple of days, she's been very quiet and not eating or drinking much. Today, we had to search the house to find her - she normally comes when called. The only thing she'd eat was a small amount of people tuna but didn't drink. For the past few months she's been making noise as she sleeps (very heavy breathing) and occasionally when she's cuddling.?We took her to the emergency vet clinic today. She has a slight fever and a distended tummy. They're keeping her overnight and putting her on an IV and antibiotic. What is the best food for a positive kitten and what supplements seem to work? Our regular vet is willing to listen to whatever we learn. Any recommendations or comments are welcome. Thanks, Dawn ___ 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
Holistic Vet
Does anyone have a holistic vet that is willing to consult via phone or email? Autumn has uveitis in both eyes and we are currently treating with topical steroids. Her vet is afraid she may lose sight in her left eye or both as the problem seems to be sympathetic. This just flared up in the left eye yesterday and I got her into the vet today. I am very concerned that she may lose her sight. She's such and active and curious little person. It scares me. I know a lot of people have had great luck with lysine - I just need to speak to someone about these things so that I feel comfortable with what I'm doing. First thing, I want to do no harm. She's plumped up to 7.1lbs and other than her head and eyes hurting she seems happy. We have to do a sight test twice a day and record the results. I'm still sort of numb over this, I thought we had vanquished the inflammation in her right eye. Please help. ~Susan A.
Autumn's Eye
Thanks to everyone for the info. Autumn is doing better today. You can tell that her right eye isn't quite right - it seems more glassy than the other. The steroids make her think she's invincible and she hates her eye drops. Yesterday after her last dose she ran back over and swatted the bottle out of my hand. Today she ran from me and tried to get away - which I take as a good sign. She's usually pretty patient with medicines. I've been watching her closely and I have my fingers crossed that she just somehow gave herself a black eye.We'll just have to keep watching it through the weekend. On a funny note, I decided to skip brushing her teeth to keep from possibly further irritating her eye. She saw me with my tooth brush in my mouth and indignantly screamed at me. 'How dare I skip her!' I ended up having to give hers a cursory scrubbing (she loves the malt toothpaste.) Bossy little squirt. ~Susan A.
BooBoo
I am so sorry for the loss of BooBoo. I know that nothing I can say can take away the pain, but I am thinking about your family. I am terribly sorry. He sounded like such a sweetheart. Peace and blessing to you. *HUGS* ~Susan A.
Eye Problems
I had to take Autumn to the vet today. Yesterday I noticed that she would sit with her right eye squinched shut. I tried to wash it and she got mad and bit. I tried to give her overnight to resolve it, but this morning she barely opened it. She kept sitting with her eyes closed or in a loaf position. She wasn't playing or moving much. I noticed her pupil wasn't dilating like the left eye. I made the decision to get her in to the vet ASAP this morning. They didn't see any lesions, but her eye pressure was 28. For comparison her good eye was 14. They gave us a topical anti-inflammatory. Her vet said that the inflammation is behind the eye and they don't know what is causing it - possibly she could have given herself a black eye somehow. The other option is that this is FELV related. Anyone had something similar? Her eye is now open because of the meds. She actually played a bit. I worry about my little bug. ~Susan A
Re: fixing a leukemia kitty
We just had Autumn spayed three weeks ago and there were no complications. She has reacted badly to vaccinations in the past so we were very nervous, but she came through with flying colors. The did a pre-op blood test for kidney and liver function. They also sent us home with 10 days worth of Clavimox. She had no fevers or anything. The most stressful thing was trying to make sure she didn't jump around and that she didn't yank out her stitches. Her surgery was on the 21st and now the incision site is healed and her hair is growing back. We went forward with the surgery because the heat cycle was very stressful for her. ~Susan A.
Toothpaste Brand
Dawn, I use Petrodex Enzymatic Toothpaste in Malt flavor on Autumn. Autumn loves it so much that she chased me down when I went to check the brand. I started her out by letting her lick the paste off the brush and then flipped her upside down in my lap and used the brush on her. From what I've read, you only have to worry about the outside of the teeth and the gums so if you can get the lips apart you can lightly scrub the teeth with the paste. Also the little brush that comes with the paste is wedge shaped so you can gently force their teeth apart for quick scrubs in the back. Another sneaky mommy trick that I used was to get her to bat at and attack the brush and when she bit it or opened her mouth I could pop in for a quick cleaning. That doesn't work as well as it used too - she knows. =^._.^= They say to brush for about 30 seconds and to always stop while it's still fun and not too stressful. I also reward her for good behavior with a couple of hard, tartar control treats after the brushing for positive re-enforcement. the package says to do it 3 times a week, but I do it every day so I can have a cumulative effect and I can cut things short, if she's particularly uncooperative. Also this was the best way to get her used to the routine. When I started she had red gums, bad breath, and seemed to be having a hard time with hard food, but now her mouth looks very healthy. Good luck! ~Susan A.
Panting
Autumn pants sometimes after moderate to vigorous play, but I have never had a cat do that before. We hadn't mentioned it to the vet because we thought it was just too hot. We did Google it. Is it sustained panting that we need to be worried about or any panting in general? Autumn goes back the the vet on Thursday ~Susan A.
Brushing Teeth
In December, Autumn developed bad breath. I checked her mouth and her gums looked inflamed and a few of her teeth were yellowy. After Christmas, we went to PetSmart and got her a little red tooth brush and malt flavored paste. I expected a bit of a fight, but she loves the flavor and runs to get her teeth brushed every night. She doesn't like the brushing so much as licking the paste off the brush, but I am able to get some good, light scrubbing in. So far: no more bad breath and her gums look healthy. I don't know if anyone else had success with this? We also use tartar control treats. I don't usually post because I'm a FeLV noob! However, I've learned a lot from this list and thought I'd post this since it worked well for Autumn. ~Susan A.
Ember and
Lance, I was so glad to hear that you were able to get treatment for Ember. My prayers are definitely with you. Autumn was on metronidazole back in October and she used to gag terribly sometimes because of the medicine. Apparently it tastes terrible. Our vet had us cushion it in the syringe between coffee creamer - I used organic half and half. Sometimes it wasn't enough though and she reacted pretty dramatically with choking noises. I have heard about some possible negative neurological side effects to the drug, but Autumn didn't have any. She liked getting the creamer. Her stools also firmed up soon after. ~Susan A.
Autumn still Positive
Autumn got spayed Monday and they re-tested her for FeLV. We were hoping she would kick it, but she was still showing a strong positive on the ELISA test. Since the spay she has to wear one of those Elizabethean collars. We can't take it off for two minutes without her attacking her sutures. String on her stomach...how could she resist!!? They put her on a pre-emptive course of Clavamox. I will admit to being a nervous wreck the weekend before and earlier this week - I was eating every carb in sight. She's doing great though. She's been pretty healthy since October. We had to buy plastic ornaments for the Christmas tree so she could climb up and knock them out. Her current favorite thing is to play fort in my large cooking pot. No matter where we put it, she seems to find it and sits in it. So I have surrendered it to her and it's sitting in our living room:-) ~Susan A
Autumn and Diarrhea
Hey All, Autumn is doing really well overall. She's been feeling so good in fact that she's been trying to steal human food. She's tried to do this as long as we've had her. The only difference is that she's now bigger and sneakier. On Friday night she got into a plate and ate some pizza crust with a little sauce on it. She also ate part of a cooling banana bread loaf on Saturday. When I set the loaf out she was playing happily in another room - when I turned around she was munching away~_~ The problem is that she's developed diarrhea. She has no other symptoms. We try hard to keep her out of people food, but if you turn your back for a second she gets into your plate. Should I get her in to see a vet ASAP or just wait and see? I understand that sometimes people food upsets their stomachs. I have a soft food for cats with intestinal troubles. Should I take away her hard food and give her the I/D formula? She's also had terrible kitty gas. Thanks, ~Susan A
Autumn - Update amd Transfer Factor Question
Hey Everyone, Thank you so much for the support and kind messages. Autumn has finally recovered and is no longer in pain. Her vets keep pushing me to give her vaccinations, but shortly after she has them she gets sick! I don't think they are using dead vaccines, which is recommended for FELV+. I don't understand why most vets don't do more to educate themselves about this disease. Hopefully the Feline Omega Interferon becomes FDA approved and be readily available. Where do most people get their Transfer Factor Plus? We are looking for a specialist for Autumn, but they are hard to find in our area. Thank you again. She is a healthy, happy 15 week old. Cute as a button and highly rambunctious! She used to sleep on the floor, but now she sleeps in the bed curled up against my neck and when she sleeps deeply her little tongue sticks out. So cute! ~Susan A.
Autumn - Again
Autumn is sick again! Despite all of our precautions which include Lysol-ing the bottom of our shoes when we come in from outside. This has been a really bad illness for her. She was lethargic Monday afternoon so I checked and found one of her glands in her throat swollen. I immediately made a vet appointment for the next morning. The next morning she had diarrhea. I took her in and they did a thorough check. She had the highest fever she's had yet, 104.8 ,and every lymph gland in her body is swollen. She doesn't want to be touched and she's walking like she's stiff and it hurts. She has a fighting spirit though and keeps trying to play.She can eat soft food, but the only way I can perk her up is with NutriCal and Pedialyte.They put her on the Clavamox again and the vet also wants to add in another antibiotic when it comes in. I can tell Autumn is having a tough time swallowing. I feel so bad for her. It is becoming apparent to me that we might not win this fight for her life. There are no holistic vets near us. ~Susan A.
Mega C Plus?
Hello All! Autumn is doing great. She's learned to play fetch with her mousies. I've never had a cat do that before. I think sometimes she's a little bored with us humans. I feel bad that we can't get her a friend. We've gotten her some free-standing toys and play with her often. Anyone else have tips for keeping her entertained? She's about 12 weeks. I found this article about Mega C Plus. Has anyone ever treated with that before? Has it been discredited?I tried to research it myself, but could find no supporting data or anything saying it didn't work. http://www.belfield.com/JIAPM-1983.pdf http://www.belfield.com/products.html Hope all are doing well! I know she has a chance to throw the virus but the vets thought it was a bad sign when she had a couple of episodes with sickness so early in her life. Has anyone had a cat that was symptomatic so early on go negative later? Thank You, Susan A.
Books, Lists and Other Resources
What are some other resources people use? I was surprised to find there aren't any books on FeLV - at least none I could find. Are there other places out there on the web that people frequent for info? I'm one of those people who read and read and read on a subject that bothers me. I am working on finding a holistic vet for Autumn. I just want to learn as much as I can. Any responses are appreciated:-) Autumn is doing great - so playful. My husband and I just worry she might get sick again once the antibiotics stop. Her lymph nodes seem to stay a bit swollen, though not as much as they had been. ~Susan A.
Vaccinations
Since Autumn has been sick the vet didn't want to give her her booster. The first time she got sick was two days after her first shots. She was found outside and was relatively healthy. Has anyone else had problems with a cat with viremia and vaccinations? Just curious. ~Susan A.
Autumn - Update
Thanks to everyone who responded. Autumn is about 11 weeks old. She has really responded the treatments and has perked up considerably. The Pedialyte definitely helped. Once we brought her home from vet, I started her immediately on her antibiotics, but within the hour she had vomiting and diarrhea. She was very weak and so I would smear Nutri Cal on her paws and squirt Pedialyte in her mouth. After every treatment she would perk up and the vomiting stopped that night. She still had diarrhea the next morning but I was able to get her to start eating the prescription food off my fingers. Today she is playful, but thin. We're trying to fatten her up a bit and get her energy levels back up. She's such a precious blessing, we are very grateful that she turned around. ~Susan A.
Autumn - Rough Time
Wow it's been a rough time for little Autumn. We just came back from our second vet visit in two and a half weeks. The first time Autumn was slightly lethargic with fever and swollen glands so they put her on Amoxicillan. She responded quickly and perked right up. However, this week she lapsed into sleeping all the time and retreating into dark places away from people. Friday she wasn't playing but she was still eating - though not as much. Saturday we bought her some Innova Evo soft food which she gobbled down. Yesterday scared me though. She quit eating except for treats and her eyes looked glassy. She was also vomiting yellow bile. I worried about her hydration so I used her antibiotic syringe to make her take water. That seemed to help. Today she wouldn't even eat her treats. We took her in this morning and the vet gave her Nutri-Cal - she ate it. He also recommended Pedialyte (unflavored). He was very concerned for her having these kind of symptoms so young. I asked him about Interferon-A. This is the second vet we've talked to that doesn't treat with it. I dosed her with the antibiotic as soon as I got her home and I also gave her more Nutri-cal. She slept again for about an hour and a half then she got up to come see me and threw up again. This time I gave her the Pedialyte and more Nutri-cal. She looks better and she did a little exploring. She didn't retreat to the other room or her carrier but stayed on the couch. They gave us some prescription food for sick kitties and I wonder if I should start her on it right away or let her tummy settle a bit first? Emotionally this has been hard. I kept crying every time I thought about life without her. She brought so much joy to our lives and we love her dearly. Today I'm doing better because I can actually be Pro-active with the Pedialyte, NutriCal and antibiotics. I would give anything to have her playing with her toys again. How do you find a vet who treats with Interferon? ~ Susan A.
Swollen Glands?
Hi there, thank you to everyone who's posted info for us. I've been reading the archives, but it's a lot of material to work through. Autumn has only tested positive on the ELISA test so far. she goes back in 6 mos for a second round of testing. At that point we will redo the ELISA and send off for the IFA. Her vet didn't give me much hope for her throwing the virus. She said 15% chance. Since that seemed so slight, I wanted to go ahead and get Autumn in as good a position as I can for good health. If I put her on Interferon A, should I wait until after the second test? Autumn has been sleeping a lot the last couple of days and it feels like her glands might be swollen under her jaw. When she's awake she's bright eyed and runs around a lot - Should I take her to the vet for her glands? She had her other vaccinations last week. She seemed to run a fever after the shots, but she was very energetic all weekend. We just want to do what's best for her. ~Susan A.
Information Please
We have a new baby that we found outside a local apartment complex. We named her Autumn and she is sweet, affectionate and so smart. She is only 9 weeks old and FeLV+ This is the first cat that I've ever has with this disease and the diagnosis was a shock. I have been trying to research this illness, but there aren't many case studies. We've put her on Innova Evo dry food and I am supplementing with some treats that contain cranberry. We also have been giving her filtered water. I have read that many FeLV+ kitties suffer from teeth problems. does anyone brush their cat's teeth or is hard food good enough? Is there anything else I need to supplement with? What do I need to watch for? Is treating symptoms all we can do? I am looking for any information about Feline Leukemia. What age do you start to see symptom onset? Is there any effective proactive treatment? I am newly married and this is our first fur-baby and we don't want to let her go without a fight. Any info would be appreciated. ~Susan A.
