Re: New to FeLV (wendy)
Hey, wendy: Your very kind words are muchly appreciated! It was news to me (I mean, MORE news) that saliva was not absolutely implicated in the spread of the virus. Likening it to HIV also made it more clear to me (I'm an LPN). What I find scary...but I've been remiss! I didn't realize that I didn't name the black kitty in my submission. Her name was Flavia, in honor of her devotion to my husband (a semi-long story) and because of her exotic beauty. And we loved her, though that isn't readily apparent in my letter. Mea culpa! Anyhow...what I find scary is that Flavia "got along" with the other cats by ignoring them, and they her. It's always possible that blows, or even bites were traded when I wasn't around. But mutual grooming and communal sleeping are absolutely out of the question. Which, excepting an unknown bite, means that he MUST have gotten it from food/water bowls or litter boxes. Because Elvis is 12. To answer your questionHe turned 12 on July 8. I know this, because I took in a straywho proceeded to give birth in my bedroomcloset about 3 weeks later, then went outside one day 5 weeks after thatand disappeared. (Not coincidentally, that was the last time any cat of mine went outside.) Anyhow, she had 5 kittens. I gave two to my best friend of 44 years (we're 46) and kept the other three, Elvis, Tiddy (beautiful blue-gray tabby with huge eyes) and Juliet, AKA Girl Cat (large,sweet, shytortoiseshell with a passion for grooming all others). That's why I know he wasn't born with it, (I know it's a virus that hides, but for 12 years?) and why I'm afraid of the communal bowl and commode possibility. I appreciate your info on all the cats who've lived with positives and not contracted it. Your letter, also, was a great comfort in my despair. I truly appreciate your sharing your Cricket with me. Many thanks! Gia
Re: New to FeLV (wendy)
wendy! I can't believe I left out one of the brightest points of your letter! You said, "FYI, the FeLV vaccine is supposed to last 2-3 years..." (I laughed aloud, there) and "...so your others are most likely ok from the first vaccine." (At which point I resolved to give my neighbor's child a dollar to do a cartwheel for me!) You obviously detected my agony over not repeating the vaccinations in 2004. I have never begrudged the money (thousands, by now) I have spent on caring for critters, but I was in dire straits at the time and REALLY would have had hell trying to find a 'spare' $500. Even so, had IHAD a 'spare' $500 (really, that phrase tickles me, in an ironic way), I doubt I would have done it. Twoyears, nevermind the 6 months I was warned about, had passed since exposure with absolutely no chance of re-exposure. It's IMPOSSIBLE. Simply: thereARE nonew cats inside. So, it seems likely that Elvis was infected 2 years ago, before vaccination. Which (to me) means that while the others may have been infected at the same time, they at least have not likely caught it in the intervening years. You can see how your info about the length of immunity after vaccination came as an enormous relief! So, beau-coup thanks for removing THAT penance from me. You guys are great! Ciao, Gia
Re: New to FeLV (wendy)
Correct me if I am wrong...But I believe FeLV IS contacted primarily through saliva Maybe not urine and poop In saliva it dies as soon as it becomes dry, but what if it is in poop ??? Can that be carried on a shoe ??? The best defense against the disease is to keep cats healthy, well fed and happy... No stressI believe it is easy to contact but a cat has natural defenses against the disease...The strength of these defenses is directly related to the condition the cat is inThis pretty much holds true both before contact and after when the cat tests positive...My vet says that he has seen many cats who he has seen for the 1st time when on their death bed that test positive and are years old and living with a number of other cats (unvaccinated on farms) and so far as he knows none of the other cats have contacted it...(But maybe the farmer just says this is the same thing and says the cat will die anyway and doesn't come to the vet.) One of the problems is that there are so many variables...health..time..and death is a result of another disease Tad David wrote: Hey, wendy: Your very kind words are muchly appreciated! It was news to me (I mean, MORE news) that saliva was not absolutely implicated in the spread of the virus. Likening it to HIV also made it more clear to me (I'm an LPN). What I find scary...but I've been remiss! I didn't realize that I didn't name the black kitty in my submission. Her name was Flavia, in honor of her devotion to my husband (a semi-long story) and because of her exotic beauty. And we loved her, though that isn't readily apparent in my letter. Mea culpa! Anyhow...what I find scary is that Flavia "got along" with the other cats by ignoring them, and they her. It's always possible that blows, or even bites were traded when I wasn't around. But mutual grooming and communal sleeping are absolutely out of the question. Which, excepting an unknown bite, means that he MUST have gotten it from food/water bowls or litter boxes. Because Elvis is 12. To answer your questionHe turned 12 on July 8. I know this, because I took in a stray who proceeded to give birth in my bedroom closet about 3 weeks later, then went outside one day 5 weeks after that and disappeared. (Not coincidentally, that was the last time any cat of mine went outside.) Anyhow, she had 5 kittens. I gave two to my best friend of 44 years (we're 46) and kept the other three, Elvis, Tiddy (beautiful blue-gray tabby with huge eyes) and Juliet, AKA Girl Cat (large, sweet, shy tortoiseshell with a passion for grooming all others). That's why I know he wasn't born with it, (I know it's a virus that hides, but for 12 years?) and why I'm afraid of the communal bowl and commode possibility. I appreciate your info on all the cats who've lived with positives and not contracted it. Your letter, also, was a great comfort in my despair. I truly appreciate your sharing your Cricket with me. Many thanks! Gia
Re: New to FeLV (wendy)
Correct me if I am wrong...But I believe FeLV IS contacted primarily through salivaMaybe not urine and poopIn saliva it dies as soon as it becomes dry, but what if it is in poop ??? Can that be carried on a shoe ??? FELV dies unless it has an optimal wet and warm environment (and studies say it lives a maximum of 3 days even in that optimum environment). Since any poop on your shoes rapidly cools, and any that tracks OFF your shoe (like onto the floor) would be dry and cold instantly, there is very little chance of carrying FELV on your shoes. Jennhttp://ucat.ushttp://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.htmlAdopt a cat from UCAT rescue:http://ucat.us/adopt.html Adopt a FIV+ cat: http://ucat.us/AWrescue/FIV/Adopt a FELV+ cat:http://ucat.us/FELVadopt.html"Saving one animal won't make a difference in the world, but it will make a world of difference for that one animal."~~~I collect KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil, a 3 yr old special needs cat who must live on a liquid diet for the rest of his life.Bazil's caretaker collects labels and sends them to KMR, where they add up until she earns a free can of formula!PLEASE save your KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil! If you use KMR, even just one can, please email me for the NEW address to send them to! No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.3/174 - Release Date: 11/17/2005
