RE: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch/Cassidy
Thanks Joe! Vermont is quite a distance from Nebraska! But, of course keep us in mind if you know of any compassionate people would like and FeLV baby. A vacation with a purpose would be nice. However, I'm sure there are plenty of cats in need out East! And, luckily, Cassidy has been accepted to Best Friends in Utah (a little closer), if I don't find him a home before then. Best, Melissa -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Joe Reil Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 7:49 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch/Cassidy > I don't know where you live, but Cassidy is the most > beautiful, friendly, > loving cat! He's probably less than one year old, or > around there. Here's > his picture: He's gorgeous. I'm up in Vermont but am not really in a position to take in other cats at the moment, mostly because of Stitch's particular personality issues. :) If I think of or find anyone who is, though, or if my situation changes, I'll keep you in mind. > Best of luck with your new quest on educating > yourself on FeLV. There's so > much to learn as I've found out this past week! But, > the people here are so > helpful and understanding-I'm so glad you've found > this resource as well! Thanks! Joe [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
RE: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch/Cassidy
> I don't know where you live, but Cassidy is the most > beautiful, friendly, > loving cat! He's probably less than one year old, or > around there. Here's > his picture: He's gorgeous. I'm up in Vermont but am not really in a position to take in other cats at the moment, mostly because of Stitch's particular personality issues. :) If I think of or find anyone who is, though, or if my situation changes, I'll keep you in mind. > Best of luck with your new quest on educating > yourself on FeLV. There's so > much to learn as I've found out this past week! But, > the people here are so > helpful and understanding-I'm so glad you've found > this resource as well! Thanks! Joe [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Hi Joe - welcome. I'm glad you found us -- this is the place to be. I'm a little behind on posts and will have to catch up but just wanted to let you know that you and Stitch have every reason to have hope. Don't ever hesitate to ask questions. elizabeth On 4/9/07, Joe Reil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Howdy all, This is my first post to this list, thought I'd do a bit of intro. We had three cats in our family. The older two were both "castaways" that were adopted as adults. Zoro was the oldest and I adopted him from a co-worker when I lived by myself. He died several years ago. The remaining two were Stitch and Chewie. Chewie was the next oldest. She had a really hard start to life, she was originally found, as a stray by some friends of ours. She was probably two or three at the time and she had evidence of being abused - she had some suspicious scars on her underside. She lived with them for a while, very shy/nervous and eventually came out of her shell. A couple years later, they had to move, and couldn't take her with them so we took her in. We had her for several years as well and while we don't know her exact age, best estimate put her at 8-10 years old when she died last month. She had a loss of appetite and started losing weight. She had two trips to the Vet - after the first visit she took a serious turn for the worse so we had her back at the vet only a few days later. A blood test on the second visit revealed that she had FelV. So, considering she was very sick and was suffering from a pretty serious disease we opted to put her to sleep then. :( I didn't know much about FelV then (and I'm still learning about it), but information from both our Vet and online resources I found indicated that it was contagious so we decided to have our third (and youngest) cat tested for it. Stitch is the only one we got as a Kitten and she's about 3.5 years old. I brought her to the vet this weekend and she tested positive for FelV. :( I do intend to learn as much as I can about the disease so we can keep her with us as long as possible. I know that it will eventually catch up to her and our main thing will be to put that off as long as possible. She's still young and healthy so hopefully that'll be a long time still. :) We had been planning to get a second cat, but we've put that plan on hold now. I know it is possible to inoculate against FelV, but given that the vaccine takes a while to take effect, we'd either have to quarantine the new cat until the vaccine took effect or find it someplace else to live for a month or so, and on top of all that I don't think we want to put Stitch through the stress of another housemate at the moment (she doesn't react well to strangers). Thanks, Joe Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
If you want to find a local retailer for a particular brand of cat food, just search for the company website, and MOST have a "locate a store near you" option. Or, just go to your local store and ASK if they can carry one of those brands I mentioned (or which-ever brand you decide to use). Outside that, if you must buy online (the shipping $ is astronomical) I suggest http://petfooddirect.com as they have a good selection of brands. Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources
RE: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Hi Joe! I'm also very new to this list, but I'm in love with it and everyone here is so very supportive. I'm learning a lot about FeLV too. I rescued three cats last week (well, three found me). But, one, our beautiful Cassidy is FeLV+. The rest are negative, as are the three permanent cats we have in our house. Cassidy is currently camped out in our office room to protect the others. Many people on here have had successful mixing of FeLV positives and negatives, but I'm not prepared to do that since our youngest (less than one year) is most susceptible at this age. I don't know where you live, but Cassidy is the most beautiful, friendly, loving cat! He's probably less than one year old, or around there. Here's his picture: http://picasaweb.google.com/mzurovsk/Cassidy/photo?authkey=Iq5dHa-Vucs#50501 79613677810130 I'm trying to find an FeLV positive home for him. Some day I'd like to have a shelter with plenty of room for positives, but right now we don't have the resources. If you'd like him, or if you know of a good home for him, please let me know! I want to keep him so badly, he's stole my heart, but it's just not fair to keep him in one room forever. He's super healthy-better than one of the negatives I rescued last week. He talks constantly-but not annoyingly-and I understand his pungent urine will be subsiding as soon as his hormones are out of his system. He's only newly neutered. And he loves to bite at the letters as I type on the computer-so cute! A very good office buddy and "helper." Best of luck with your new quest on educating yourself on FeLV. There's so much to learn as I've found out this past week! But, the people here are so helpful and understanding-I'm so glad you've found this resource as well! Best Wishes, Melissa
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
I'll check these out. Any suggestions as to where I'd find these? I have a small, but well stocked pet store nearby, we also have a Petsmart about 45 minutes away. If neither of these are workable, are there any good web dealers selling these products? (I'll start with the link from the bottom of your e-mail - anywhere else I should be checking out?). Hi Joe, It is actually hard to find good food at PetSmart. I buy my Felidae at the feed store here in town. We also have a local pet store that sells most premium brands. PetSmart sells a lot of foods that are expensive, like Royal Canin, but not really very good. Expensive food doesn't necessarily equal good food. I'm not sure what link was linked to you, but you can buy almost any food at http://www.petfooddirect.com Since you are only dealing with one cat, you could buy a case of canned and it would last you a good amount of time. -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help Joey! http://rescuties.chipin.com/joey-autoimmune-hemolytic-anemia
Re: To Joe: Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
> Welcome to the group. I'm really sorry to hear > about > Chewie and that Stitch has also tested positive for > FeLV. Thanks. :) The best thing you can do for Stitch is to > educate yourself on this virus. That's why I'm here. :) > If Stitch is asymptomatic, there's not much else you > can do, other than considering supplements for her > immune system, like L-lysine (without propynol > glycol) > or Mega C. And keep us bookmarked because this is > the > place to be for FeLV info. Bless you for not pts > this > kitty and for taking such good care of her. Thanks. I couldn't see putting her to sleep now - she's still young, healthy and active. I've never understood people who can do that so easily... Chewie was very obviously sick and was getting worse rapidly so I think I made the right decision, but I'd like to put that off for Stitch as long as possible. > Take care and keep us posted on Stitch! Will do! Thanks, Joe Don't pick lemons. See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos. http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
> Welcome to the group. You came to the right place > for more info! Something I just > have to mention though, right off-hand, is the > option to adopt another FELV+ cat! Perhaps at some point, but not yet. :) Thanks for the welcome, I've already gotten some useful info and I'll be asking questions as soon as I collect my thoughts and figure out what to ask! > anyways, so be sure your vet ISN'T. Other vaccines > should be carefully reconsidered, > and only given if the risk indicates it's required > to protect the cat. Any vaccine > causes stress to the immune system, and since FELV > is an immune system virus, you > want to try to keep it as STRONG as possible, and > vaccines are a extra weight on an > already compromised system. For those you do choose > to continue to give, you should > request a non-adjuvanted version of the vaccine, as > it has less harmful, toxic, and > carcinogenic ingredients than regular vaccines (yes, > vaccines are VERY nasty things - > most people don't realize). Our vet seems to be good as they did go over this with me. She did say there were some vaccines we may consider and some we definitely shouldn't bother with. Stitch is a 99% of the time indoor cat. The only time we let her outside is with supervision, and even then not very often. > Outside of the vaccination issue, there's general > health and immune system > considerations. The VERY FIRST thing you need to > evaluate is the food you are > feeding. FELV+ cats require a very optimal diet, and > this is highly varied depending > on owner preferences, BUT, you should either be > feeding a super-premium commercial > cat food, such as Innova, Wellness, Chicken Soup for > the Cat, or Felidae (just some > good examples - I feed felidae or Innova dry and > merrick or innova canned), or you > can make your own homemade diet using a recipe found > from a reputable source, OR, you > can feed raw (also requires good "recipes" to obtain > optimal nutritional balance). I'll check these out. Any suggestions as to where I'd find these? I have a small, but well stocked pet store nearby, we also have a Petsmart about 45 minutes away. If neither of these are workable, are there any good web dealers selling these products? (I'll start with the link from the bottom of your e-mail - anywhere else I should be checking out?). Joe 8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time with the Yahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#news
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Welcome Joe, you have come to the right place. There are a lot of knowledgeable and caring people here. Gina Joe Reil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Howdy all, This is my first post to this list, thought I'd do a bit of intro. We had three cats in our family. The older two were both "castaways" that were adopted as adults. Zoro was the oldest and I adopted him from a co-worker when I lived by myself. He died several years ago. The remaining two were Stitch and Chewie. Chewie was the next oldest. She had a really hard start to life, she was originally found, as a stray by some friends of ours. She was probably two or three at the time and she had evidence of being abused - she had some suspicious scars on her underside. She lived with them for a while, very shy/nervous and eventually came out of her shell. A couple years later, they had to move, and couldn't take her with them so we took her in. We had her for several years as well and while we don't know her exact age, best estimate put her at 8-10 years old when she died last month. She had a loss of appetite and started losing weight. She had two trips to the Vet - after the first visit she took a serious turn for the worse so we had her back at the vet only a few days later. A blood test on the second visit revealed that she had FelV. So, considering she was very sick and was suffering from a pretty serious disease we opted to put her to sleep then. :( I didn't know much about FelV then (and I'm still learning about it), but information from both our Vet and online resources I found indicated that it was contagious so we decided to have our third (and youngest) cat tested for it. Stitch is the only one we got as a Kitten and she's about 3.5 years old. I brought her to the vet this weekend and she tested positive for FelV. :( I do intend to learn as much as I can about the disease so we can keep her with us as long as possible. I know that it will eventually catch up to her and our main thing will be to put that off as long as possible. She's still young and healthy so hopefully that'll be a long time still. :) We had been planning to get a second cat, but we've put that plan on hold now. I know it is possible to inoculate against FelV, but given that the vaccine takes a while to take effect, we'd either have to quarantine the new cat until the vaccine took effect or find it someplace else to live for a month or so, and on top of all that I don't think we want to put Stitch through the stress of another housemate at the moment (she doesn't react well to strangers). Thanks, Joe Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091 Visit my Tigger Tales site! - Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta.
P.S. Re: To Joe: Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
P.S. There is a FAQ link on the Felineleukemia.org site that links to Cornell University's FAQ page, but beware, we here do not always agree with Cornell, and often find that some of their info. is outdated. Also, there is a Feline Leukemia Information link on the felineleukemia.org website towards the bottom of the page. :) Wendy --- wendy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Joe, > > Welcome to the group. I'm really sorry to hear > about > Chewie and that Stitch has also tested positive for > FeLV. The best thing you can do for Stitch is to > educate yourself on this virus. It is a serious, > and > often times, deadly disease, but not necessarily a > death sentence. Keeping Stitch stress-free and > feeding him the best diet possible will go a long > way > in combatting the virus. FeLV is not AIDS for > kitties, but it is similar in how it behaves. > Keeping > the immune system in top-notch shape is how we > combat > the virus in our beloved furbabies. > > Stitch may still throw off this virus, depending on > when he was exposed, which could certainly have just > been recently when Chewie got sick, even though they > have been living together for a while. Also, there > are a lot of false-positive tests. Retesting Stitch > in 3-6 months with the IFA test would be a good > idea. > You are right to wait on adopting another cat right > now, and if other cats stress Stitch out, I wouldn't > get one at all, unless she does test negative in 3-6 > months; then it won't matter too much if she gets a > little stressed out. > > If Stitch is asymptomatic, there's not much else you > can do, other than considering supplements for her > immune system, like L-lysine (without propynol > glycol) > or Mega C. And keep us bookmarked because this is > the > place to be for FeLV info. Bless you for not pts > this > kitty and for taking such good care of her. > > Take care and keep us posted on Stitch! > :) > Wendy > Dallas, TX > > "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful > committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it > is the only thing that ever has!" > > ~~~ Margaret Meade > ~~~ > > > > > > The fish are biting. > Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search > Marketing. > http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php > > "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/
To Joe: Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Hi Joe, Welcome to the group. I'm really sorry to hear about Chewie and that Stitch has also tested positive for FeLV. The best thing you can do for Stitch is to educate yourself on this virus. It is a serious, and often times, deadly disease, but not necessarily a death sentence. Keeping Stitch stress-free and feeding him the best diet possible will go a long way in combatting the virus. FeLV is not AIDS for kitties, but it is similar in how it behaves. Keeping the immune system in top-notch shape is how we combat the virus in our beloved furbabies. Stitch may still throw off this virus, depending on when he was exposed, which could certainly have just been recently when Chewie got sick, even though they have been living together for a while. Also, there are a lot of false-positive tests. Retesting Stitch in 3-6 months with the IFA test would be a good idea. You are right to wait on adopting another cat right now, and if other cats stress Stitch out, I wouldn't get one at all, unless she does test negative in 3-6 months; then it won't matter too much if she gets a little stressed out. If Stitch is asymptomatic, there's not much else you can do, other than considering supplements for her immune system, like L-lysine (without propynol glycol) or Mega C. And keep us bookmarked because this is the place to be for FeLV info. Bless you for not pts this kitty and for taking such good care of her. Take care and keep us posted on Stitch! :) Wendy Dallas, TX "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ The fish are biting. Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Welcome to the group. You came to the right place for more info! Something I just have to mention though, right off-hand, is the option to adopt another FELV+ cat! SO many are euthanised only because they test positive, and most would have lived normal, healthy lives, if not for that ill-fated test result. I do understand not wanting to stress her with a new member to the family right now though, just wanted to put the idea into your head, for future reference. :-) I'm sure since I'm replying so late (I'm perpetually behind on email these days), someone has by now told you to re-test in 3-6 months, and confirm any ELISA (in vet office) tests with a IFA (which is sent out to a laboratory, and is more accurate). Also worth mentioning is that FELV+ cats should not be vaccinated for FELV, I know that sounds obvious, but many vets just rake in the $ by still giving the shots anyways, so be sure your vet ISN'T. Other vaccines should be carefully reconsidered, and only given if the risk indicates it's required to protect the cat. Any vaccine causes stress to the immune system, and since FELV is an immune system virus, you want to try to keep it as STRONG as possible, and vaccines are a extra weight on an already compromised system. For those you do choose to continue to give, you should request a non-adjuvanted version of the vaccine, as it has less harmful, toxic, and carcinogenic ingredients than regular vaccines (yes, vaccines are VERY nasty things - most people don't realize). Outside of the vaccination issue, there's general health and immune system considerations. The VERY FIRST thing you need to evaluate is the food you are feeding. FELV+ cats require a very optimal diet, and this is highly varied depending on owner preferences, BUT, you should either be feeding a super-premium commercial cat food, such as Innova, Wellness, Chicken Soup for the Cat, or Felidae (just some good examples - I feed felidae or Innova dry and merrick or innova canned), or you can make your own homemade diet using a recipe found from a reputable source, OR, you can feed raw (also requires good "recipes" to obtain optimal nutritional balance). Feeding the very best quality you can afford will go a long way in keeping your cat healthy. it can't be stressed enough, and it's one of the easiest changes to make. One thing to always keep in mind is that cats are obligate carnivores, so anything you feed them should be MOSTLY meat. If feeding a commercial cat food, the FIRST TWO ingredients should be some form of meat, ALWAYS. Also limit the amount of grains (rice, wheat, oats, bran) and NEVER feed corn (cat's can't digest it, and it has no nutritional value - plus it's the #1 cause of food allergies). The second thing to consider are immune system boosting treatments. This ranges from nutritional supplements like Lysine and Vitamin C, to prescription drugs like Immuno-Regulin and Interferon. Personally, I would immediately start supplementing with Lysine, as it's easy to pick up at any health food store (or even the drug store). Others here can post the optimal dosage (I don't recall it off-hand, and I'm not using it currently as I have no sick cats). Vitamin C is controversial in cat circles, do a web search for more info, but the general debate is that cat's create their own vitamin C, so they don't need extra, while others say extra helps boost the immune system. It's a personal choice, as so far I've seen no studies to indicate extra is harmful OR beneficial (it's a toss-up). As for drugs and more extensive measures, those are all summed up in brief on the main felineleukemia.org webpage, under treatments. If you want more info about anything listed there, just ask. Again, nice to have you here! Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
> Sorry for getting their names confused. (No offense > Stitch!). My brain > doesn't seem to be working that great at the moment. > Just for > clarification, Zoro never tested pos for felv? Correct. It is possible that he had it, but he was never tested for it (while he was in my care), nor was I given any indication from his original owners that it was a possibility - they had another cat from the same litter who was still alive and healthy when Zoro died (at around 13). They also had another unrelated cat. > We don't have a FAQ section, but if you put in a key > word in the search > box you should come up with lots of results. Is > there something > specific that you are wondering about? Not yet, but I thought I'd start there. :) Thanks, Joe Don't get soaked. Take a quick peek at the forecast with the Yahoo! Search weather shortcut. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#loc_weather
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Sorry for getting their names confused. (No offense Stitch!). My brain doesn't seem to be working that great at the moment. Just for clarification, Zoro never tested pos for felv? You may be thinking of the false negs that are the result of the felv being sequestered in their bone marrow. When the virus isn't circulating in their blood stream, it can't be detected by the ELISA. Other than that, at least to my knowledge, the rate of false negs is very low. False pos on the other hand are more common. We don't have a FAQ section, but if you put in a key word in the search box you should come up with lots of results. Is there something specific that you are wondering about? Nina
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
> Hi Joe and welcome to the list. Bless you for being > the type of person > to take in animals in need. My condolences on > losing Zoro and Stitch. Thanks. :) It is entirely possible that Zoro had it first. I'd consider that less likely because Zoro was always well kept with regular veterinary care. At this point it doesn't really matter. Zoro's death was completely unrelated to FelV, btw. > Everyone in this group understands the bonds of > interspecies love and we > know how much it hurts. You must be reeling from > Chewie's pos test > result. Did you bring Chewie home while Zoro was > still with you? Minor confusion here. :) Chewie is the one who died recently, about a month ago. She was VERY sick and tested positive for FelV which led to our decision to put her to sleep. Stitch is now our only cat, and was the youngest of the three that we have had. I got Zoro first, when I was living by myself. Later on, when I was first living with my wife, before we were married, we got Chewie. Stitch came after that. > There's no way to know who transmitted the disease > to whom, I was just > wondering. The good news is that Chewie is 3.5 yrs. > Kittens who > present symptoms of the disease usually do so before > their 3rd birthday, > so it's fabulous that Chewie is so healthy. Now I'm second-guessing. I remember we got Stitch around Thanksgiving - and that she was born in October but I'm having a hard time remembering if it was 2003 or 2004 that she was born and it makes a difference. :) > are so many false pos > using the in-house ELISA test that there is always > the hope that they > aren't really pos at all. Given your history, it > seems less likely in > your case though. It could be that Chewie is a > carrier and will never > develop symptoms, it could be that she is in the > process of fighting off > the disease and will later test neg. That's interesting. I had heard that healthy-appearing cats can show a false-negative, but that false-positives were not as common. In the meantime, you might > want to visit our > archives and do searches on our past discussions. I'll definitely do that. Is there a FAQ available? > like. This is a > very informative and supportive group, we're all in > this together. Again, Thank you, Joe Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Hi Joe and welcome to the list. Bless you for being the type of person to take in animals in need. My condolences on losing Zoro and Stitch. Everyone in this group understands the bonds of interspecies love and we know how much it hurts. You must be reeling from Chewie's pos test result. Did you bring Chewie home while Zoro was still with you? There's no way to know who transmitted the disease to whom, I was just wondering. The good news is that Chewie is 3.5 yrs. Kittens who present symptoms of the disease usually do so before their 3rd birthday, so it's fabulous that Chewie is so healthy. There are so many false pos using the in-house ELISA test that there is always the hope that they aren't really pos at all. Given your history, it seems less likely in your case though. It could be that Chewie is a carrier and will never develop symptoms, it could be that she is in the process of fighting off the disease and will later test neg. You will learn all sorts of things to do to help Chewie stay healthy, a quality diet, supplements and a stress free environment make a huge difference in their longevity. You are wise to consider the stress of adopting another cat, but it is possible to acclimate a new arrival in ways that lessen that stress. I'm sure you will be hearing from our list members with lots of good suggestions very soon. In the meantime, you might want to visit our archives and do searches on our past discussions. You'll be surprised at how our experiences differ from much of the veterinary community's stance and the common misconceptions of the general public. Please let us hear from you often, ask as many questions as you like. This is a very informative and supportive group, we're all in this together. Nina Joe Reil wrote: Howdy all, This is my first post to this list, thought I'd do a bit of intro. We had three cats in our family. The older two were both "castaways" that were adopted as adults. Zoro was the oldest and I adopted him from a co-worker when I lived by myself. He died several years ago. The remaining two were Stitch and Chewie. Chewie was the next oldest. She had a really hard start to life, she was originally found, as a stray by some friends of ours. She was probably two or three at the time and she had evidence of being abused - she had some suspicious scars on her underside. She lived with them for a while, very shy/nervous and eventually came out of her shell. A couple years later, they had to move, and couldn't take her with them so we took her in. We had her for several years as well and while we don't know her exact age, best estimate put her at 8-10 years old when she died last month. She had a loss of appetite and started losing weight. She had two trips to the Vet - after the first visit she took a serious turn for the worse so we had her back at the vet only a few days later. A blood test on the second visit revealed that she had FelV. So, considering she was very sick and was suffering from a pretty serious disease we opted to put her to sleep then. :( I didn't know much about FelV then (and I'm still learning about it), but information from both our Vet and online resources I found indicated that it was contagious so we decided to have our third (and youngest) cat tested for it. Stitch is the only one we got as a Kitten and she's about 3.5 years old. I brought her to the vet this weekend and she tested positive for FelV. :( I do intend to learn as much as I can about the disease so we can keep her with us as long as possible. I know that it will eventually catch up to her and our main thing will be to put that off as long as possible. She's still young and healthy so hopefully that'll be a long time still. :) We had been planning to get a second cat, but we've put that plan on hold now. I know it is possible to inoculate against FelV, but given that the vaccine takes a while to take effect, we'd either have to quarantine the new cat until the vaccine took effect or find it someplace else to live for a month or so, and on top of all that I don't think we want to put Stitch through the stress of another housemate at the moment (she doesn't react well to strangers). Thanks, Joe
Re: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
First, I think you are right to wait for a little while before adding another cat. You need time to mourn, learn, and adjust and so does Stitch. Second, when the time is right, consider adopting a cat whose person is surrendering it and has had it vaccinated already. Local vets sometimes know of these people (a cat might be surrendered because his person dies, goes into a nursing home and the family abandons the cat etc). Third, consider an adult cat from a kill shelterthese lovely little darlings are destined to die and would love to take the risk of contracting FeLV in exchange for the chance to live in a loving home (my opinion only). Good luck. 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: "Rosenfeldt, Diane" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 11:11 AM Subject: RE: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch Hi, Joe -- you've come to the right place for info and support with all things FeLV! Diane R. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Joe Reil Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 10:55 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch Howdy all, This is my first post to this list, thought I'd do a bit of intro. We had three cats in our family. The older two were both "castaways" that were adopted as adults. Zoro was the oldest and I adopted him from a co-worker when I lived by myself. He died several years ago. The remaining two were Stitch and Chewie. Chewie was the next oldest. She had a really hard start to life, she was originally found, as a stray by some friends of ours. She was probably two or three at the time and she had evidence of being abused - she had some suspicious scars on her underside. She lived with them for a while, very shy/nervous and eventually came out of her shell. A couple years later, they had to move, and couldn't take her with them so we took her in. We had her for several years as well and while we don't know her exact age, best estimate put her at 8-10 years old when she died last month. She had a loss of appetite and started losing weight. She had two trips to the Vet - after the first visit she took a serious turn for the worse so we had her back at the vet only a few days later. A blood test on the second visit revealed that she had FelV. So, considering she was very sick and was suffering from a pretty serious disease we opted to put her to sleep then. :( I didn't know much about FelV then (and I'm still learning about it), but information from both our Vet and online resources I found indicated that it was contagious so we decided to have our third (and youngest) cat tested for it. Stitch is the only one we got as a Kitten and she's about 3.5 years old. I brought her to the vet this weekend and she tested positive for FelV. :( I do intend to learn as much as I can about the disease so we can keep her with us as long as possible. I know that it will eventually catch up to her and our main thing will be to put that off as long as possible. She's still young and healthy so hopefully that'll be a long time still. :) We had been planning to get a second cat, but we've put that plan on hold now. I know it is possible to inoculate against FelV, but given that the vaccine takes a while to take effect, we'd either have to quarantine the new cat until the vaccine took effect or find it someplace else to live for a month or so, and on top of all that I don't think we want to put Stitch through the stress of another housemate at the moment (she doesn't react well to strangers). Thanks, Joe Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091 This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties.
RE: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch
Hi, Joe -- you've come to the right place for info and support with all things FeLV! Diane R. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Joe Reil Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 10:55 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Felvtalk - introduction - Chewie and Stitch Howdy all, This is my first post to this list, thought I'd do a bit of intro. We had three cats in our family. The older two were both "castaways" that were adopted as adults. Zoro was the oldest and I adopted him from a co-worker when I lived by myself. He died several years ago. The remaining two were Stitch and Chewie. Chewie was the next oldest. She had a really hard start to life, she was originally found, as a stray by some friends of ours. She was probably two or three at the time and she had evidence of being abused - she had some suspicious scars on her underside. She lived with them for a while, very shy/nervous and eventually came out of her shell. A couple years later, they had to move, and couldn't take her with them so we took her in. We had her for several years as well and while we don't know her exact age, best estimate put her at 8-10 years old when she died last month. She had a loss of appetite and started losing weight. She had two trips to the Vet - after the first visit she took a serious turn for the worse so we had her back at the vet only a few days later. A blood test on the second visit revealed that she had FelV. So, considering she was very sick and was suffering from a pretty serious disease we opted to put her to sleep then. :( I didn't know much about FelV then (and I'm still learning about it), but information from both our Vet and online resources I found indicated that it was contagious so we decided to have our third (and youngest) cat tested for it. Stitch is the only one we got as a Kitten and she's about 3.5 years old. I brought her to the vet this weekend and she tested positive for FelV. :( I do intend to learn as much as I can about the disease so we can keep her with us as long as possible. I know that it will eventually catch up to her and our main thing will be to put that off as long as possible. She's still young and healthy so hopefully that'll be a long time still. :) We had been planning to get a second cat, but we've put that plan on hold now. I know it is possible to inoculate against FelV, but given that the vaccine takes a while to take effect, we'd either have to quarantine the new cat until the vaccine took effect or find it someplace else to live for a month or so, and on top of all that I don't think we want to put Stitch through the stress of another housemate at the moment (she doesn't react well to strangers). Thanks, Joe Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091 This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties.
