Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
hllo, i am a little late with my 2 cents, but. i tried isolating my first felv+, Annie and everyone in the house was miserable. my vet told me, along with everyone on this list that if everyone else had their felv shots up to date, there was little cause for alarm. since then, a stray showed up at my house with her tail bitten off by a raccoon. i was in the middle of going back and frth to hospital with my Mary who had a stroke so i took her to the vet, said check her out and i will back in a day or 2 to get her. she was positive. he gave her rabies, etc, dressed the tail which has healed nicely, told me se was positive and sent her home with me. i have had Annie since 2008 and no one else has become positive. she and Nitnoy are both fat, sassy healthy cats. Dr. Rhodes said that i should not let them and negative cats mutual groom, just in case. they all eat and drink fom the same bowls, use same litter boxes and the only thing that came up was Homie is overweight and needs to go on a diet. that means they all will. no more at will feeding. he also got a new treat Enisyl-F Lysine to boose everyone's immune system. i tried it and everyone loves it. just have to cut them in half for Lil Bit because they are a bit large for her. you could try this for your babies to keep their immune systems up. prayers for you and yours. dorlis Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net wrote: Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV-infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's just now in the shedding stage? Is she considered persisently viremic at this point as she's had gum issues for a few months? Does that mean she is currently shedding the virus? I almost wonder if the positives that aren't infecting the negatives aren't at the viral shedding stage. Is it really safe to expose the other kitties? Should I keep her quarantined for the next 2.5 weeks or does it really matter? I'm torn. On one hand I don't want to stress her unnecessarily, especially when I'm about to have to give her antibiotics twice a day and steroids twice a day. She is going to hate that. I don't want her to lose weight either, she's always been a tiny, dainty thing and she doesn't have any weight to lose! On the
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
Iva, I don't know what to say about quarantining Becca. My positives were dumpster kittens when I rescued them and were kept separate from the rest until they were tamed. By that time my house kitties had received the FeLV vaccine and booster. To reduce stress on Becca you could alternate who is in the bedroom. Haven't they all been together for a long time already? If so I really don't see the need to segregate them now. Sort of like closing the barn door after the cows have already gotten out. Finally life is a crap shoot. There really is no 100% guarantees on any of this when dealing with FeLV or any health issue. We do what we can and love our beloved companions for as long as we have them. For some of us that has been months and for some that has been years. Sharyl --- On Tue, 8/4/09, Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net wrote: From: Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net Subject: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 1:29 AM Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV-infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's just now in the shedding stage? Is she considered persisently viremic at this point as she's had gum issues for a few months? Does that mean she is currently shedding the virus? I almost wonder if the positives that aren't infecting the negatives aren't at the viral shedding stage. Is it really safe to expose the other kitties? Should I keep her quarantined for the next 2.5 weeks or does it really matter? I'm torn. On one hand I don't want to stress her unnecessarily, especially when I'm about to have to give her antibiotics twice a day and steroids twice a day. She is going to hate that. I don't want her to lose weight either, she's always been a tiny, dainty thing and she doesn't have any weight to lose! On the other hand I don't want to infect my other babies and I can't help but worry that to let her out now, before they have full vaccine protection at least, much less before the steroids have a chance to calm her virus down would be to stack the odds against them. I need advice! Iva ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
You'll find opinions all over the place on the net. Some vets are very cautious but then they've probably never had FELV cats - just read the textbooks and seen the sick cats in their practices. However, quite a few people on this list do mix, with no problems. I've done that in the past, still do some. I think healthy adult cats have enough immunity to deal with the virus, whether vaccinated or not. But vaccination probably helps boost that immunity. I also like to use daily low dose oral interferon for FELV+ kitties, at least up until they're about 3 years old. The ones I've had that were born with FELV tend to die at about 3 years old. I think the interferon helps keep the viral load down, and a healthier kitty. I have a friend who does interferon with her FELV cat - she has 1 positive, and 1 negative, mixed of course. She got them when they were kittens. Both cats are well over 3 - maybe 6 or 7 yrs old now - and no problems whatsoever. The vet wanted her to have them retested, she did and nothing had changed (1 pos, 1 neg). Gloria On Aug 4, 2009, at 12:29 AM, Iva Lark Emily Seaberg wrote: Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV- infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's just now in the shedding stage? Is she considered persisently viremic at this point as she's had gum issues for a few months? Does that mean she is currently shedding the virus? I almost wonder if the positives that aren't infecting the negatives aren't at the viral shedding stage. Is it really safe to expose the other kitties? Should I keep her quarantined for the next 2.5 weeks or does it really matter? I'm torn. On one hand I don't want to stress her unnecessarily, especially when I'm about to have to give her antibiotics twice a day and steroids twice a day. She is going to hate that. I don't want her to lose weight either, she's always been a tiny, dainty thing and she doesn't have any weight to lose! On the other hand I don't want to infect my other babies and I can't help but worry that to let her out now, before they have full vaccine protection at least, much less before the steroids have a chance to calm her virus down would be to stack the odds against them. I need advice! Iva
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
Hi Iva, I just wanted to tell you how much I can relate to your dilemma. Last year, I brought Tommy home and successfully introduced him to his new brother and sister, only to find out that he was FeLV+. I was given the same two options - separate or euthanize. I can only tell you what I did. I tried separating, but like what is happening in your home, everyone was unhappy about it. I took Tommy to a holistic vet and she told me that separation is stressful to everyone, and this can make it easier for the virus to take over and make Tommy sick. So what I decided to do is NOT separate, keep everyone vaccinated against FeLV (except Tommy), and keep stress to a minimum. Almost a year later, Tommy is showing no signs of illness, and he just turned a year old. My others also show no signs of illness, and I plan to get them tested when they go back to the vet this year, and boosted for FeLV vaccine if they are still negative. I think you said in your other post that they have been living together for a while? And they are still negative? That tells me that they have mature immune systems that are capable of fighting off the virus. It is likely that they will stay negative. Hope that helps, Lisa - Original Message - From: Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 1:29 AM Subject: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV-infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's just now in the shedding stage? Is she considered persisently viremic at this point as she's had gum issues for a few months? Does that mean she is currently shedding the virus? I almost wonder if the positives that aren't infecting the negatives aren't at the viral shedding stage. Is it really safe to expose the other kitties? Should I keep her quarantined for the next 2.5 weeks or does it really matter? I'm torn. On one hand I don't want to stress her unnecessarily, especially when I'm about to have to give her antibiotics twice a day and steroids twice a day. She is going to hate that. I don't want her to lose weight either, she's always been a tiny, dainty thing and she doesn't have any weight to lose! On the other hand I don't want to infect my other
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
My holistic vet prescribed various meds to reduce stress including Rescue Remedy and Feliway. Perhaps yours has some ideas along those lines? On Aug 4, 2009, at 9:08 AM, Lisa Borden wrote: Hi Iva, I just wanted to tell you how much I can relate to your dilemma. Last year, I brought Tommy home and successfully introduced him to his new brother and sister, only to find out that he was FeLV+. I was given the same two options - separate or euthanize. I can only tell you what I did. I tried separating, but like what is happening in your home, everyone was unhappy about it. I took Tommy to a holistic vet and she told me that separation is stressful to everyone, and this can make it easier for the virus to take over and make Tommy sick. So what I decided to do is NOT separate, keep everyone vaccinated against FeLV (except Tommy), and keep stress to a minimum. Almost a year later, Tommy is showing no signs of illness, and he just turned a year old. My others also show no signs of illness, and I plan to get them tested when they go back to the vet this year, and boosted for FeLV vaccine if they are still negative. I think you said in your other post that they have been living together for a while? And they are still negative? That tells me that they have mature immune systems that are capable of fighting off the virus. It is likely that they will stay negative. Hope that helps, Lisa - Original Message - From: Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 1:29 AM Subject: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV- infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's just now in the shedding stage? Is she considered persisently viremic at this point as she's had gum issues for a few months? Does that mean she is currently shedding the virus? I almost wonder if the positives that aren't infecting the negatives aren't at the viral shedding stage. Is it really safe to expose the other kitties? Should I keep her quarantined for the next 2.5 weeks or does it really matter? I'm torn. On one hand I don't want to stress her unnecessarily, especially when I'm about to have to
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
If you want to be ultra careful, I would wait until 24 hours after the other kitties have had their booster. I realize you have already co-mingled so it may not matter L -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Cougar Clan Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 9:14 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? My holistic vet prescribed various meds to reduce stress including Rescue Remedy and Feliway. Perhaps yours has some ideas along those lines? On Aug 4, 2009, at 9:08 AM, Lisa Borden wrote: Hi Iva, I just wanted to tell you how much I can relate to your dilemma. Last year, I brought Tommy home and successfully introduced him to his new brother and sister, only to find out that he was FeLV+. I was given the same two options - separate or euthanize. I can only tell you what I did. I tried separating, but like what is happening in your home, everyone was unhappy about it. I took Tommy to a holistic vet and she told me that separation is stressful to everyone, and this can make it easier for the virus to take over and make Tommy sick. So what I decided to do is NOT separate, keep everyone vaccinated against FeLV (except Tommy), and keep stress to a minimum. Almost a year later, Tommy is showing no signs of illness, and he just turned a year old. My others also show no signs of illness, and I plan to get them tested when they go back to the vet this year, and boosted for FeLV vaccine if they are still negative. I think you said in your other post that they have been living together for a while? And they are still negative? That tells me that they have mature immune systems that are capable of fighting off the virus. It is likely that they will stay negative. Hope that helps, Lisa - Original Message - From: Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 1:29 AM Subject: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV- infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
Thanks, that's actually one of the things I am doing for all of them! I see to it that none of my kitties are stressed. :) - Original Message - From: Cougar Clan maima...@duo-county.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 10:13 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? My holistic vet prescribed various meds to reduce stress including Rescue Remedy and Feliway. Perhaps yours has some ideas along those lines? On Aug 4, 2009, at 9:08 AM, Lisa Borden wrote: Hi Iva, I just wanted to tell you how much I can relate to your dilemma. Last year, I brought Tommy home and successfully introduced him to his new brother and sister, only to find out that he was FeLV+. I was given the same two options - separate or euthanize. I can only tell you what I did. I tried separating, but like what is happening in your home, everyone was unhappy about it. I took Tommy to a holistic vet and she told me that separation is stressful to everyone, and this can make it easier for the virus to take over and make Tommy sick. So what I decided to do is NOT separate, keep everyone vaccinated against FeLV (except Tommy), and keep stress to a minimum. Almost a year later, Tommy is showing no signs of illness, and he just turned a year old. My others also show no signs of illness, and I plan to get them tested when they go back to the vet this year, and boosted for FeLV vaccine if they are still negative. I think you said in your other post that they have been living together for a while? And they are still negative? That tells me that they have mature immune systems that are capable of fighting off the virus. It is likely that they will stay negative. Hope that helps, Lisa - Original Message - From: Iva Lark Emily Seaberg melleph...@sbcglobal.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 1:29 AM Subject: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It was very reassuring to read all of your posts, especially those with multi-cat mixed households. I spoke to the vet this morning and she was actually ok with my decision, but she wants me to keep my positive kitty isolated for now. She didn't say how long, though I know she is hoping for indefinitely. We are putting Becca on antibiotics for her oral inflammation and then steroids, which I know will temporarily decrease her immune system more but could be worth it in helping her fight the virus back? Anyway, here is my dilemna. Currently, Becca is isolated in my master bedroom/bath. All the cats are unhappy about this. The two negative kitties sit outside the door and reach their paws under to her. They meow at me with a clear Umm, Mom we want our sister back. and they try and sneak in there. She in turn tries to sneak out and is seeming a bit down. She's exceptionally affectionate when we go in there, more so than usual, but she's not eating as much and seems almost a bit depressed. She kept me up all night trying to love on me. I also know it is a small space and can get lonely. Now, I've read what everyone said about stressing her and I don't want to do that, so here's my dilemna. How long should she be quarantined for? The negative kitties JUST got their first vaccine on Friday and won't be at full protection until they get their boosters in 2.5 weeks. Should I keep her in there until at least then? Should I just let her out now? I really really want to minimize the negative's risk of exposure because I don't want them to be infected. I did read the articles everyone mentioned and it was still unclear to me where in the articles it says that it is safe to expose a negative to a positive. It still said they could infect, but no odds were mentioned, so therefore they should be separated. See below: Uninfected cats in a household with infected cats should be vaccinated; however, other means of protecting uninfected cats (eg, physical separation) should also be used. Constant exposure to FeLV- infected cats is likely to result in viral transmission regardless of vaccination status. In ~70% of adult cats, viremia and virus shedding are transient, lasting only 1-16 wk. A few cats continue to shed virus in secretions for several weeks to months after they cease to be viremic. Virus may persist in bone marrow for a longer period, but even this latent, or sequestered, infection usually disappears within 6 mo. Some FeLV-exposed cats (~30%) do not mount an adequate immune response and go on to become persistently (ie, permanently) viremic. Persistently viremic cats develop fatal diseases after a variable time period What if she's just now in the shedding stage? Is she considered persisently viremic at this point as she's had gum issues for a few months? Does that mean she is currently shedding the virus? I
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
in terms of reducing stress while separating them, you can put up a screen door--unless becca is sneezing vociferously there's no chance of virus transmission (bodily fluids and all), but the kitties can all see one another, sniff one another, play pawsies under the door if you leave an inch, and not feel totally isolated. sadly, we who have FeLVs are the ones who tend to be more up-to-date on the research than most professionals because we have the emotional investment in being so. if we're lucky, we have vets who are willing to learn along with us. believe that NONE of us would do anything to harm our furry ones if we did not believe that actual life experience, not just what research, shows. (hard to do longitudinal research when the research population is routinely killed, remember.) -- 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] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
Most studies deal only with domestic or trapped ferals who already have been tested for FELV. I've always felt that any real study should include sampling ALL cats, domestic and ferals and specifically exclude any cats already testing post. My suspicion is that this virus is a lot more prevalent than anyone knows. Just that statistical data would once and for all bring to light the fact that is NOT as deadly as current studies seem to imply. Consider the fact that its been around since the dinosaurs. If it were that deadly, then all cats would have died even before they were domesticated! Christiane Biagi Cell: 914-720-6888 ti...@mindspring.com Volunteer-St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbpshelter/sets/72157603921945483/ -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of MaryChristine Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 12:32 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? in terms of reducing stress while separating them, you can put up a screen door--unless becca is sneezing vociferously there's no chance of virus transmission (bodily fluids and all), but the kitties can all see one another, sniff one another, play pawsies under the door if you leave an inch, and not feel totally isolated. sadly, we who have FeLVs are the ones who tend to be more up-to-date on the research than most professionals because we have the emotional investment in being so. if we're lucky, we have vets who are willing to learn along with us. believe that NONE of us would do anything to harm our furry ones if we did not believe that actual life experience, not just what research, shows. (hard to do longitudinal research when the research population is routinely killed, remember.) -- 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 mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
I'm with Brenda. My Patches wasn't a typical scenario. He was a stray who found us in the middle of the night -- I happened to wake up and hear him demanding attention outside the window. We enticed him in and isolated him in the back hall, giving him food and water. We have a screen door in the back hall whose purpose has been to keep the cats from wandering into the basement, but just for that night we figured it would keep Patches separate from the others until we could tend to de-fleaing, de-matting (he had the nastiest mats) and vetting. Four hours later I awoke to a conversation between Patches and Tribble, taking place in the front porch room, the full length of the house away from where we had safely left Patches. So he had had 4 hours to mingle with the others, eat their food, etc. When we took him to the vet 3 days later -- long holiday weekend -- and found out he was positive, we were worried for the others and were considering whether to have the others vaccinated or what. We didn't, and nobody has gotten sick in the several years since then. We did isolate Patches, after the fact, and I'm very sorry now that we did. After the mats came off -- they must have hurt him dreadfully -- he was such a lovey guy and really wanted to be with the rest of us. I really hope that that wasn't what kicked his FeLV into action -- his lymph nodes swelled and he wouldn't eat, and he was only with us a couple of months. I guess he was just meant to come to us so he would have care and love at the end, but it's still hard when you let them into your life and then they leave. Diane R. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Belinda Sauro Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 12:44 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? Almost all of the info you are going to find online is outdated. My vet told me the vaccination is 85 to 90% effective and that an adult cat has little chance of getting infected, even if not vaccinated. All I can say is Bailey lived with as many as 8 house mates and not one of them ever became FeLV +. He and Joey were best buds and they would groom, even touching tongue to tongue and I had Joey PRC (DNA test) tested to make sure and he was negative. Bailey lived with his house mates for 11 years so I feel pretty comfortable mixing. If I were to have another positive I wouldn't be worried about mixing as long as they weren't viciously hostile to each other. -- 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
Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
Excellent point. Just applying this to a smaller scale -- any feral colony is extremely lucky if it doesn't have at least one FeLV+ cat in it, yet feral colonies continue to exist and grow. If FeLV were as contagious and invariably-fatal as the stats would have us believe, the feral cat population would long since have dwindled to nothing. Diane R. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Chris Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 12:04 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? Most studies deal only with domestic or trapped ferals who already have been tested for FELV. I've always felt that any real study should include sampling ALL cats, domestic and ferals and specifically exclude any cats already testing post. My suspicion is that this virus is a lot more prevalent than anyone knows. Just that statistical data would once and for all bring to light the fact that is NOT as deadly as current studies seem to imply. Consider the fact that its been around since the dinosaurs. If it were that deadly, then all cats would have died even before they were domesticated! Christiane Biagi Cell: 914-720-6888 ti...@mindspring.com Volunteer-St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbpshelter/sets/72157603921945483/ -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of MaryChristine Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 12:32 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties? in terms of reducing stress while separating them, you can put up a screen door--unless becca is sneezing vociferously there's no chance of virus transmission (bodily fluids and all), but the kitties can all see one another, sniff one another, play pawsies under the door if you leave an inch, and not feel totally isolated. sadly, we who have FeLVs are the ones who tend to be more up-to-date on the research than most professionals because we have the emotional investment in being so. if we're lucky, we have vets who are willing to learn along with us. believe that NONE of us would do anything to harm our furry ones if we did not believe that actual life experience, not just what research, shows. (hard to do longitudinal research when the research population is routinely killed, remember.) -- 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 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] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
the stats WOULDN'T have us believe it's that bad, that's the point--70% of adult cats will either NOT become infected or will not stay infected. most feral groups don't even bother testing any more, because the rest of the colony has already been exposed and killing asymptomatic cats isn't going to change that. it's been known for a long time that it takes persistent and prolonged contact to pass FeLV--it's ignorance and scare-tactics (and laziness--it's easier to just kill what you don't understand than to stay up on the current research) that keeps killing positives. the tests test only for EXPOSURE--not for persistent infection. we haven't a clue on how many positive, actually infected, cats ever even become symptomatic--it could be a very small number. we don't even know how many positives really are, since vets can't seem to get the need to retest issue, tho it's been in the professional and educational literature for at least the past ten years. just ten years ago, vets everywhere were telling people that if an outside cat with FeLV breathed on your housecats through a screen, your cats WOULD catch it. sometimes, it seems we haven't gotten much beyond that point. MC -- 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] How to long to separate negative/positive kitties?
Almost all of the info you are going to find online is outdated. My vet told me the vaccination is 85 to 90% effective and that an adult cat has little chance of getting infected, even if not vaccinated. All I can say is Bailey lived with as many as 8 house mates and not one of them ever became FeLV +. He and Joey were best buds and they would groom, even touching tongue to tongue and I had Joey PRC (DNA test) tested to make sure and he was negative. Bailey lived with his house mates for 11 years so I feel pretty comfortable mixing. If I were to have another positive I wouldn't be worried about mixing as long as they weren't viciously hostile to each other. -- 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
