[Felvtalk] Just tested positive

Katherine K. kathstix at gmail.com
Thu Jul 24 15:57:43 CDT 2014


I have been unable to pinpoint who got it from whom in my house, and could
go in circles about it all day if I let myself! Did you get Yang first, and
then Merlot? For how long did they live together?


On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:52 PM, Maya D'Alessio <mdelow at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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