[Felvtalk] Feline Leukemia How Contagious?

[dlgegg at windstream.net]

I do think kittens are a different story.  Their immune system is not fully developed yet.
For that reason I think I would keep them separate until at least 6 or 8 months.  If for other reason than they would drive older cats crazy with all their energy.  I know when I first got Harley and Dee at 3 months, Annie and Homey avoided them as much as possible.  Harley is the only one who goes outside every day (unless it is snowing or raining like it has been here for the last 3 - 4 weeks)  I am up on a bluff so I don't have to worry about flooding, but I don't want to let them get wet and maybe get a cold.  Harley patrols his territory around the house and does go across our dirt road about 100 yards and comes back to lie on the deck and take a nape.  Got to have vitamin D.  Dee goes on the deck or if I am outside, she will trail along with me, and then back to the deck for a nap.  Annie will go on the deck and snooze.  Homey is the one that surprises me.  She was feral and up until 1 year ago, would go out every day.  Now she won't go past the door.  She acts like she wants out, runs to the door and then puts on the brakes.  The only reason I can think of is Clyde, our neighborhood mountain lion showed up about a year ago and she can smell him and her feral background says stay inside where it is safe.  But then, he has never come closer than a distance from my house to 2 electric poles away.  He is on a deer crossing.  First saw him when I went out for the mail and I thought he was a golden retriever so said hi to him.  Then his tail was down, not up and when he turned he gave me a one sided snarl telling me I was a stupid old lady, sat down for a minute and then mosied on across the road.  We have run into each other on walks in the woods since then but he usually just looks at me and goes on his way.  Plus, he does not scare Harley.  Also, I am in the middle of the woods and there are lots of critters out there for him to dine on.  So for all the above, I don't get any shots anymore.  The trauma of crating them and listening to their NoooooooooS all the way (20 miles) and sulking on the way home is a bit much for them and me. This has been 4 years now and everyone is healthy and happy.
I could see if you were in a city where they could contact many other cats and dogs that shots may be necessary unless they stayed in all the time.  Even then, vets say get shots every year.  I think in many cases it is an easy money maker.  They are getting like human doctors.  By the way, flea and tick control is as easy as a few catnip plants.  Have to watch them as they do spread, but for 4 years now, I noticed that my cats never have fleas or ticks.  Then one day found out anything in the mint family is a repellent for bugs. So that is one more expense and exposure to toxins that I can avoid.


---- Lorrie <felinerescue at frontier.com> wrote: 
> I have wondered exactly the same thing. I've had two FelV+ cats with
> my other 8 neg. cats for over 5 years. They neg. cats were vaccinated
> only once, and none have ever gotten sick.  Of the 2 FelV + cats,
> one lived to the age of 7 and suddenly died with no prior illness.
> The other 7 year old cat (her sister) is still fine.  One of my vets
> told me it was very difficult for a grown cat to get FelV, but a
> kitten born with it from a positive mother almost always dies. 
> 
> I had a litter of 4 pos. kittens and all of them died during the
> first year of their lives. It was terribly heart breaking. 
> 
> Lorrie 
> 
> 
> 
> On 07-01, dlgegg at windstream.net wrote:
> 
> 
> > I am beginning to wonder if FELV is as contagious and the vets
> > claim.  My cats are all ferals, dump cats and I have had 2 who were
> > declared FELV positive.  One did pass in 2 years of something else. 
> > Annie has been with me over 4 years now and at first, I vacinnated
> > all the others .  2 years ago, I stopped that and everyone is
> > healthy, bright eyed and happy.  I am convinced that Annie really
> > is not positive, just a tremendeous amount of stress that happened
> > just before I got her.  She has never shown any signs or symptoms
> > of any disease.  The rest of the cats are healthy.
> 
> 
> 
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