[Felvtalk] Negative IFA test

[Amy Glunt]

If my cat has tested negative on both, is it possible that she could be contagious in the future? I would like to get her a younger cat as a friend, especially now with her energy levels I think she would definitely benefit from having a feline partner. However I am not eager to have another cat with anemia and immune related issues. I figure if there's any chance of her shedding the virus, it's just not safe to bring another cat into the house, and I'm not sure how foolproof the vaccines are against the virus. 

Amy

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 22, 2016, at 12:05 PM, Margo <toomanykitties2 at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> With a negative IFA, the cat should have no virus in a position to shed. It is either not present, or is sequestered in the bone marrow, and undetectable by IFA or Elisa. When a cat is shedding a virus, they are contagious. Is that what you mean?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Margo
> 
> -----Original Message-----
>> From: "Armstrong-Brown, Sheila   DDS Timonium" <Sheila.Armstrong-Brown at ssa.gov>
>> Sent: Dec 22, 2016 8:12 AM
>> To: "'felvtalk at felineleukemia.org'" <felvtalk at felineleukemia.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
>> 
>> I had the same situation but when the IFA is negative, the cat should shed the virus after testing negative.   They normally retest every 3 months for the felv elisa test.  The IFA test is 99.9% accurate. 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-bounces at felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Corinne Shank
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 8:34 PM
>> To: felvtalk at felineleukemia.org
>> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Negative IFA test
>> 
>> Amy,
>> 
>> Your story is similar to mine.  I think that there is so much that vets don't know about Felv, so it is great to hear from others with their situation.  When I found out that she had Felv from the Elisa test,  her blood work was fairly normal and since that time she has gained weight.  So I think it is wait and see situation.  She still likes to wake me up at 3:00 am 😡, so I think she still feels good. 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Amy Glunt <amyynoelle at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I'm interested in replies to this as well. I have a somewhat similar experience which I have been pondering over. My own cat, Gravy, tested positive on the Elisa for FeLV in March when we took her in for an ear infection and persistent lethargy. A month ago she had both Elisa and IFA tests and was negative for both and the vet said that the leukemia must have gone dormant in her marrow but that she would still have a suppressed immune system and if she gets ill again, the leukemia could possibly flare back up. 
>>> Also, I got the news today that after a month on Winstrol and prednisolone (we skipped the doxycycline since she was negative) her RBC has gone from 16 to 40. She is a whole new cat, it's absolutely incredible, and I owe it all to you guys here...my Christmas miracle!
>>> Sorry to hijack your post Corinne!
>>> 
>>> Amy
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Dec 21, 2016, at 4:45 PM, Corinne Shank <cms9323 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> My cat tested positive for Felv a few months ago from an Elisa test.  I had her tested after she had persistent yeast ear infections and I had read that immune suppressed cats were prone to yeast infections.  In addition,  when she was a kitten she tested positive but then tested negative.  I was told that she had shed the virus and that is why she tested negative.    She is now 8 years old.
>>>> 
>>>> So I put off getting the IFA test as I wanted to see how she did and I felt that she probably was infected.  I finally took her in to get the test and it came back negative.  So I know that the virus is not in her bone marrow.  But what does this mean?  The vet said to bring her back in 6 months for a snap test to see if she has shed the virus, but is this really possible?
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPad
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