Good news! Our newest kitten, arescue who only has about 20% sight, is FeLV NEGATIVE! We dearly love our two positive kitties but are so glad Charcoal doesn't have that to deal with in addition to blindness. Thanks to all for the kind words!
Jody and Coal Help blind cats see a future! www.blindcatrescue.com On Aug 3, 2009, at 1:00 PM, felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org wrote: Send Felvtalk mailing list submissions to felvtalk@felineleukemia.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org You can reach the person managing the list at felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Felvtalk digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Have I done enough to open the room where our beautiful little FELV+ kitty died? (catatonya) 2. Re: Have I done enough to open the room where our beautiful little FELV+ kitty died? (gary) 3. New Kitten, New Worries (Jody Butler) 4. Re: New Kitten, New Worries (Gloria B. Lane) 5. Re: New Kitten, New Worries (Sharyl) 6. Introduction - Rebecca (Iva Lark Emily Seaberg) 7. Re: Introduction - Rebecca (gary) 8. Re: Introduction - Rebecca (Chris) 9. Re: for Kelley OT (Kelley Saveika) 10. Re: Introduction - Rebecca (Sharyl) 11. Re: Introduction - Rebecca (Diane Rosenfeldt) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 10:55:07 -0700 (PDT) From: catatonya <catato...@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Have I done enough to open the room where our beautiful little FELV+ kitty died? To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: <877117.77528...@web43139.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 are your other cats vaccinated? if so I would go ahead. --- On Tue, 7/21/09, margaret-sou...@comcast.net <margaret-sou...@comcast.net> wrote: From: margaret-sou...@comcast.net <margaret-sou...@comcast.net> Subject: [Felvtalk] Have I done enough to open the room where our beautiful little FELV+ kitty died? To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 12:12 AM I hope we can get some advice. Last Monday we had to have our beautiful little foster kitty euthanized.? We belong to a rescue group that pulls and fosters cats at the local county shelter who are in danger of being put down.? We found out about a week after pulling little Maybelline that she was FELV+.? Our vet did complete blood work on her.? Her pvc was only 20 (normal being 30-45), but she was eating and loved attention.? We were so hopeful and of course adopted her immediately.? Within ten days or so Maybelline became listless and wouldn't eat.? Our vet rushed over.??Total count?was down to 8% and immediately we rushed Maybelline to the local vet hospital for a blood transfusion.? She did really well; predisone was also described.? Again we were hopeful.? Our vet planned to check her count every week. At week one it was 15%, not great, but if she could maintain it and EAT, she could continue on.? In only 5 days we noticed same ominous symptoms again.? Vet rechecked Maybelline's blood.? Count was down to 10% and her gums were terribly pale.? In good conscience our vet said we simply couldn't transfuse every two weeks, it just wasn't fair to our little girl.? I heard this news when in Boston visitng my aging (95.5 yrs) mother.? My husband had been prepared that Maybelline might die over the weekend before I returned.? My husband tried everything he knew to get her to eat, but nothing really worked.? She was just too weak. Thankfully, little Maybelline lasted through the weekend.? Sunday we tried to spend as much time as possible with her.? Monday our vet euthanized her.? Both of us were crying.? I'm still having bad spells as it just seemed so preventable and unnecessary if only Maybelline's first owners had vaccinated her! Anyhow, we kept her completely separate from our other five kitties.? We've cleaned the room thoroughly (soap and water on floors and walls she might have touched) and removed her litter box.? I always kept her food dishes separate.? The perch cover and blankets and sheets she touched or slept on have been washed with bleach.? Only a few furniture surfaces like the legs on the bed or desk haven't been washed.? Should they be?? While we would take another FELV+ kitty in a heartbeat (just hope we'd have them a little longer!), we definitely don't want to jeopardize our other little ones who are 100% healthy and have had vaccinations against FELV. Can we open the room at this point?? Our other five kitties used to?play in?it, but we heard no complaints when Maybelline occupied it! We'd appreciate any advice anyone can give on this topic.? I'm sorry our story is so long-winded; we just wished we could have done more for our poor little girl! Sincerely, Maggie & Clark Souers I am so grateful _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 13:20:24 -0500 From: "gary" <gcru...@centurytel.net> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Have I done enough to open the room where our beautiful little FELV+ kitty died? To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Message-ID: <20c201ca139d$e8282a20$b8787e...@net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The FeLV virus is quite fragile outside of the body and doesn't live long at all. It should be perfectly safe to let the other kitties in there now. You didn't say how old she was, but she may have had it since she was a small kitten. I know how you feel, I have recently lost several of my FeLV kitties and have another who is sick now. Gary -----Original Message----- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of catatonya Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 12:55 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Have I done enough to open the room where our beautiful little FELV+ kitty died? are your other cats vaccinated? if so I would go ahead. ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 12:44:28 -0700 (PDT) From: Jody Butler <jbutler5...@bellsouth.net> Subject: [Felvtalk] New Kitten, New Worries To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Message-ID: <331612.35625...@web180210.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii First, thanks to all who supported us when we lost Darcy, our positive kitty a couple of months ago after her spaying surgery. We just adopted a partially blind kitten from the kind lady who found her and her sister abandoned in a mud puddle. She's active and happy and will be going to our vet on Tuesday for her first visit. We have two adult positive kitties who are doing well. I don't yet know if this kitten will be positive, but if she is, I'm already worrying about her spaying, after Darcy and losing another positive a few years ago after a surgery. How do others handle positives when they come into heat? Is it just a hope for the best situation? Are there options I'm not aware of? Any words of wisdom are welcome. Even if she tests negative, I'm sure there'll be other positives in our future. Jody and new kitty Charcoal ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 14:46:53 -0500 From: "Gloria B. Lane" <gbl...@aristotle.net> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] New Kitten, New Worries To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: <adb1167e-dfb2-4718-b4d4-acbd865ab...@aristotle.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes I've had several healthy positives spayed/neutered, no problem with that. If they have some kind of problem, of course, I don't have any surgery done - uri, etc. Gloria On Aug 2, 2009, at 2:44 PM, Jody Butler wrote: First, thanks to all who supported us when we lost Darcy, our positive kitty a couple of months ago after her spaying surgery. We just adopted a partially blind kitten from the kind lady who found her and her sister abandoned in a mud puddle. She's active and happy and will be going to our vet on Tuesday for her first visit. We have two adult positive kitties who are doing well. I don't yet know if this kitten will be positive, but if she is, I'm already worrying about her spaying, after Darcy and losing another positive a few years ago after a surgery. How do others handle positives when they come into heat? Is it just a hope for the best situation? Are there options I'm not aware of? Any words of wisdom are welcome. Even if she tests negative, I'm sure there'll be other positives in our future. Jody and new kitty Charcoal _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 14:24:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Sharyl <cline...@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] New Kitten, New Worries To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: <820412.61655...@web36904.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I, also have had several positives spayed/neutered with no problems. It is really less stressful for the girls to be spayed than to go through repeated cycles of heat. Sharyl --- On Sun, 8/2/09, Jody Butler <jbutler5...@bellsouth.net> wrote: From: Jody Butler <jbutler5...@bellsouth.net> Subject: [Felvtalk] New Kitten, New Worries To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Date: Sunday, August 2, 2009, 3:44 PM First, thanks to all who supported us when we lost Darcy, our positive kitty a couple of months ago after her spaying surgery. We just adopted a partially blind kitten from the kind lady who found her and her sister abandoned in a mud puddle. She's active and happy and will be going to our vet on Tuesday for her first visit. We have two adult positive kitties who are doing well. I don't yet know if this kitten will be positive, but if she is, I'm already worrying about her spaying, after Darcy and losing another positive a few years ago after a surgery. How do others handle positives when they come into heat?? Is it just a hope for the best situation?? Are there options I'm not aware of?? Any words of wisdom are welcome. Even if she tests negative, I'm sure there'll be other positives in our future. Jody and new kitty Charcoal _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 21:50:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Iva Lark Emily Seaberg <melleph...@sbcglobal.net> Subject: [Felvtalk] Introduction - Rebecca To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: <405780.89157...@web82707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 My 2 year old cat Rebecca (Becca) was diagnosed with FeLV on Friday. A brief history: I adopted Becca, along with?another kitty Katherine,?from PetSmart when?they?were a few months old. They had both been tested FeLV negative. But I did notice that a week after I brought them home Becca developed large lymph nodes around her neck that disappeared in a few weeks. I thought nothing of it and thought maybe she was fighting something off. They both came home with ringworm so the vet and I assumed Becca was just reacting to it pretty badly.? ? Almost a year later I adopted two kittens (Kiera and Casanova)?from my neighbor, both FeLV negative.?Shortly?after I brought them home and?around the time they?both got spayed/neutered?at the SPCA one of them (Kiera)?developed the same swollen lymph nodes. Well, a few months ago Kiera was diagnosed with FeLV and was in the end stages. She was only 11 months old. I had no choice but to put her to sleep. By the time she was diagnosed she already had several large tumors in her body, had stopped eating, and one of the tumors was blocking her intestines. There was no hope for her. It was extremely hard to take as she was the only furbaby I had really bonded with at that point. ? Well the vet said to wait a few months and test my remaining kitties. We still have no idea how they got it, but I wonder if it happened at PetSmart or the SPCA?? They are all indoor cats and have never been exposed to other kitties outside of those two experiences. Anyway, we tested my three remaining cats and one was positive. She has no symptoms aside from some bad gum inflammation. She's fairly healthy and extremely active. The vet recommended I put her to sleep to protect the other cats. I initially agreed and the appt is scheduled for tomorrow. However, after researching and looking around it appears that 1. If the other cats haven't caught it by now chances are they might not. The sick kitty is 2 years old, the healthy kitties are 2 years old and 15 months old. 2. I had the healthy kitties vaccinated against FeLV on the vet's recommendation and think that after they get their boosters the odds might be even slimmer of them getting infected. For now I have isolated Becca to my master bedroom/bathroom. I was planning on releasing her in three weeks after the other two kitties get their booster shots. ? Am I making the right call? If I put Becca to sleep and the others eventually test positve then I will be crushed! But I don't want to continue to risk them either. It looks like based on my research it is rare for adult cats to get FeLV, and if they have already been exposed?for so?long (over a year)?and are currently negative then aren't the odds good? I have to call the vet tomorrow to cancel the euthanasia and ask for some antibiotics instead,?and I want to have some good reasons to give her for my change of heart, along with some good documentation she can research. I figure I can always use the next three weeks to think the decision through but if I put her down I can't take it back. ?I don't know how much longer I'd have with her... but doing this when she is so healthy just doesn't sit with me. ? I should add, I got these four kitties to replace my last kitty, who died from Renal Failure. He was given a few months to live and lived for three years under my care. I'm not afraid of a little work if it means quality of life for her and more time together with minimal risk to my other angels. ? Help?? ? Iva ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 00:29:48 -0500 From: "gary" <gcru...@centurytel.net> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Introduction - Rebecca To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Message-ID: <218b01ca13fb$6ce24e50$46a6ea...@net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Many cats are naturally immune to FeLV. We each have to make our own decisions, but if I were in your situation I would not put Becca down and would let her continue to live with the others. I think it quite unlikely - especially after being vaccinated - that they would contract FeLV. Of course, there are no guarantees. Also, you would have to consider very carefully if you were going to bring another kitty into the house while you still have Becca. Gary -----Original Message----- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Iva Lark Emily Seaberg Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 11:51 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Introduction - Rebecca My 2 year old cat Rebecca (Becca) was diagnosed with FeLV on Friday. A brief history: I adopted Becca, along with?another kitty Katherine,?from PetSmart when?they?were a few months old. They had both been tested FeLV negative. But I did notice that a week after I brought them home Becca developed large lymph nodes around her neck that disappeared in a few weeks. I thought nothing of it and thought maybe she was fighting something off. They both came home with ringworm so the vet and I assumed Becca was just reacting to _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
