[Felvtalk] Just tested positive

Thu Jul 24 16:03:51 CDT 2014

I got Yang first, when she was 5 months old.  A little over a year later I
got Merlot when he was 3 months old.  They lived together for over 1.5
years.  I think it's more likely that Yang gave it to Merlot, as he was so
young when he came in to our house, and I have read that kittens are much
more likely to succumb to the virus than adult cats.

On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:57 PM, Katherine K. <kathstix at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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-- 
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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