[Felvtalk] Just tested positive

Thu Jul 24 15:52:30 CDT 2014

Thank you for all of the support everyone.

Katherine - Yang was 3, Merlot is just two years old now.  I don't know
which cat had it and then gave it to the other.  I feel terrible, I was not
informed on FeLV and didn't test for it before I introduced another cat in
to my house, so one of them gave it to the other.

I will look in to the interfuron and LTCI, thank you!

I was not informed on cat vitamins before, so I will definitely be looking
in to those as well.

On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:40 PM, Katherine K. <kathstix at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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>

-- 
Maya D'Alessio
PhD student
B1 377B, x32320
Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator
Biology GSA Vice Chair
GSA Director At-Large
University of Waterloo
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