Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
thank you Jenny. not even my vet explained it this wel to me. dorlis jb...@tds.net wrote: Steven, It is a difficult diagnosis to hear, so first, I am sorry. Second, Felv+ is not an immediate death sentence for all felines in a household. I agree with what has already been said, in that separating him may only cause stress, and this is a huge factor for felv+ cats. It can push them over the edge. There is a great fear among vets with felv+ cats and often times they recommend euthanasia or at least strict separation. I think this is unfortunate, but because of the unpredictable nature of disease transmission; development, or lack of such development, of immunity; disease carrier state; and progression of disease, this is often what vets fall back on. In any event they almost always adovcate separation, but after a long history of prolonged exposure, it may be a mute point. Some vets believe transmission can occur at any time despite having been exposed to it in the past. In other words just because a cat has been exposed to the virus and fought it off, it they are exposed again they may acquire the disease, i.e. there is no lifetime immunity. It is a great source of debate, and the knowledge simply isn't there. Ultimately, it is a decision only you can make. Certainly people in this group have had good success with intermingling. I would recommend vaccinating any negative cats if you do comingle them. Do not, however, vaccinate a positive cat Third, felv is a virus that gets inside the cells responsible for a cat's immune response - white blood cells, including lymphocyts and macrophages. The virus actually implants its DNA into your cat's cells DNA and uses your cats cells to replicate itself. Because it is living inside of and playing with the DNA of your cats cells, these cells no longer function properly and can start to multiply out of control. This is why they develop into lymphomas - uncontrolled replication of lymphocytes. Additionally, your cats immune cells work to keep other cancers from forming - they actually kill other cells that start replicating out of control. In felv+ cats the immune cells are not working properly and can't kill those other out of control cells. This can lead to increased risk of other types of cancers as well. Finally, because your cats immune cells are also responsible for fighting off infections and they are not working properly, your cat is at an increased risk of developing infections. Often it is either these infections (or their sequelae) or the cancers that act as the cause of death in felv+ cats. So armed with this knowledge, it is understandable why everyone here strongly suggests decreasing stress (as increased stress often leads to decreased immune response), giving an excellent diet, give what can be given to strengthen the immune system, treat infections as necessary and give as much supportive care as possible. Since there is currently no cure for felv, supportive care and treatment of infections and secondary cancers (including lymphomas or sarcomas - another form of cancer) are currently our only options. This is perhaps another reason why vets are so fearful of this disease. There are many here that advocate different medications that help boost the immune system. Immulan and Acemannan are two such meds that have been discussed with this groups. There are others. Fourth, with respect to the lung mass. It is likely that it is a lymphoma or lymphosarcoma, but it generally helps to get a diagnosis first. There are different types of lymphomas that respond differently to chemotherapeutic regimens. In general a sample of the mass is taken first to be evaluated by pathology for a diagnosis. Once diagnosed treatment options can be discussed. Generally, any cancer treated earlier, rather than later, has a much better chance of a good outcome. There are a lot of questions you will likely be faced with concerning this situation. I am constantly amazed at the sincerity, support, and willingness to share that this group provides. If you need any help on this journey, this group is certainly one to rely on. Good luck and God bless. Jenny spertus...@aol.com wrote: Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky
Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Steven, I understand your confusion. So little is understood about FeLV. My experience has been with 6 kittens born with FeLV that I rescued from a dumpster colony. They did not 'throw off' the virus but I have only lost one. They remaining 5 are doing fine and have been mixed with my negative kitties who were vaccinated. You are doing all the right things. Checking the status of your other companions. Seeing a specialist for Samauri. Giving him supplements to boost his immune system. I would suggest talking to your vet about adding L-lysine to his diet as well. I understand that Samauri is eating and playing just fine right now. The chemo may affect his appetite. It is important to monitor his eating starting now to make sure he maintains his ideal body wt throughout his treatment. The easiest way to do this is to weigh him regularly on a digital baby, postal or pet scale. He may need additional calories to fight through this episode. There is an Assist Feeding Group and a couple of Lymphoma Groups that can offer help while you develop a treatment plan for him. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feline_lymphoma/ http://felinelymphomacaregivers.org/index.html The very best medicine is love and a low stress environment. It sounds like Samauri is receiving lots of love. All we can do is share our experiences. Hopefully they will help. Good luck with the rest of your companions and at the specialist next Tuesday. Sharyl --- On Sat, 3/21/09, spertus...@aol.com spertus...@aol.com wrote: From: spertus...@aol.com spertus...@aol.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc: spertus...@aol.com Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 2:03 PM Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York **Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood0001) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Hi Steven, Sorry to hear about Samauri, sending lots of positive, healing energy. My Bailey was 5 months old and positive when I found him, he lived together with his 8 vaccinated house mates for almost 11 years before I lost him to undiagnosed pancreatic cancer (none of the tests we did would confirm cancer even though we were reasonably sure he had some kind of cancer), my vet didn't feel comfortable treating for cancer when we did know where or what kind, different types and stages of cancer need different treatments. That said, I am a member of the feline lymphoma group, have been since my negative Buddie developed liver cancer in 2003, I lost her to it in 2004. I remain a member of the group and maintain the website we have put together to help others. You can find the website here: http://felinelymphoma.org/ you will find tons of info on treatments, vet referrals, financial aid websites, how to keep sick kitty eating and the most help I think are the case studies. There are over 70 case studies of members kitties who have and still are going through every type of cancer. Some are still battling, some have lost their battles and still others who acheived remission have passed from non cancer related thing, age, kidney issues ect ... It is a very informative site and we also have a yahoo group with almost 2000 members, all supportive and knowledgeable. You can find and join if you like here: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline_lymphoma/ I wish the very best for you and your baby. -- 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
Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Steven, Why your vet would assume the others will be positive is distressing. You can have one positive and never have any other occurrences, ever, ever, amen. As for separating, if the cats have all been living together up till now, then you might as well let them continue to co-mingle. Separating everyone can create more stress than anything, and stress can be a very damaging factor. - Fight back spam! Download the Blue Frog. http://www.bluesecurity.com/register/s?user=Y3BxMzc0NQ%3D%3D From: spertus...@aol.com Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:03:38 -0400 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org CC: spertus...@aol.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York **Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood0001) ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail®. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Steven, how long has Sammy lived with all the others? On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 2:03 PM, spertus...@aol.com wrote: Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York **Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood0001) ___ 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] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Steven, I'm not sure why your vet would assume that the others will test positive. It's certainly possible, but I wouldn't be quite so quick to assume. There seems to be a lot of debate about just how communicable the FeLV is; however it's seems widely held that it doesn't really become terribly infectious until the positive cat becomes symptomatic. I understand your devastation confusion; my 10 yr. old buddy was just diagnosed a few weeks ago. It may give you some hope to know that he has shared the house with two other cats for years, fighting, playing, sharing bowls etc, and the other two are negative. My cat is believed to have lymphosarcoma as well. I would tend to believe that the lymphoma is in fact a 'secondary disease', but there are others here with more knowledge who can comment on that. I would think that the chronic URI could be chronic as a result of the FeLV compromising his immune system. In my cats case, we are treating the symptoms as they arise, feeding him the best diet we can, immune boosting vitamins, etc. There is a wealth of information on here about diet. I have had the other two cats vaccinated everyone is mingling. We are not pursuing the cancer at this time. We've had him for five years, assume that he had FeLV when we got him, and he only started acting 'off' in the last month or so. There are many anecdotes here about FeLV+ cats who lived well into their middle to golden years, in mixed households. You've come to the right place for info support. Good luck on tuesday. Talk to the specialist your vet extensively about supporting Sammy's immune system during any chemo. Amy _ Get quick access to your favorite MSN content with Internet Explorer 8. http://ie8.msn.com/microsoft/internet-explorer-8/en-us/ie8.aspx?ocid=B037MSN55C0701A ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Hi Steven, Sorry to hear one of your babies is FeLV and has a lymphoma. Lymphoma is one of the things that can be caused by FeLV. I can't personally comment on the treatment for lymphoma, but I have a friend who had an FeLV kitty that had it and chemo was successful in that case. As someone else said, I don't know why your vet is assuming the others are positive, most/many adult cats are naturally immune or have been exposed and were able to clear the virus and are immune. It is possible they could all have it, but unless they were kittens when exposed, I would doubt it. Even being exposed as kittens does not necessarily mean they will have it. If these kitties have all been together for some time, I wouldn't bother separating them. I wouldn't even bother with controlled conditions, it's not like Sammy just became positive yesterday, they have been exposed for a long time and if they were going to get it they already have it. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of spertus...@aol.com Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 1:04 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc: spertus...@aol.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Plus, the stress of suddenly being seperated from one another could trigger something. My vet and I are pretty sure that is what happened to Annie. she was most likely exposed and it had been dormant and the stress of loosing her person, being isolated for 21 days and then getting used to having other cats around lowered her immune system so she could not fight it off. dorlis gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote: Hi Steven, Sorry to hear one of your babies is FeLV and has a lymphoma. Lymphoma is one of the things that can be caused by FeLV. I can't personally comment on the treatment for lymphoma, but I have a friend who had an FeLV kitty that had it and chemo was successful in that case. As someone else said, I don't know why your vet is assuming the others are positive, most/many adult cats are naturally immune or have been exposed and were able to clear the virus and are immune. It is possible they could all have it, but unless they were kittens when exposed, I would doubt it. Even being exposed as kittens does not necessarily mean they will have it. If these kitties have all been together for some time, I wouldn't bother separating them. I wouldn't even bother with controlled conditions, it's not like Sammy just became positive yesterday, they have been exposed for a long time and if they were going to get it they already have it. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of spertus...@aol.com Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 1:04 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc: spertus...@aol.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York ___ 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] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
who owns who , that is the question. i believe that it is our cats who own us. as to lymphoma, it can be beaten, i did it and am in remission 6 years as of this February. don't give up hope. as for treatment, it seems chemo is the only route as radiation would do far more harm than good. course, i had it all over my body, inside and outside because once in the lymphatic system, can travel all over. . if Samauri has only one nodule, that might be a different story. For sure, don't give up hope and prayer was my main healer. will keep you on my prayer list. dorlis spertus...@aol.com wrote: Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York **Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood0001) ___ 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] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
I agree with Gary. When our vet thought Teddy might have something contagious he told me not to bother to separate him from the other 6 cats since they'd already been exposed. He felt it would be less stressful for Teddy to continue living amongst his feline family, too. Laurie -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of gary Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 3:20 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household Hi Steven, Sorry to hear one of your babies is FeLV and has a lymphoma. Lymphoma is one of the things that can be caused by FeLV. I can't personally comment on the treatment for lymphoma, but I have a friend who had an FeLV kitty that had it and chemo was successful in that case. As someone else said, I don't know why your vet is assuming the others are positive, most/many adult cats are naturally immune or have been exposed and were able to clear the virus and are immune. It is possible they could all have it, but unless they were kittens when exposed, I would doubt it. Even being exposed as kittens does not necessarily mean they will have it. If these kitties have all been together for some time, I wouldn't bother separating them. I wouldn't even bother with controlled conditions, it's not like Sammy just became positive yesterday, they have been exposed for a long time and if they were going to get it they already have it. Gary -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of spertus...@aol.com Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 1:04 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc: spertus...@aol.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I am confused. He eats, drinks, sleeps, plays and behaves normally as he always has, would not know he was sick at all. All other felines being tested on Monday 3/23 and Samauri is currently quarantined in 1 large bedroom and we are all not happy about this. Is the cancer which my vet says is of the lymphoma type caused by the FELV virus as a secondary disease or is it possible the cancer is in addition to the FELV positive status and the virus is not causing havoc yet? Would the blood work be normal or are we just lucky so far? Samauri has been going to the vet lately for a cronic upper respiratory infection where his eyes tear because the nasal passages were clogged. Medication clears it up as it has occurred 2-3x per year for the past several years. I am seeing a specialist on Tuesday for the cancer that shows up on the x-rays. I imagine this is what I fight and do other things to ensure his immune system stays as healthy as possible? My vet has given me liquid Immuno Support Vitamins that contains Lysine, Larch Arabinogalactan, Reishi Mushroom and Lutein. He wants the specialist to come up with a cancer fighting chemotherapy protocol. Also, I have read posts regarding separating or not separating positive and negative felines, and my vet actually is already assuming the other cats to be tested will test positive. Should he be making that assumption? I am fairly convinced right now that I could let all kitties roam the house under certain managed conditions relating to shared bowls, etc. Am I even close to being on the right track here? I have supported CRF and Cardiomyopathy felines at home in the past but this is all new to me regarding FELV status and cancer. Thank you to everyone for bearing with me God Bless all our felines! Steven New York ___ 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] Devastated and Ignorant-Confused-New Diagnosis in Multiple Cat Household
Steven, It is a difficult diagnosis to hear, so first, I am sorry. Second, Felv+ is not an immediate death sentence for all felines in a household. I agree with what has already been said, in that separating him may only cause stress, and this is a huge factor for felv+ cats. It can push them over the edge. There is a great fear among vets with felv+ cats and often times they recommend euthanasia or at least strict separation. I think this is unfortunate, but because of the unpredictable nature of disease transmission; development, or lack of such development, of immunity; disease carrier state; and progression of disease, this is often what vets fall back on. In any event they almost always adovcate separation, but after a long history of prolonged exposure, it may be a mute point. Some vets believe transmission can occur at any time despite having been exposed to it in the past. In other words just because a cat has been exposed to the virus and fought it off, it they are exposed again they may acquire the disease, i.e. there is no lifetime immunity. It is a great source of debate, and the knowledge simply isn't there. Ultimately, it is a decision only you can make. Certainly people in this group have had good success with intermingling. I would recommend vaccinating any negative cats if you do comingle them. Do not, however, vaccinate a positive cat Third, felv is a virus that gets inside the cells responsible for a cat's immune response - white blood cells, including lymphocyts and macrophages. The virus actually implants its DNA into your cat's cells DNA and uses your cats cells to replicate itself. Because it is living inside of and playing with the DNA of your cats cells, these cells no longer function properly and can start to multiply out of control. This is why they develop into lymphomas - uncontrolled replication of lymphocytes. Additionally, your cats immune cells work to keep other cancers from forming - they actually kill other cells that start replicating out of control. In felv+ cats the immune cells are not working properly and can't kill those other out of control cells. This can lead to increased risk of other types of cancers as well. Finally, because your cats immune cells are also responsible for fighting off infections and they are not working properly, your cat is at an increased risk of developing infections. Often it is either these infections (or their sequelae) or the cancers that act as the cause of death in felv+ cats. So armed with this knowledge, it is understandable why everyone here strongly suggests decreasing stress (as increased stress often leads to decreased immune response), giving an excellent diet, give what can be given to strengthen the immune system, treat infections as necessary and give as much supportive care as possible. Since there is currently no cure for felv, supportive care and treatment of infections and secondary cancers (including lymphomas or sarcomas - another form of cancer) are currently our only options. This is perhaps another reason why vets are so fearful of this disease. There are many here that advocate different medications that help boost the immune system. Immulan and Acemannan are two such meds that have been discussed with this groups. There are others. Fourth, with respect to the lung mass. It is likely that it is a lymphoma or lymphosarcoma, but it generally helps to get a diagnosis first. There are different types of lymphomas that respond differently to chemotherapeutic regimens. In general a sample of the mass is taken first to be evaluated by pathology for a diagnosis. Once diagnosed treatment options can be discussed. Generally, any cancer treated earlier, rather than later, has a much better chance of a good outcome. There are a lot of questions you will likely be faced with concerning this situation. I am constantly amazed at the sincerity, support, and willingness to share that this group provides. If you need any help on this journey, this group is certainly one to rely on. Good luck and God bless. Jenny spertus...@aol.com wrote: Hello everyone, My name is Steven with a long history of feline stewardship; will not say owner because who owns who is always in question! :) Sorry for a long post. I am confused and wanting to make sure I get the most efficient and best treatment possible for a recent diagnosis: I have 6 felines in my household: Rosie-12 year old female brown tabby Samauri a/k/a Sammy- 9 year old male blonde tabby Olivander- 7 year old male Maine Coon Maggie- 3 year old female blonde and white tabby Squeaky-2 year old female tuxedo Fuzzy-2 year old male long haired tuxedo and brother of Squeaky My 9 year old Samauri just diagnosed yesterday with FELV and x-rays show moderate cancer mass in his chest cavity. His comprehensive blood work shows all is normal and in range so I
