Concern about a shelter issue-- I brought him HOME!!!

[jennielynn1970]

According to THEIR doctor, older cats are less susceptible to catching FeLV than younger cats. Laslo they say is 4 years old, a mature cat. I just wish I felt more comfortable with this, because right now, I don't.

I just about fell over when the girl told me they were all together in one room. Why put the FIV+ cats at risk?? I doubt they vaccinate them against FeLV because that would be a big expense for them. There are about 15 cats in the room, and only about 5 to 6 of them are FIV+. I know you don't want them to live in cages, but this is fairly large shelter, and they should have some other room available, you'd think. I don't know. I'm just worried about the rest of my cats getting something from Laslo, because he could be a carrier just from being around them.

UGH. I think I'm rethinking this.

[Freedom]

They would do better having the FIV cats in with the healthy cats, and the FeLV cats separated.

Go ahead, help Laslo, soon to be Calloway.

Ask YOUR vet what s/he thinks!

[kittycats_delight]

I went through the whole thing with Felv with Vixen. She was Felv+. All my other cats were vaccinated against felv and none of my other 4 cats contracted it. I talked to my vet before hand and he said that 10% of cats are immune to the vaccine. About 30% are immune to the disease itself. The vaccine is about 90 - 95% effective in the cats that are not immune to the vaccine. So when you add it all up the effectiveness of the vaccine is very high and it is highly unlikely that a cat that has been vaccinated for felv that lives with a felv+ cat will ever contract it. The virus dies in the open air. And as long as the cats aren't aggressive or intergroom to extremes all should be just fine. Like I said Vixen lived with 4 other cats all of whom were vaccinated for about 3 years before she passed and none of the others were infected.

[jennielynn1970]

Got the results back from the shelter, and he is NEGATIVE for Feline Leukemia!!!! I hope that it doesn't manifest itself and test negative but stay dormant and he could still spread it?? They said I can bring him back in 3-6 months and test him again if I'd feel better about it. I might just take them up on that one. I'd more than likely do it at my family vet, just so she can get to meet him and give him his vaccinations and a good once over. I'd like to say I'd do that next payday, but I don't think I'll have enough money to do it that quickly. Their vet has examined him, so I'll see when he needs his next round of shots and will go from there.


Can't wait!!!!

[Freedom]

ALRIGHT!!!!

Now get that boy home, lol!


Michelle, that is great info, thanks for posting.

[kittycats_delight]

well when we found out that Vixen was felv+ I contacted the only vet I truly trusted, my vet from Canada. He has a seat with the CVMA (canaidian veterinarian medical association). I have never known another vet like him. He is just a phenomenon. I have seen him give a very rambunctious kitten her vaccination with just one hand while holding her with the other and the kitten not even feel the needle when it pierced the skin. I have also seen him diagnose a ferret with lymphoma when 4 other vets couldn't figure out what was wrong with the ferret. But enough singing his praises.

Anyway, I called Dr. D to ask advise as to what I needed to do and what I shouldn't do etc etc. He told me what food was best for her because the food had immunity boosters and would help keep her immune system up. He asked me if she lived with other cats and I told him no because this was just after Micia (hubby's cat passed from a fast growing tumor on the heart. Micia had tested negative for felv. He told me about how much the vaccination for felv has advanced and all the percentages. He also told me it rarely happens to transfer between altered, non aggressive cats. That once a cat hits 3 years old if almost never contracts the disease unless through mating & a sever bite. Also after a kitten has reached 6 months old and has no longer been nursing for 3 months that the results of the test rarely come back false- or false+. I know I have used the word rarely a bit as did he and I asked him what rarely meant and he said less than 10%. He knew I was used to have multi cats and that Vixen had never been without another cat so he said to look for a cat around 3 - 4 years old. Have the cat tested & vaccinated if negative. Be sure that when I introduced the 2 cats to be very attentive and insure that no major altercation happened and that all would work out fine.

I ended up with Vixen then Phoenix came along to be her companion but Phoenix was antisocial and they rarely interacted. Then Bella adopted us after she gave birth and she and Frost stayed. They all tested negative and were vaccinated. Then was Vega who was dumped and living outdoors with no vaccinations or anything. She was brought home in the hopes of getting adopted out but I fell in love at first sight so she went to the vet was tested & vaccinated and right up to this day, over 4 years later they are all NEGATIVE.

I get really frustrated when people have felv+ cats pts just because they are felv+. If I would have done that with Vixen I would have lost the 5 extra years I had with her. BTW...Vixen did NOT die from complications or anything related to felv. She passed for a bloodclot that passed straight to her heart which was a condition that is quite common in her father's breed (Maine Coon). All the large breeds are known to have this possible condition. It is because of the size of the cat apparently. We knew nothing about it until it was too late. She died instantly the vet told us there was nothing anyone could have done to save her and she didn't feel a thing.

I'll shut up now that I have written a book. I am glad your boy tested negative Jenny. He will have a great home with you.

[Lizzie]

Like Kittycats_Delight, whose name I can't remember, I had a FELV+ cat, well kitten (she was born with the virus, as was her much weaker brother) live with 6 other cats, all over the age of 5, all off the streets so with good immune systems and all given their FELV shots, for the 7 years she lived. None of them contracted the virus from her and three of them lived into their twenties.

I'm appalled also that the shelter is putting the FIV+ cats at such great risk, it really isn't fair to them. Agree with Freedom that the FIV+ cats should go in with the negative cats if they are out of space because that transmission is far, far rarer. Also, FIV isn't such a very big deal but FELV is a terrible disease.

Anyway, welcome to Calloway and I hope all goes well.

We've got somewhat the opposite problem at the shelter where I volunteer. The new vet, who I really like in general, insists that FIV+ cats cannot be adopted into a home with non-FIV+ cats. The shelter has had to change their policy due to her stance. Whenever she goes on about it, I blow her a raspberry in my head because it helps me curb my tongue.