Re: Long Introduction
There's a wonderful VAS support website out there, sounds like maybe you could use to talk to someone who has been there, so you can get advice from people who have been on both sides of the issue. http://www.feline-vas-support.org/ I'd definitely retest in 6 months, and again in a year, if she's a very light positive, it's possible on retest she may go negative. You have to give her immune system time to fight it off. I'd definitely do the Interferon now, any help she can get at this point may help her throw the virus, she's already fighting it, if it's a weak positive, if you boost her immune system now, she just might be able to fight it off entirely. Phaewryn (was Jenn, changed name)http://ucat.us http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Adopt a cat from Little Cheetah (UCAT) Cat Rescue:http://ucat.us/adopt.html PLEASE DONATE TO THE TANGLE FUND:Tangle is a cat in Greece that was severely injured when someone wrapped wire around his neck to strangle him,Little Cheetah Cat Rescue is raising funds to bring Tangle to Vermont to find him a good home!http://ucat.us/tangle-fund.htmlDONATE: We could really use a power saw (for construction), a digital camera (for pictures), and more towels! No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.392 / Virus Database: 268.5.5/333 - Release Date: 5/5/2006
Re: Long Introduction
Ashleigh, I'm sure you'll get lots of answers to your posts. It could be that your mother's cat has felv and Bella was exposed to it there. Cats can be exposed and test positive, but later fight off the virus. As an adult I suspect maybe this is what Bella is going through. She was exposed to Pepper and your mother's cat both. The light pink of the test makes me think she may have been exposed but will test negative later. It is fairly difficult for an adult cat to 'catch' felv. You sound like you are doing everything you can for her good health. I would maybe add some lysine, vitamin c, and interferon, and retest in 90 days with an IFA test. Most of all I'm sorry to hear about poor Pepper. He could have been positive from birth. If you tested him at a young age it could have just been that he hadn't had time for the disease to be detected yet. And again, he was in bad conditions and with other ferals and I'm sure unhealthy cats. If there are a lot of ferals there and they are positive, and he was in bad condition it could just be that he caught it from one of them anyway. I have never heard of a vaccinated adult cat getting leukemia though. It's usually that they had it as a kitten and were tested so young they showed negative. I'm sorry you had to find the group, and I'm sorry for your losses. Even if Bella IS positive, she can still live a long and happy life. We've had positive cats on the list make it to their late teens. Many of my negatives have not lived as long as some of the positives on the list. take care, tonyaAshleigh Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:My name is Ashleigh. I lost my cat of 7 years last night. Pepper was FeLV+. The long story starts several years ago. In 1991, I adopted a cat, Fred, from a no-kill shelter. He was 3 at the time and very healthy. I faithfully got his annual vaccinations for everything, including FeLV. In 1998, Fred got a lump on his neck. It was vaccine-associated sarcoma. Even though we knew it was a long shot, we elected to have the mass removed and hoped that he'd be in the minuscule percentage of cats for whom VAS doesn't return. He wasn't. The lump came back, and we eventually had him put to sleep when he could no longer eat or drink well on his own and had a poor quality of life. It just about killed me. To think that I bascially killed him by being what I thought was a good cat mom by never missing his annual shots tore me up. A few months after Fred died, in 1999, I got Pepper from a co-worker whose cat had had kittens. That solid black furball was so sweet. When he was a tiny kitten, he used to sleep on my chest, right below my neck at night. Unfortunately, about that time, I started getting sick a lot. Since my workplace had roof leaks when it rained, I suspected a mold allergy, and went to get allergy tested. I was horrified when tests showed that I was VERY allergic to cats. (The doctor said some cats are worse than others for allergies--just a crap shoot. He said it wasn't starnge that I could've been around Fred without getting sick a lot but not Pepper.) I tried everything to keep Pepper inside--wekkly baths, MSM supplements for me, allergy shots for me. Nothing worked. Therefore, Pepper went from being an indoor-outdoor cat to being an outdoor cat. He liked being outside, and I'd still go pet him outside--I'd just have to wash up when I got inside. Now, when Pepper was a kitten, I'd gotten him his vaccinations. However, given Fred's horrible death from over-vaccinating, I did my research before blingly following veterinary advice with Pepper. Just about everything I read said that vaccines every 3 years were sufficient, so that's what I did. I also had the vet use adjuvant-free vaccines and never give them in his neck. He did get the FeLV vaccine as a kitten, as a young adult, and just last year. I assumed he'd be safe from kitty diseases. Last February, I got another cat. She is a special breed that is supposed to be much less allergenic that others, and she was. She was able to live in my house without making me sick. When we got her, we had all of her vaccinations done EXCEPT FeLV. We didn't think it was necessary since she is a 100% indoor cat, and since Pepper had been vaccinated for FeLV for those rare times when he comes inside. Remember, I was very leery of vaccines, especially since Fred had died of VAS, and didn't want to vaccinate more than was absolutely necessary. Well, since Hurricane Katrina, Pepper just hadn't been himself. (We live on he Missisippi Gulf Coast and had 4' of water in our house. The cats were okay, and the house has been gutted and re-sheetrocked. With my home uninhabitable, I moved to Louisiana to my mom's house with my indoor cat. Pepper stayed in Mississippi where my husband was "roughing it," and David kept feeding him and taking care of him--even though David was living down the street at a neighbor's house that was
Re: Long Introduction
Ashleigh, So sorry to hear about your little one. It is always difficult to our 4-legged friends, especially if it is unexpected. Take comfort in knowing that Pepper is in a better place with no more suffering and now is always with you. I, like you, am new to this group and to FELV. My outdoor cat, who was vaccinated annually against FELV, was just diagnosed a little over a week ago with FELV and FIV. I, like you, thought the vaccines would protect her and was shocked when I learned through my research and the helpful people here that the vaccine is actually only 70-80% effective. It would seem to me that a vet should have recommended that Allie be tested periodically since she was so high risk living outside and being exposed to other cats, but I guess that is water under the bridge now. From what I understand, FELV and FIV are highly contagious among cats through bite wounds (saliva to blood contact), although many people on this site have had FELV + cats cohabiting with FELV - cats. Several people have told me that interferon is a realistic treatment which can be helpful in boosting the immune system, but I don't know what the recommendations are for asymptomatic cats. (My Allie just started becoming symptomatic with high fevers which she is having trouble fighting on her own which is how we ended up find out the diagnosis). There is apparently a difference between human interferon and feline interferon (feline interferon is difficult to get in the US). Also, there is low-dose and high-dose human interferon. With the low-dose option the cat doesn't have as much of a chance of developing resistance for future treatments. I am going to contact a vet who does interferon injections to discuss the options. If I learn anything in my consultations I will pass it along to you. I will also forward you a manuel that one of the members forwarded me. It has a wealth of information on FELV. Jen Ashleigh Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:My name is Ashleigh. I lost my cat of 7 years last night. Pepper was FeLV+. The long story starts several years ago. In 1991, I adopted a cat, Fred, from a no-kill shelter. He was 3 at the time and very healthy. I faithfully got his annual vaccinations for everything, including FeLV. In 1998, Fred got a lump on his neck. It was vaccine-associated sarcoma. Even though we knew it was a long shot, we elected to have the mass removed and hoped that he'd be in the minuscule percentage of cats for whom VAS doesn't return. He wasn't. The lump came back, and we eventually had him put to sleep when he could no longer eat or drink well on his own and had a poor quality of life. It just about killed me. To think that I bascially killed him by being what I thought was a good cat mom by never missing his annual shots tore me up. A few months after Fred died, in 1999, I got Pepper from a co-worker whose cat had had kittens. That solid black furball was so sweet. When he was a tiny kitten, he used to sleep on my chest, right below my neck at night. Unfortunately, about that time, I started getting sick a lot. Since my workplace had roof leaks when it rained, I suspected a mold allergy, and went to get allergy tested. I was horrified when tests showed that I was VERY allergic to cats. (The doctor said some cats are worse than others for allergies--just a crap shoot. He said it wasn't starnge that I could've been around Fred without getting sick a lot but not Pepper.) I tried everything to keep Pepper inside--wekkly baths, MSM supplements for me, allergy shots for me. Nothing worked. Therefore, Pepper went from being an indoor-outdoor cat to being an outdoor cat. He liked being outside, and I'd still go pet him outside--I'd just have to wash up when I got inside. Now, when Pepper was a kitten, I'd gotten him his vaccinations. However, given Fred's horrible death from over-vaccinating, I did my research before blingly following veterinary advice with Pepper. Just about everything I read said that vaccines every 3 years were sufficient, so that's what I did. I also had the vet use adjuvant-free vaccines and never give them in his neck. He did get the FeLV vaccine as a kitten, as a young adult, and just last year. I assumed he'd be safe from kitty diseases. Last February, I got another cat. She is a special breed that is supposed to be much less allergenic that others, and she was. She was able to live in my house without making me sick. When we got her, we had all of her vaccinations done EXCEPT FeLV. We didn't think it was necessary since she is a 100% indoor cat, and since Pepper had been vaccinated for FeLV for those rare times when he comes inside. Remember, I was very leery of vaccines, especially since Fred had died of VAS, and didn't want to vaccinate more than was absolutely necessary. Well, since Hurricane Katrina, Pepper just hadn't been himself. (We live on he Missisippi Gulf Coast and had 4' of water
Re: Long Introduction
Hello Ashleigh, I'm sorry to hear about Pepper, and how awful his passing is for you and your family. It sounds like you did what was right for him, and that's what our feline friends want from us. Frankly, everything regarding Fred and Pepper is heartbreaking. You and your family and your Bella will be in my prayers. As for best treatment, good quality food is priority, and it sounds like you're already there. I'm feeing my FeLV+ girl Innova EVO canned and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul dry. I'm going to go all Innova EVO soon, and might sneak in some Wysong or Felidae at different points. I've also heard good things about Nature's Variety. Regarding interferon, I can only tell you that my cat is not showing symptoms, other than a low wbc, and she is on the five on/five off interferon treatment (1cc/day). At low doses, interferon should not cause any issues, from what I've read. My vet believes that FeLV+ cats need to be put on interferon as soon as they receive a positive test. The immunity (and other possible issues) come from using high doses of human interferon. There IS a feline interferon that seems to work well in high doses. Unfortunately, it is not available here in the States, and your vet must get a dispensation from the FDA in order to import it. Unlike the human interferon (which tends to just be generically referred to as "interferon"), the feline interferon is quite expensive. There is also a Dr. Belfield who has turned a number of FeLV+ cats negative using his own mix of vitamin C. It does not have the acidity of the vitamin C that you and I would normally take, so it doesn't upset the feline tummy. I think it's worth looking into, and I'm going to give them a call on Monday. Another supplement is Transfer Factor. The homeopathic vet I spoke with gave me enough confidence to start mixing TF in with my cat's wet food. TF boosts the immune system, supposedly in a very powerful way. I'm also going to look into CoQ10, but since it is widely available, I haven't looked into it as much. I've mainly been looking for safe, theoretically effective treatments that may require more wrangling than going down to the corner Walgreens. There are other treatments. I'm not going to look into ImmunoRegulin unless Ember starts to show symptoms of some sort. It's a more invasive treatment, and the less invasive, the less stressful on the kitty. You should definitely retest if the "dot" was only faintly positive. In three months, if she's negative, have an IFA test done to be sure. If she has a negative IFA, then she's doing really well, and it's highly likely you won't have to worry about FeLV with her. The virus does do some sneaky things, and can hide out in places that testing doesn't always catch. Still, I can't tell you how ecstatic I would be if Ember was negative on ELISA and IFA. Wow! Keep asking questions here. Given that your girl is a very faint positive, it's possible that getting her on low dose human interferon and something like Transfer Factor (with your vet's approval) might help her to lick this thing before it becomes a problem. It's hard to say, but best to hope. Best regards to you and your family, Lance
Re: Long Introduction
It's hard to determine cause and effect, so it may not have been what you think. Regarding what to do - I use daily low-dose interferon, and think that's a good way to go. Best of luck to you, we all understand. Gloria in Arkansas mom of 5 FELV cats, 3 FELV Angels At 08:56 AM 5/7/2006, you wrote: My name is Ashleigh. I lost my cat of 7 years last night. Pepper was FeLV+. The long story starts several years ago. In 1991, I adopted a cat, Fred, from a no-kill shelter. He was 3 at the time and very healthy. I faithfully got his annual vaccinations for everything, including FeLV. In 1998, Fred got a lump on his neck. It was vaccine-associated sarcoma. Even though we knew it was a long shot, we elected to have the mass removed and hoped that he'd be in the minuscule percentage of cats for whom VAS doesn't return. He wasn't. The lump came back, and we eventually had him put to sleep when he could no longer eat or drink well on his own and had a poor quality of life. It just about killed me. To think that I bascially killed him by being what I thought was a good cat mom by never missing his annual shots tore me up. A few months after Fred died, in 1999, I got Pepper from a co-worker whose cat had had kittens. That solid black furball was so sweet. When he was a tiny kitten, he used to sleep on my chest, right below my neck at night. Unfortunately, about that time, I started getting sick a lot. Since my workplace had roof leaks when it rained, I suspected a mold allergy, and went to get allergy tested. I was horrified when tests showed that I was VERY allergic to cats. (The doctor said some cats are worse than others for allergies--just a crap shoot. He said it wasn't starnge that I could've been around Fred without getting sick a lot but not Pepper.) I tried everything to keep Pepper inside--wekkly baths, MSM supplements for me, allergy shots for me. Nothing worked. Therefore, Pepper went from being an indoor-outdoor cat to being an outdoor cat. He liked being outside, and I'd still go pet him outside--I'd just have to wash up when I got inside. Now, when Pepper was a kitten, I'd gotten him his vaccinations. However, given Fred's horrible death from over-vaccinating, I did my research before blingly following veterinary advice with Pepper. Just about everything I read said that vaccines every 3 years were sufficient, so that's what I did. I also had the vet use adjuvant-free vaccines and never give them in his neck. He did get the FeLV vaccine as a kitten, as a young adult, and just last year. I assumed he'd be safe from kitty diseases. Last February, I got another cat. She is a special breed that is supposed to be much less allergenic that others, and she was. She was able to live in my house without making me sick. When we got her, we had all of her vaccinations done EXCEPT FeLV. We didn't think it was necessary since she is a 100% indoor cat, and since Pepper had been vaccinated for FeLV for those rare times when he comes inside. Remember, I was very leery of vaccines, especially since Fred had died of VAS, and didn't want to vaccinate more than was absolutely necessary. Well, since Hurricane Katrina, Pepper just hadn't been himself. (We live on he Missisippi Gulf Coast and had 4' of water in our house. The cats were okay, and the house has been gutted and re-sheetrocked. With my home uninhabitable, I moved to Louisiana to my mom's house with my indoor cat. Pepper stayed in Mississippi where my husband was "roughing it," and David kept feeding him and taking care of him--even though David was living down the street at a neighbor's house that was higher than ours and didn't flood. The indoor cat, my daughter, and I moved to my parents' hosue where they live with their cat.) We've always had a few feral cats in the neighborhood, but their population has skyrocketed since Katrina. My cat food bill is high since I feed not only Pepper but also a ton of feral strays (and a raccoon) in the neighborhood who come eat his food. Over the past 2 weeks or so, Pepper had lost a lot of weight. Since one of my students is my vet's daughter, I mentioned to her mom that Pepper was looking really skinny and that I was going to bring him in in a few days for a check-up. She told me that he might've gotten worms and that they'd check him. Well, when I got home that afternoon, I couldn't find Pepper. I went through the neighborhood calling him and couldn't find him. I feared the worst--that he was really sick and had gone off to die. Well, yesterday afternoon, Pepper returned. He was limping, and his right back foot was swollen and infected from a bite. Infection had set in, and you could smell the decay. Flies were around him (and he's always been a very fastidious cat). I rushed him to the emergency vet's office, where thay saw that something had bitten him--possibly a s
Re: Long Introduction
First calm yourself and be very gentle with yourself. You will get lots of advise about taking care of the cat but it will do no good if you do not take care of yourself too. The cat will pick up on your very understandable distress and become stressed herself---something to avoid with FeLV. Dixie tested FeLV+ appx a year ago. She is the picture of health. I try to feed her high quality food and take her to an alternative vet in Louisville Ky whenever we are there. My vets told me that FeLV+ cats are in three categories: those who throw it off; those who become very ill and those who live long, healthy lives but are still positive. About a third fall into each category. I believe the number may be higher for those who live long lives, especially if they are well cared for. My plans for Dixie Louise Doodle are to love her and keep her as happy and healthy as I can. That is all I can offer any animal. None of us have any idea when we will leave this earth so there is no point in worrying about it. Either of us may walk in front of a car, trip and break our necks etc. We do not dwell on that. Dixie does not dwell on being positive and neither will I. I can tell you that my vets were relieved that I did not have Dixie killed when her tests came back. (She was a throw away I took to be spayed.) We talked about all the possibilities then and they were very straight with me because they knew I had a cat with cancer. Try this website www.andiesisle.com/Calling_All_Angels.html the last few lines are very helpful. At least they were to me just after Kitty left. I am always suggesting Rescue Remedy for stressed out animals. It works on people too. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Ashleigh Smith To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 8:56 AM Subject: Long Introduction My name is Ashleigh. I lost my cat of 7 years last night. Pepper was FeLV+. The long story starts several years ago. In 1991, I adopted a cat, Fred, from a no-kill shelter. He was 3 at the time and very healthy. I faithfully got his annual vaccinations for everything, including FeLV. In 1998, Fred got a lump on his neck. It was vaccine-associated sarcoma. Even though we knew it was a long shot, we elected to have the mass removed and hoped that he'd be in the minuscule percentage of cats for whom VAS doesn't return. He wasn't. The lump came back, and we eventually had him put to sleep when he could no longer eat or drink well on his own and had a poor quality of life. It just about killed me. To think that I bascially killed him by being what I thought was a good cat mom by never missing his annual shots tore me up. A few months after Fred died, in 1999, I got Pepper from a co-worker whose cat had had kittens. That solid black furball was so sweet. When he was a tiny kitten, he used to sleep on my chest, right below my neck at night. Unfortunately, about that time, I started getting sick a lot. Since my workplace had roof leaks when it rained, I suspected a mold allergy, and went to get allergy tested. I was horrified when tests showed that I was VERY allergic to cats. (The doctor said some cats are worse than others for allergies--just a crap shoot. He said it wasn't starnge that I could've been around Fred without getting sick a lot but not Pepper.) I tried everything to keep Pepper inside--wekkly baths, MSM supplements for me, allergy shots for me. Nothing worked. Therefore, Pepper went from being an indoor-outdoor cat to being an outdoor cat. He liked being outside, and I'd still go pet him outside--I'd just have to wash up when I got inside. Now, when Pepper was a kitten, I'd gotten him his vaccinations. However, given Fred's horrible death from over-vaccinating, I did my research before blingly following veterinary advice with Pepper. Just about everything I read said that vaccines every 3 years were sufficient, so that's what I did. I also had the vet use adjuvant-free vaccines and never give them in his neck. He did get the FeLV vaccine as a kitten, as a young adult, and just last year. I assumed he'd be safe from kitty diseases. Last February, I got another cat. She is a special breed that is supposed to be much less allergenic that others, and she was. She was able to live in my house without making me sick. When we got her, we had a
Long Introduction
My name is Ashleigh. I lost my cat of 7 years last night. Pepper was FeLV+. The long story starts several years ago. In 1991, I adopted a cat, Fred, from a no-kill shelter. He was 3 at the time and very healthy. I faithfully got his annual vaccinations for everything, including FeLV. In 1998, Fred got a lump on his neck. It was vaccine-associated sarcoma. Even though we knew it was a long shot, we elected to have the mass removed and hoped that he'd be in the minuscule percentage of cats for whom VAS doesn't return. He wasn't. The lump came back, and we eventually had him put to sleep when he could no longer eat or drink well on his own and had a poor quality of life. It just about killed me. To think that I bascially killed him by being what I thought was a good cat mom by never missing his annual shots tore me up. A few months after Fred died, in 1999, I got Pepper from a co-worker whose cat had had kittens. That solid black furball was so sweet. When he was a tiny kitten, he used to sleep on my chest, right below my neck at night. Unfortunately, about that time, I started getting sick a lot. Since my workplace had roof leaks when it rained, I suspected a mold allergy, and went to get allergy tested. I was horrified when tests showed that I was VERY allergic to cats. (The doctor said some cats are worse than others for allergies--just a crap shoot. He said it wasn't starnge that I could've been around Fred without getting sick a lot but not Pepper.) I tried everything to keep Pepper inside--wekkly baths, MSM supplements for me, allergy shots for me. Nothing worked. Therefore, Pepper went from being an indoor-outdoor cat to being an outdoor cat. He liked being outside, and I'd still go pet him outside--I'd just have to wash up when I got inside. Now, when Pepper was a kitten, I'd gotten him his vaccinations. However, given Fred's horrible death from over-vaccinating, I did my research before blingly following veterinary advice with Pepper. Just about everything I read said that vaccines every 3 years were sufficient, so that's what I did. I also had the vet use adjuvant-free vaccines and never give them in his neck. He did get the FeLV vaccine as a kitten, as a young adult, and just last year. I assumed he'd be safe from kitty diseases. Last February, I got another cat. She is a special breed that is supposed to be much less allergenic that others, and she was. She was able to live in my house without making me sick. When we got her, we had all of her vaccinations done EXCEPT FeLV. We didn't think it was necessary since she is a 100% indoor cat, and since Pepper had been vaccinated for FeLV for those rare times when he comes inside. Remember, I was very leery of vaccines, especially since Fred had died of VAS, and didn't want to vaccinate more than was absolutely necessary. Well, since Hurricane Katrina, Pepper just hadn't been himself. (We live on he Missisippi Gulf Coast and had 4' of water in our house. The cats were okay, and the house has been gutted and re-sheetrocked. With my home uninhabitable, I moved to Louisiana to my mom's house with my indoor cat. Pepper stayed in Mississippi where my husband was "roughing it," and David kept feeding him and taking care of him--even though David was living down the street at a neighbor's house that was higher than ours and didn't flood. The indoor cat, my daughter, and I moved to my parents' hosue where they live with their cat.) We've always had a few feral cats in the neighborhood, but their population has skyrocketed since Katrina. My cat food bill is high since I feed not only Pepper but also a ton of feral strays (and a raccoon) in the neighborhood who come eat his food. Over the past 2 weeks or so, Pepper had lost a lot of weight. Since one of my students is my vet's daughter, I mentioned to her mom that Pepper was looking really skinny and that I was going to bring him in in a few days for a check-up. She told me that he might've gotten worms and that they'd check him. Well, when I got home that afternoon, I couldn't find Pepper. I went through the neighborhood calling him and couldn't find him. I feared the worst--that he was really sick and had gone off to die. Well, yesterday afternoon, Pepper returned. He was limping, and his right back foot was swollen and infected from a bite. Infection had set in, and you could smell the decay. Flies were around him (and he's always been a very fastidious cat). I rushed him to the emergency vet's office, where thay saw that something had bitten him--possibly a snake or some other animal. They worked up an estimate to fix him up and were going to do an FeLV/FIV test as a routine matter. I didn't expect anything to show up since he'd been vaccinated for FeLV. Well, the vet called later last night, and he was FeLV+. Given his poor condition and the fact that his ELISA test was a very strong positive, plus his WBC's were low, and he ha
