Help, Advice Needed Please on a FELV Cat

[TenHouseCats]

http://ucat.us/FELVFIVFIP.html

that site isn't completely up-to-date, but as of about a year ago, it had the most accurate information available.

www.catvets.com (the american assn of feliine practioners' new web addy) and the winn feline foundation (www.winnfelinehealth.org) both have new guidelines/information on current research and information on both FIV and FeLV.

the MOST important resource for FeLV, however, is the most recent Merck Vet Manual publication (http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...ine%2cleukemia) because it puts into print, from a pretty much unassailable source, the figures that have long been anecdotal in the sanctuary and FeLV-owned households: that healthy, adult cats can be exposed to the virus, they can pick up the virus, but a very high percentage will either not become infected, or will process it out of their systems.

it's long been noticed, also, that there seems to be a natural immunity that develops once a cat passes a year of age, and the new vaccines are roughly 95% effective. so: it is NOT as contagious as we used to think, mutual grooming is currently thought to be the most common mode of transmission (even for kittens--when we used to think that transplacental transmission accounted for positive results in kittens), and while there is no formal research supporting it yet, there is extensive anecdotal evidence to show that vaccinated (and, actually, even unvaccinated) healthy adult cats can live with positives with their being no infection. no one can officially say this, of course, because the first line of treatment has long been, and continues to be, killing all positives based on a single snap test, which seriously limits the population available for research purposes.

has the kitty--who is GORGEOUS, btw--been retested since the original test? if not, you cannot assume that it is positive. something we did NOT know, even as recently as five years ago, is that it can take up to 90-120 days for the virus to process itself out of a cat's system--so a positive test MUST be repeated. actually, all the textbooks have said that for YEARS, but it seems that way too many vets haven't bothered to notice that. additionally, while snap tests are traditionally more accurate for FeLV than for FIV, there is still always the possibility of a false positive: not doing snaps correctly (because they've gotten involved in something else, generally) is one of the top ten mistakes that vets admit to--i've got the citation for that someplace. i have EVERYTHING someplace.) i know of two sanctuaries that have discovered, happily living amongst their FeLVs for years, negative kitties who initially tested positive, because no one knew that retesting was so important.

one of the better known sites for posting adoptables is http://www.adopt.bemikitties.com.

final note: when you are looking up stuff about FeLV, pay close attention to the DATE the article was published. so much more is known now that anything older than 3 or 4 years is probably at least partially out-of-date, and while the basics will be unchanged, you may have to look for more current stuff--as from the winn feline foundation, or aafp--to find the updates.

MC

[Anikaca77]

MC

Thank you so much for your information. I made sure I forwarded this to Jessica and maybe she will want to retest him.

Thank you again,
Melissa

http://ucat.us/FELVFIVFIP.html

that site isn't completely up-to-date, but as of about a year ago, it had the most accurate information available.

www.catvets.com (the american assn of feliine practioners' new web addy) and the winn feline foundation (www.winnfelinehealth.org) both have new guidelines/information on current research and information on both FIV and FeLV.

the MOST important resource for FeLV, however, is the most recent Merck Vet Manual publication (http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...ine%2cleukemia) because it puts into print, from a pretty much unassailable source, the figures that have long been anecdotal in the sanctuary and FeLV-owned households: that healthy, adult cats can be exposed to the virus, they can pick up the virus, but a very high percentage will either not become infected, or will process it out of their systems.

it's long been noticed, also, that there seems to be a natural immunity that develops once a cat passes a year of age, and the new vaccines are roughly 95% effective. so: it is NOT as contagious as we used to think, mutual grooming is currently thought to be the most common mode of transmission (even for kittens--when we used to think that transplacental transmission accounted for positive results in kittens), and while there is no formal research supporting it yet, there is extensive anecdotal evidence to show that vaccinated (and, actually, even unvaccinated) healthy adult cats can live with positives with their being no infection. no one can officially say this, of course, because the first line of treatment has long been, and continues to be, killing all positives based on a single snap test, which seriously limits the population available for research purposes.

has the kitty--who is GORGEOUS, btw--been retested since the original test? if not, you cannot assume that it is positive. something we did NOT know, even as recently as five years ago, is that it can take up to 90-120 days for the virus to process itself out of a cat's system--so a positive test MUST be repeated. actually, all the textbooks have said that for YEARS, but it seems that way too many vets haven't bothered to notice that. additionally, while snap tests are traditionally more accurate for FeLV than for FIV, there is still always the possibility of a false positive: not doing snaps correctly (because they've gotten involved in something else, generally) is one of the top ten mistakes that vets admit to--i've got the citation for that someplace. i have EVERYTHING someplace.) i know of two sanctuaries that have discovered, happily living amongst their FeLVs for years, negative kitties who initially tested positive, because no one knew that retesting was so important.

one of the better known sites for posting adoptables is http://www.adopt.bemikitties.com.

final note: when you are looking up stuff about FeLV, pay close attention to the DATE the article was published. so much more is known now that anything older than 3 or 4 years is probably at least partially out-of-date, and while the basics will be unchanged, you may have to look for more current stuff--as from the winn feline foundation, or aafp--to find the updates.

MC

[mumpkees]

MC:

Thanks for taking the time to post this excellent information on feline leukemia!

You are so right about doing an internet search - you can still pull up information from the 1960's where when leuk was first discovered vets were told the only way to irradicate the virus was to KILL every cat who tested positive. Sadly, even though we have come a long way both in updated knowledge and treatment options, many vets are 'still' strongly 'suggesting' to caregivers of 'suspected' positive cats that KILLING them is the best thing as otherwise they will all die a horribly painful death.

I am one of the anecdotal figures that MC speaks of. I've been caring for leukemia positive cats (and some dual positives (FIV)) since the early 1970's and doing so in a mixed household. This was long before testing became mainstream - you rescued a cat - you brought them home and quarantined for URI's - typically 14 days. You then introduced them into your household. Think about it - if leukemia was the deadly highly contageous killer it was/is made out to be - I'd have had a house full of dead cats many times over the years. So would thousands of others who did exactly the same thing.

The vaccine for leukemia was a wonderful advancement - giving, as do all vaccines - protection. When it first came out, cats were not even tested. One of the reasons testing is so popular in today's litigation heavy society is an attempt to keep rescuers from being sued for adopting a cat who may have leukemia. The inaccuracy of the test is high and rescuers, because of space limitations, only test once. A cat's life or death is based on this one test - a suspected positive test can still cause a cat to die if a rescue group has a policy of killing all positives. In order for a testing to be deemed remotely accurate, it must be repeated in 90 to 120 days - most cats don't get that chance because of overpopulation and no where for the cat to stay while it waits for retest. I strongly suspect that more cats have died from an inaccurate test result than have ever died from the leukemia virus.

There is a saying about the virus 'when it dries, it dies'. This means that this virus once outside the cat's virus, quickly dies once it has dried. Dried virus is unable to infect other cats. The virus also is killed by common household cleaners. In recent months, however, there have been some studies released showing that the virus is suspected of living somewhat longer and if dried virus gets rewetted, it is viable again. These studies have been done in controlled lab conditions in petri dishes - the chances of cats finding a dried saliva drop and managing to get it rewetted and ingested are very slim indeed.

Another thing that must be remembered - this virus takes PROLONGED CLOSE CONTINUAL CONTACT to be passed on. The kind like mother (or Aunti in the case of suspected positive kittens from a negative mother) would have while she cared for and groomed her kittens. I can tell you dozens of personal stories about positives and healthy adult negatives living together - eating and drinking together, sharing litter boxes and mutally grooming. Negatives - both vax'd and unvax'd never caught leukemia. I can also let you know that while yes, some of my leuk positives have died young, many others in my home who were known positives lived well up into their teens.

Everyone must make a decision that they can safely live with when it comes to positives and negatives residing in the same home, but if more people have the REAL facts, possibly more might have enough space to be able to foster or adopt a positive cat. Even if one errs on the cautious side, it is still possible to care for a positive cat in a negative home, especially temporarily. Cats do not need huge amounts of space. Most cats sleep away 16 hours of their life a day. A large cage or a small bathroom is fine. A spare bedroom is even better. The virus is not airborne and if litter boxes, food and water dishes are not shared kitty could safely exercise in a room that other cats might frequent.

I've been doing it for over 30 years and not one of my negative cats has caught leukemia. I hope someone will be able to feel comfortable enough to offer this beautiful cat a home. /mari

[jennielynn1970]

Gosh, how heartbreaking!! There are 7 FeLV+ cats at the one shelter I volunteer with, and they are enclosed in this tiny room, with plexiglass over the wire windows. I feel bad for them too, cause they have no room to run or play or anything.

I don't know anyone any more who takes in FeLV+ cats. There was one woman, but this was 10+ years ago, and she lived in Bally. I wish I still had her info. She took in a cat that a co-worker of mine had that needed to be rehomed, and Grayzie was FeLV+. She had a huge place in the woods, and had outfitted this barn with AC and everything for the FeLV cats she took in. She was amazing. I'll do some emailing and see if I can find out her name again, but the last time I asked about her, which was a year or so ago, no one with that shelter remembered anyone like her.

I hope she can find a home for the kitty. What about allergy shots for herself and her mom??? I mean, that is an option. I take allergy meds and asthma meds because I'm allergic to cats, but there's no way I'd give them up because of it. The allergy excuse just doesn't cut it with me any more.

He's a gorgeous boy. I hope someone will take him in. Such a shame for him to be out of a home.

[Anikaca77]

Thank you so much for your information! It was very helpful!

I'm going to post some signs around town and hopefully she'll get a call or two about him.

He's so pretty and I'd love to take it myself but it's just not possible.

Please cross post this to as many people as you can so we can try to get him a home.

Thanks,
Melissa

MC:

Thanks for taking the time to post this excellent information on feline leukemia!

You are so right about doing an internet search - you can still pull up information from the 1960's where when leuk was first discovered vets were told the only way to irradicate the virus was to KILL every cat who tested positive. Sadly, even though we have come a long way both in updated knowledge and treatment options, many vets are 'still' strongly 'suggesting' to caregivers of 'suspected' positive cats that KILLING them is the best thing as otherwise they will all die a horribly painful death.

I am one of the anecdotal figures that MC speaks of. I've been caring for leukemia positive cats (and some dual positives (FIV)) since the early 1970's and doing so in a mixed household. This was long before testing became mainstream - you rescued a cat - you brought them home and quarantined for URI's - typically 14 days. You then introduced them into your household. Think about it - if leukemia was the deadly highly contageous killer it was/is made out to be - I'd have had a house full of dead cats many times over the years. So would thousands of others who did exactly the same thing.

The vaccine for leukemia was a wonderful advancement - giving, as do all vaccines - protection. When it first came out, cats were not even tested. One of the reasons testing is so popular in today's litigation heavy society is an attempt to keep rescuers from being sued for adopting a cat who may have leukemia. The inaccuracy of the test is high and rescuers, because of space limitations, only test once. A cat's life or death is based on this one test - a suspected positive test can still cause a cat to die if a rescue group has a policy of killing all positives. In order for a testing to be deemed remotely accurate, it must be repeated in 90 to 120 days - most cats don't get that chance because of overpopulation and no where for the cat to stay while it waits for retest. I strongly suspect that more cats have died from an inaccurate test result than have ever died from the leukemia virus.

There is a saying about the virus 'when it dries, it dies'. This means that this virus once outside the cat's virus, quickly dies once it has dried. Dried virus is unable to infect other cats. The virus also is killed by common household cleaners. In recent months, however, there have been some studies released showing that the virus is suspected of living somewhat longer and if dried virus gets rewetted, it is viable again. These studies have been done in controlled lab conditions in petri dishes - the chances of cats finding a dried saliva drop and managing to get it rewetted and ingested are very slim indeed.

Another thing that must be remembered - this virus takes PROLONGED CLOSE CONTINUAL CONTACT to be passed on. The kind like mother (or Aunti in the case of suspected positive kittens from a negative mother) would have while she cared for and groomed her kittens. I can tell you dozens of personal stories about positives and healthy adult negatives living together - eating and drinking together, sharing litter boxes and mutally grooming. Negatives - both vax'd and unvax'd never caught leukemia. I can also let you know that while yes, some of my leuk positives have died young, many others in my home who were known positives lived well up into their teens.

Everyone must make a decision that they can safely live with when it comes to positives and negatives residing in the same home, but if more people have the REAL facts, possibly more might have enough space to be able to foster or adopt a positive cat. Even if one errs on the cautious side, it is still possible to care for a positive cat in a negative home, especially temporarily. Cats do not need huge amounts of space. Most cats sleep away 16 hours of their life a day. A large cage or a small bathroom is fine. A spare bedroom is even better. The virus is not airborne and if litter boxes, food and water dishes are not shared kitty could safely exercise in a room that other cats might frequent.

I've been doing it for over 30 years and not one of my negative cats has caught leukemia. I hope someone will be able to feel comfortable enough to offer this beautiful cat a home. /mari

[Anikaca77]

I forwarded all this information to Jessica and I did ask her about taking the allergy pills but I doubt she would want to take them while she is pregnant.

I asked her if there was a separate room for her to keep the cat in once the baby arrives in case the baby is allergic to cats.

Jessica is due next month so hopefully we'll find Whitey a home by then.

Melissa

[catmandu]

We sadly have no advice, but prayers for that Poor, Handsome Cat are on the way.

[Anikaca77]

Thank you all so much for the advice!

I haven't heard from her yet since I last e-mailed her so I'm not sure if she had her baby or not yet.

Melissa

[susanswatlin518]

I JUST WANT TO WISH THESE CATS WITH THIS TERRIBLE FELINE LEUKEMIA LOTS OF LOVE AND I PRAY THERE CAN BE A CURE SOMEHOW SO THAT THESE BEAUTIFUL SPIRITS CAN STAY WITH US AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.MY CATS HAVE BEEN LUCKY-BUT ALL OTHERS NEED HOPE! SUSANSWATLIN518