Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
A trip to the vet for a check up and vaccinaitons comes before anything else. You have to protect your babies. Lynda Wilson wrote: > I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of caution, > that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is the > leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a > 100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to get > another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even though > it's not 100% guarantee. > > It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a > cure for this horrible disease. > > Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with > FeLV daily. > - Original Message - > From: "Beth" > To: > Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > > > ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over > 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them > out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My > FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many > as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - > Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats > re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have > ever gotten the virus. > Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am > not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not > have to be paranoid about FeLV. > Please search the archives on > "mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you > & all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on > something you have never dealt with > before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first > positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into > was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who > didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have > another home or be put down. > My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties > safely. > > Beth > > Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org > > --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: > > From: Lynda Wilson > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM > > Kasie, > > You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You > could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has > only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if > nothing else. > > As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that > Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too > many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. > In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in > Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of > his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was > neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had > to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not > himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur > and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim > chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many > health issues which compromised his immune system. > > I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. > I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. > Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably > exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we don't > know exactly when he was shedding the virus). So far, my adult cat, Sugar, > has tested ELISA negative. I had Sugar tested the day I put the kitten to > sleep, then again 30 days later, and again this month. I'm going to test him > next month as well. Since all the ELISA tests have been negative, we did not > do an IFA test. > > Every cat's immune system is different. I know people do mix, but I hope at > least they are mixing with negatives that have been vaccinated. This is just > my opinion. I'm sure that this may work for some, but for newbies like > myself experienc
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
I know that hoarders have a mental problem, but can't they see that they are actually haarming the animals, not helping them? I know my limit is 7 or 8, beyond that I cannot afford the food, litter and vet bills. When you see the conditions that they are living in, it makes me want to knock these people silly. Have to remind myself that the have a problem. Beth wrote: > Exactly. I rescued 26 cats from a hoarding case. 3 were FeLV positive & had > been living for years in a 2 bedroom apt with the rest of the UNVACCINATED > cats. We quaranteened the negative cats for 9 months & none ever tested > positive. Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Christiane Biagi wrote: From: Christiane Biagi Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 2:24 PM Ilost my romeo to. Lymphoma but he was around 4 when I brought him in after feeding him for couple of years. He lived 4 years inside. My Tucson is 12 n 17 lbs. She was diagnosed felv when 4. I have 3 negs n have mixed 4 years. Thing is that this an ancient virus n if if were that deadly, there would be no domestic cats. Most cats r never tested -so who knows how many r pos. Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G Lynda Wilson wrote: >I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of caution, >that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is the >leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a >100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to get >another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even though >it's not 100% guarantee. > >It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a >cure for this horrible disease. > >Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with >FeLV daily. >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Beth" >To: >Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > > >ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over > 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them > out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My >FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many >as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - >Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats >re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have >ever gotten the virus. >Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am > not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not >have to be paranoid about FeLV. >Please search the archives on >"mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you >& all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on >something you have never dealt with > before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first >positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into > was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who > didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have >another home or be put down. >My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties >safely. > >Beth > >Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org > >--- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: > >From: Lynda Wilson >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) >To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM > >Kasie, > >You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You >could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has >only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if >nothing else. > >As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that >Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too >many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. >In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in >Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of >his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was >neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had >to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not >himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur >and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim >chan
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
Kasie, You and your partner are doing a wonderful thing in giving Grace a chance to overcome this virus. I think her chances of kicking it are probably more than 30% so keep your fingers crossed. Going out of your way to improve her immune system surely will make a huge difference. My rescue just took in a mama cat that has tested positive on two ELISA tests but negative on the IFA done a month later. We're hoping she'll kick it too but are keeping her for further testing to be sure. She had two kittens that tested negative and two that tested positive on their first combo test. It's such a confusing disease. I think keeping her at the warehouse is fine for her. No need to rent an apartment although it's a sweet sweet thought. She probably gets more attention there since she doesn't have to share you with another cat like at home so don't worry. Just get extra toys and play with her a lot so when you're not there she'll be tired and sleep and won't even miss you. Ever heard of Da Bird cat toy? It's awesome and would completely wear her out. You could also borrow or rent a t.v. to keep there and play those cat videos. Some of my cats like it but some could care less. If she likes it though it would keep her entertained for long periods of time. Be sure to bring something for her to scratch on though. I can understand about not wanting to expose your other cat. I think he would be perfectly safe, especially if you get him vaccinated, but I can understand your hesitation. Although, I've learned a lot about the virus through research it would still worry me to bring in a positive cat. I'm not in that situation but I remember before I discovered that one of mine had it that I was hesistant to bring in a new cat that tested positive. It never came up but since I fostered for my rescue it was always a thought. After I found out that one of mine that had previously tested negative actually had the virus, I had several of the other cats at my house tested since they were not vaccinated but had lived with the positive cat for two years. All four have turned out to be negative. That's another testament to how hard it is for a healthy adult cat to become persistently viremic when exposed to the virus. Anyway, I have a friend, like lots of the ladies here, that has positive cats mixed with her vaccinated negatives and no problem about the negative cats catching it. So if she keeps testing positive but you can't stand the thought of giving her up I don't think it would be wrong to bring her home to your other cat if you get him vaccinated. You would not be a bad mommy for doing that. But if you decide to find her another home that would be understandable. That decision would be up to you at that time. It's a tough one to make and I'm glad I don't have to do it. Keep us posted. I would love to hear how this turns out. Either way, you're doing a great job for Grace. Maureen “I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn’t….the pain which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further.” – Mark Twain > From: ka...@sonic.net > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 17:14:51 -0700 > Subject: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > > Hello, > > We recently adopted a spayed female adult cat (2-3 years of age), Grace, > that was tested for FeLV/FIP (neg. results) upon intake in Oct 2009 by the > rescue. She was retested the morning we took her home by the rescue's local > vet with a "low positive" ELISA for FeLV (FIV still neg.). The rescue > allowed me to take her on a foster agreement because of my dedication and > experience level, not with this disease in particular, but with caring for > animals in general (former vet tech, former assistant to a veterinary > homeopath, past pet sitter, herbalist for animals and founder of a large raw > feeders co-op). > > We drove a long distance to meet her (from San Francisco to the Oregon > border) - requiring a stay in a pet-friendly hotel. She seemed healthy when > we met her (we spent a few hours at the rescue, then stayed overnight and > picked her up the next morning) but she sneezed a few times and had a tiny > bit of snot while we drove away from the rescue in her crate, and had a few > fairly dramatic sneezing fits overnight in the hotel, but seemed otherwise > healthy and has a wonderful, strong appetite and normal elimination. > > She developed a full blown URI in the days following and we had her retested > by a local feline specialist. She had a positive FeLV ELISA and negative > IFA. > > We have not brought her home yet as I have one very healthy 4 yr old male > neutered cat at home that has never been exposed to any cat illnesses. I am > keeping the new kitty, Grace, at my work office a
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
It's great to hear about stories like these! What lucky kitties!! - Original Message - From: "Beth" To: Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 2:45 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) Exactly. I rescued 26 cats from a hoarding case. 3 were FeLV positive & had been living for years in a 2 bedroom apt with the rest of the UNVACCINATED cats. We quaranteened the negative cats for 9 months & none ever tested positive. Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Christiane Biagi wrote: From: Christiane Biagi Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 2:24 PM Ilost my romeo to. Lymphoma but he was around 4 when I brought him in after feeding him for couple of years. He lived 4 years inside. My Tucson is 12 n 17 lbs. She was diagnosed felv when 4. I have 3 negs n have mixed 4 years. Thing is that this an ancient virus n if if were that deadly, there would be no domestic cats. Most cats r never tested -so who knows how many r pos. Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G Lynda Wilson wrote: I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of caution, that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is the leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a 100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to get another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even though it's not 100% guarantee. It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a cure for this horrible disease. Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with FeLV daily. - Original Message - From: "Beth" To: Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have ever gotten the virus. Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not have to be paranoid about FeLV. Please search the archives on "mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you & all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on something you have never dealt with before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have another home or be put down. My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties safely. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: From: Lynda Wilson Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM Kasie, You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if nothing else. As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many health issues which compromised his immune system. I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we don't know exactly when he was shedding th
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
Exactly. I rescued 26 cats from a hoarding case. 3 were FeLV positive & had been living for years in a 2 bedroom apt with the rest of the UNVACCINATED cats. We quaranteened the negative cats for 9 months & none ever tested positive. Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Christiane Biagi wrote: From: Christiane Biagi Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 2:24 PM Ilost my romeo to. Lymphoma but he was around 4 when I brought him in after feeding him for couple of years. He lived 4 years inside. My Tucson is 12 n 17 lbs. She was diagnosed felv when 4. I have 3 negs n have mixed 4 years. Thing is that this an ancient virus n if if were that deadly, there would be no domestic cats. Most cats r never tested -so who knows how many r pos. Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G Lynda Wilson wrote: >I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of caution, >that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is the >leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a >100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to get >another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even though >it's not 100% guarantee. > >It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a >cure for this horrible disease. > >Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with >FeLV daily. >- Original Message - >From: "Beth" >To: >Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > > >ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over > 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them > out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My >FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many >as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - >Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats >re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have >ever gotten the virus. >Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am > not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not >have to be paranoid about FeLV. >Please search the archives on >"mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you >& all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on >something you have never dealt with > before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first >positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into > was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who > didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have >another home or be put down. >My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties >safely. > >Beth > >Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org > >--- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: > >From: Lynda Wilson >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) >To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM > >Kasie, > >You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You >could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has >only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if >nothing else. > >As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that >Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too >many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. >In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in >Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of >his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was >neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had >to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not >himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur >and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim >chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many >health issues which compromised his immune system. > >I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. >I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. >Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably >exposed to this virus for the 6 m
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
Ilost my romeo to. Lymphoma but he was around 4 when I brought him in after feeding him for couple of years. He lived 4 years inside. My Tucson is 12 n 17 lbs. She was diagnosed felv when 4. I have 3 negs n have mixed 4 years. Thing is that this an ancient virus n if if were that deadly, there would be no domestic cats. Most cats r never tested -so who knows how many r pos. Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G Lynda Wilson wrote: >I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of caution, >that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is the >leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a >100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to get >another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even though >it's not 100% guarantee. > >It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a >cure for this horrible disease. > >Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with >FeLV daily. >- Original Message - >From: "Beth" >To: >Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) > > >ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over > 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them > out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My >FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many >as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - >Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats >re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have >ever gotten the virus. >Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am > not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not >have to be paranoid about FeLV. >Please search the archives on >"mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you >& all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on >something you have never dealt with > before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first >positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into > was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who > didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have >another home or be put down. >My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties >safely. > >Beth > >Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org > >--- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: > >From: Lynda Wilson >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) >To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM > >Kasie, > >You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You >could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has >only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if >nothing else. > >As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that >Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too >many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. >In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in >Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of >his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was >neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had >to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not >himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur >and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim >chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many >health issues which compromised his immune system. > >I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. >I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. >Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably >exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we don't >know exactly when he was shedding the virus). So far, my adult cat, Sugar, >has tested ELISA negative. I had Sugar tested the day I put the kitten to >sleep, then again 30 days later, and again this month. I'm going to test him >next month as well. Since all the ELISA tests have been negative, we did not >do an IFA test. > >Every cat's immune system is different. I know people do mix, but I hope at >least th
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
I'm glad that works for you Beth. I'm just advising of the word of caution, that's all. I'm not paranoid but this disease is very contagious and is the leading viral killer of cats. Vaccination helps tremendously but is not a 100% guarantee, just like other vaccines. Even when I am given the ok to get another cat, I will have the kitty vaccinated for added comfort even though it's not 100% guarantee. It's better to be safe than sorry. It would be a dream come true to have a cure for this horrible disease. Best wishes to each of you and blessings to all the kitties who live with FeLV daily. - Original Message - From: "Beth" To: Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:13 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have ever gotten the virus. Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not have to be paranoid about FeLV. Please search the archives on "mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you & all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on something you have never dealt with before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have another home or be put down. My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties safely. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: From: Lynda Wilson Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM Kasie, You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if nothing else. As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many health issues which compromised his immune system. I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we don't know exactly when he was shedding the virus). So far, my adult cat, Sugar, has tested ELISA negative. I had Sugar tested the day I put the kitten to sleep, then again 30 days later, and again this month. I'm going to test him next month as well. Since all the ELISA tests have been negative, we did not do an IFA test. Every cat's immune system is different. I know people do mix, but I hope at least they are mixing with negatives that have been vaccinated. This is just my opinion. I'm sure that this may work for some, but for newbies like myself experiencing this for the first time, I proceed with much caution. I will not bring home another cat or kitten until I know Sugar is in the clear. He so wants another companion to play with! I will keep Grace in my thoughts and prayers and please keep me posted. I hope she clears the virus so that your cat at home has a new purrfect companion! Best wishes and the best of luck to you!! Lynda ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
ALL my negative cats are vaccinated. I have been mixing my cats for over 10 years.My vet said if I separated them I would only be stressing them out. I vaccinate my negatives every 6 months ON MY VET'S ADVICE. My FIV+ cat never even got it & I had him 10 years. I have had as many as 5 positives & 5 negatives living freely with each other - Grooming, sharing food, water, litter. I have had my negative cats re-tested multiple times over the last 10 years & none of them have ever gotten the virus. Yes, this is a personal choice, & no, I am not telling you to do it, but with the proper precautions you do not have to be paranoid about FeLV. Please search the archives on "mixing" to see how other people are handling the situation. I wish you & all you kitties well. I know it is scary when you come on something you have never dealt with before. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first positive. Within 6 months I had 3 of them (the neighborhood I moved into was overrunning with strays). Thank goodness I had such a great vet who didn't freak out about this virus & tell me they had to have another home or be put down. My main goal ever since is to show people they can keep these kitties safely. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org --- On Thu, 5/12/11, Lynda Wilson wrote: From: Lynda Wilson Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:38 AM Kasie, You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if nothing else. As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many health issues which compromised his immune system. I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we don't know exactly when he was shedding the virus). So far, my adult cat, Sugar, has tested ELISA negative. I had Sugar tested the day I put the kitten to sleep, then again 30 days later, and again this month. I'm going to test him next month as well. Since all the ELISA tests have been negative, we did not do an IFA test. Every cat's immune system is different. I know people do mix, but I hope at least they are mixing with negatives that have been vaccinated. This is just my opinion. I'm sure that this may work for some, but for newbies like myself experiencing this for the first time, I proceed with much caution. I will not bring home another cat or kitten until I know Sugar is in the clear. He so wants another companion to play with! I will keep Grace in my thoughts and prayers and please keep me posted. I hope she clears the virus so that your cat at home has a new purrfect companion! Best wishes and the best of luck to you!! Lynda ___ 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] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
Kasie, You are wise to not bring Grace home in fear of exposing your other cat. You could get your other cat vaccinated for FeLV. However, the FeLV vaccine has only 80% to 85% protection, but it's better than zero. This is one option if nothing else. As you know, there is a chance that she clears the virus. It's good that Grace is IFA negative!! This disease is not black & white. There are too many "if's" for me to ever take a chance in mixing positives with negatives. In fact, I'm in the same boat. I adopted a 3 mos. old kitten last year in Sept. He was neutered in Nov & was born with coccidia along with the rest of his litter ( the Humane Society tested him for FeLV the day he was neutered). The HS vet said he was negative. On March 10th of this year I had to put him to sleep. He had a faint positive on the FeLV test. He was not himself the day prior. When I took him in he was anemic, had a heart murmur and his blood oxygen level was very low. My vet said their was a very slim chance that he would survive even with a blood transfusion. He had too many health issues which compromised his immune system. I also have a 2 yr old male cat at home that has always been an indoor cat. I never knew of this disease, therefore, he was not vaccinated against it. Having fostered then adopting my HS kitten, my adult cat was probably exposed to this virus for the 6 mos that I had my kitten (of course we don't know exactly when he was shedding the virus). So far, my adult cat, Sugar, has tested ELISA negative. I had Sugar tested the day I put the kitten to sleep, then again 30 days later, and again this month. I'm going to test him next month as well. Since all the ELISA tests have been negative, we did not do an IFA test. Every cat's immune system is different. I know people do mix, but I hope at least they are mixing with negatives that have been vaccinated. This is just my opinion. I'm sure that this may work for some, but for newbies like myself experiencing this for the first time, I proceed with much caution. I will not bring home another cat or kitten until I know Sugar is in the clear. He so wants another companion to play with! I will keep Grace in my thoughts and prayers and please keep me posted. I hope she clears the virus so that your cat at home has a new purrfect companion! Best wishes and the best of luck to you!! Lynda - Original Message - From: "Kasie Maxwell, Rara Avis | SFRAW" To: Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 7:14 PM Subject: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-) Hello, We recently adopted a spayed female adult cat (2-3 years of age), Grace, that was tested for FeLV/FIP (neg. results) upon intake in Oct 2009 by the rescue. She was retested the morning we took her home by the rescue's local vet with a "low positive" ELISA for FeLV (FIV still neg.). The rescue allowed me to take her on a foster agreement because of my dedication and experience level, not with this disease in particular, but with caring for animals in general (former vet tech, former assistant to a veterinary homeopath, past pet sitter, herbalist for animals and founder of a large raw feeders co-op). We drove a long distance to meet her (from San Francisco to the Oregon border) - requiring a stay in a pet-friendly hotel. She seemed healthy when we met her (we spent a few hours at the rescue, then stayed overnight and picked her up the next morning) but she sneezed a few times and had a tiny bit of snot while we drove away from the rescue in her crate, and had a few fairly dramatic sneezing fits overnight in the hotel, but seemed otherwise healthy and has a wonderful, strong appetite and normal elimination. She developed a full blown URI in the days following and we had her retested by a local feline specialist. She had a positive FeLV ELISA and negative IFA. We have not brought her home yet as I have one very healthy 4 yr old male neutered cat at home that has never been exposed to any cat illnesses. I am keeping the new kitty, Grace, at my work office and warehouse (it's my own business and while not a home environment, I'm there twice daily and spend hours with her every day) and changing clothes/shoes, etc. and doing a lot of laundry to ensure I don't bring anything home to my cat. She's finally getting over her URI and will be retested for FeLV again on May 26th (30 days after the first time I tested her at the local feline specialist vet). I know the odds are not in our favor, but I am hoping she'll be part of that 30% that clear the disease from their systems and are no longer considered persistently infected. The reason why she's at my work is that was the only safe place to keep her in isolation because we live in the city, in a tiny studio, so we do not have a separate room to keep her in. We decided this while we drove home and I discussed the situation with my own vet (who is also a dear friend). We even considered renting an apar
Re: [Felvtalk] Discordant Results (ELISA+/IFA-)
Kasie you might want to search the archives on mixing. I mix my positives and negatives - have for years - on the advice of my former vet - with no negatives turning positive. Others here do the same. Thank you so much for going through so much for this little angel! Beth Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
