[Felvtalk] Just tested positive

[Katherine K.]

Just wanted to add - for the kittens, I didn't give them any "boosters" or
treaments, really. Since everything I've read said kittens usually succumb
to the illness before they turn 2, I didn't think it would make much of a
difference. And since I had 4 of them, it wasn't economically feasible for
me. One of them became anemic toward the end, so I did give him an
iron-rich liquid supplement called Lixotinic.


On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Katherine K. <kathstix at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Maya,
>
> I'm so sorry for your loss of Yang. Is Merlot also 3 years old? Last year
> I had a litter of 4 kittens who all tested positive at 3 months of age. We
> lost the first one at 8 months, and the last one died this May at 1 year
> old. They were all very healthy and active until the last week or two of
> their lives. My 12 year old cat was also diagnosed with the virus last
> July. He was very sick then, but bounced back and is doing well now. He has
> some minor health issues but energy, appetite, bathroom and
> comfort/happiness levels are all normal. Every day I have with him is a
> gift.
>
> Yes, you can be pro-active now. The key to maintaining good health is to
> feed high quality food, keep them indoors, in a low-stress environment, and
> make a vet appt ASAP if something isn't right. You know him best, don't be
> afraid to trust your gut.
>
> For my 12 year old cat, since his initial illness, I have been giving him
> a booster shot once a month of LTCI (http://tcyte.com/). It is not
> inexpensive, unfortunately. A more economical immune system booster is
> alpha interferon, which is given by mouth daily. You can search the mailing
> list archives or website for more info on both of these, and talk to your
> vet to decide what treatment might be best for you.
>
> Let Merlot's happiness and joy for life guide you. Play with him, love
> him, take video and photos of the two of you together having fun. It's
> tough knowing they'll be gone too soon, but let that help you cherish the
> good times together.
>
> We aren't vets here, but we can offer you experience and support.
>
> Katherine
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 3:12 PM, Maya D'Alessio <mdelow at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> My cat Merlot, just tested positive for FeLV yesterday afternoon.  We had
>> him tested, because my three year old cat Yang (female) started acting ill
>> at the end of June, the next morning I took her in to the vets and we
>> discovered she was anemic, jaundiced and had a high fever.  They checked
>> her blood levels and found she was anemic (about 13, vs 26 in a healthy
>> cat).  She stayed at the vet during the day  and her blood levels didn't
>> get any worse, and our vet was optimistic.  They transferred her over to
>> the emergency clinic which was open all evening and in to the weekend.
>>  They monitored her overnight and her red blood cells decreased, her fever
>> lowered but she went past normal to too cold.  That morning the blood tests
>> came back and she was positive for FeLV.  We were shocked.  Even worse was
>> that her detailed blood work showed no uptick in blood cell production,
>> where she should have increased production, she actually had almost no
>> production.  We then got to see her before we had to put her down.  That
>> was the hardest day of my life.
>>
>> Now, with Merlot testing positive I am terrified of losing him so
>> quickly, and I am still grieving for Yang.  I know the statistics are not
>> great for long term prognosis, but he is currently healthy (just a tiny bit
>> of gingivitis - we are going to start brushing his teeth).  What can I do
>> to keep him healthy?  How do I live with him everyday without starting to
>> grieve him already?  I know we all are going to die someday, but this just
>> feels like it is going to hang over me.  I am still doing reading on the
>> disease and newer treatments and such, but do these all start after the cat
>> becomes noticeably ill, or are there things I can be doing now to help keep
>> him healthy?  Are probiotics helpful in this case?
>>
>> For those who have or have had a healthy FeLV cat, how long did they stay
>> healthy for?
>>
>>
>> --
>> Maya D'Alessio
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
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