[Felvtalk] Tested Positive Cat

[Lance]

I think this is a personal choice that owners who have both FeLV- and FeLV+ must make on their own. Vaccinating negative cats does a good job of protecting them from the virus, but it’s not 100% guaranteed (no vaccine is). I’ve read it’s more like 85-90%, but I don’t have a reference in front of me. Google for a credible source like the American Association of Feline Practitioners.  Also, cats that are one year old or older have a certain *unknown* level of natural protection, as their immune systems are fully online. Young kittens have weak protection or none at all until their immune systems have matured.

Aside from the vaccine and natural protection, unvaccinated adult cats that are not bitten require extensive, continued exposure (mainly via mutual grooming and shared dishes) over a long period of time (sometimes many months) to contract the disease, which is why we sometimes find negatives who have been living with undiagnosed positives for years. I’ve seen this with my own eyes under my own roof.

Short version: if the negative cat is a vaccinated adult, and its relationship with the positive cat is friendly, the negative cat will not likely become infected. It’s not impossible; just not that likely.

If the proper steps are taken and all cats involved are over a year old, this ends up being a matter of the guardian’s comfort level. Some people are unnerved by the prospect, while numerous others have vaccinated negs and never seen them get infected despite extensive interaction with positives.

Lance

On Jul 6, 2014, at 8:48 PM, Grant, Mary A. <mgrant at mofo.com> wrote:

> Everything I've read about felv is that it's highly contagious not only from fighting, but from saliva as well. We kept our cats separated from our felv+ kitten for six weeks as they were getting the vaccinations.
> 
> Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
>  Original Message
> From: dlgegg at windstream.net
> Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2014 7:12 PM
> To: Lee Evans; felvtalk at felineleukemia.org
> Reply To: felvtalk at felineleukemia.org
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Tested Positive Cat
> 
> 
> WHY do you have to keep him in a their own  room?  when I got Annie and a few years later, Nitnoy , everyone ate, slept in the whole house.  No one else has ever tested + for felv.  They fuss, hissing, slapping, but that is the extent of fighting.  That way, no one is isloated and unhappy.
> 
> ---- Lee Evans <moonsister22 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> My friend just rescued a young male cat who has tested positive for FeLv. I usually foster these cats until they either turn or I keep them and allow them to live their lives in a room of their own. The problem now is that I don't have a room for fostering FeLv+ cats. My two spare rooms are taken with other emergency fosters who will be with me for the rest of their lives. One room has three of my own cats who lost a lot of weight due to stress. They don't much like being with 20 other cats in the general cat room so I had to isolate the Skinny Three and feed them extra. They are making a come back except for Moses. I intend to take him to the veterinarian this coming week. He was one of the FeLv+ cats who turned negative after a 3 month stay in isolation. He has been with me for 7 years now and is probably suffering from old age and other issues not related to his former FeLv status. The second foster room is taken with one-eyed cats who can't be
>> released into my general community because they might get into fights and have their remaining eye injured. Fortunately they bonded with each other and enjoy the company and food.
>> 
>> What I really need is a foster home for the rescued FeLv+ cat so he will have a chance to turn negative. Does anyone know anyone in the vicinity of San Antonio, Texas to Austin, Texas who could foster the latest rescue. My friend has him at the vet clinic right now but she can't afford to keep him there much longer. If you have a friend, relative, anyone you know within a 75 mile radius of San Antonio, Texas who might be willing to foster or adopt, please email me at moonsister22 at yahoo.com. Thanks.
> 
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