<div dir="ltr">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?<br></div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:52 PM, Maya D'Alessio <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mdelow@gmail.com" target="_blank">mdelow@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Thank you for all of the support everyone.<div><br></div><div>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.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I will look in to the interfuron and LTCI, thank you!</div><div><br></div><div>I was not informed on cat vitamins before, so I will definitely be looking in to those as well.</div><div><br></div></div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><div><div class="h5"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:40 PM, Katherine K. <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kathstix@gmail.com" target="_blank">kathstix@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">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. <br>
</div><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Katherine K. <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kathstix@gmail.com" target="_blank">kathstix@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>Hi Maya,<br><br></div>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. <br>
<br>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. <br>
<br></div>For my 12 year old cat, since his initial illness, I have been giving him a booster shot once a month of LTCI (<a href="http://tcyte.com/" target="_blank">http://tcyte.com/</a>). 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. <br>
<br></div>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. <br>
<br></div>We aren't vets here, but we can offer you experience and support. <br><span><font color="#888888"><br></font></span></div><span><font color="#888888">Katherine<br></font></span></div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 3:12 PM, Maya D'Alessio <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mdelow@gmail.com" target="_blank">mdelow@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div dir="ltr">Hello everyone,<div><br></div><div>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.</div>
<div><br></div><div>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?</div>
<div><br></div><div>For those who have or have had a healthy FeLV cat, how long did they stay healthy for?</div><span><font color="#888888"><div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Maya D'Alessio<div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div></div></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">-- <br><div dir="ltr">Maya D'Alessio<div>PhD student</div><div>B1 377B, x32320</div><div>Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator</div>
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