I have a question regarding FeLV/FIV testing.

So, as some of you may know, I rescued a sweet little ginger and white kitten yesterday. He came from my aunt and uncle's feral cat colony and has had a rough start to life. He's approximately 8 weeks old and was seen by the vet yesterday afternoon before even bringing him home. If you need the back story, my threads about the kitten can be found both here (http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=208427) and here (http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=208471).

Anyway, in my last thread about baby Finnegan I spoke a lot about his vet visit and about my concerns about his health considering what he's been through in his short life. However, the end result of the vet visit was that Finn is healthy despite an upper respiratory infection and conjunctivitis. He had his first set of vaccinations, a fecal float (he had roundworms and was dewormed), his ears were cleaned and checked, along with debris, for ear mites which the vet said he did not have. He is getting a ribbon of Dexaspor in both eyes for 5 days twice daily and his eyes have improved greatly since just yesterday. No sniffles or nasal discharge and I haven't seen or heard him sneeze. He is being quarantined in a spare bedroom and in a large crate for his safety as he is just a tiny bugger. The vet said that I could begin introductions as early as tomorrow though I'll likely wait at least until his URI is gone (my cats are carriers and get L-Lysine so I'm not overly concerned -- but still cautious). But, my main question is about FeLV/FIV testing.

I had the combo snap test done yesterday and his blood tests came back negative for both diseases. He came from a feral colony, but they are more outdoor cats who are in and out than completely left to their own devices. All of the cats in the colony have not been spayed, neutered, or vaccinated, (please note that these are not my cats and I am working with my aunt and uncle to begin doing TNR for the cats at the start of the new year) but they do seem to be healthy aside from chronic respiratory illnesses (which are never treated). There are some who are nearing 6-8 years old and others who are just kittens or juveniles yet. The cats that they have indoors (which are exposed to the outdoor cats) have been tested for FeLV/FIV and were negative as well. I know the basics about the illnesses and about the test, but it was brought up in my other thread that I should have the kitten rechecked in about 6 months to ensure he really is negative. This is where my question comes in...

I asked the vet if I'd need to repeat and she said that she didn't think it was necessary and, if he were her kitten, she would not retest as the majority of tests that come back wrong are false positives and that the false negatives usually come from tests using saliva or tears as opposed to blood. I know that the local shelters and rescues test their kittens as early as 6 weeks old and then do not necessarily recommend retesting at a later date. The money is not a concern and can retest when the time comes if it is recommended, but we're looking at months here and I don't feel it would be healthy for him to be segregated from the rest of the cats for that long a period of time. My other cats are negative for both feline leukemia and feline aids and I'm not about to put them at risk for FeLV (I know the risk of transmission for FIV is quite low). I guess I'm just confused since the vet said the he doesn't need to be retested, has been deemed healthy (aside from the URI), and should be quarantined just a short period before introductions can begin.

I know there is always a risk for illness and I'm not trying to skirt the issue. But, we all know vets are human and can make mistakes and I just want to ensure the health and happiness of all of my pets -- little baby Finn included. So, is it necessary to keep him quarantined for 3+ months? Or can I move forward as suggested by the vet? Are FeLV/FIV negative results often falsely negative? Or are we on the right track here?

I also am falling in love with the sweet boy and cannot imagine having to deal with FeLV/FIV in the future. I don't want to get close to just have him ripped away due to a devastating illness (I know this is a possibility even in the healthiest of cats). I hope you know what I'm getting at...I just can't seem to work it out in words at the moment...

Any experience or support would be greatly appreciated -- I was so excited to have Finnegan get a clean bill of health and right now that excitement has turned to fear and worry. I guess I just need a little reassurance. I'm sorry.

Are your other cats vaccinated for Feline Leukemia? If not, would you be willing to get them vaccinated just this one time, so you can integrate Finnegan with more assurance?

I agree with the 6 month retest, in the same situation I opted to do it, even though I would have done nothing different about taking the new comer. My situation was slightly different because the cat I rescued was an adult. She tested negative, but there was a chance she had been exposed to another stray in the same area, he was FIV+. So I had her tested again in 3 months, (it can take up to 3 months to show up after exposure...) But in the mean time I did integrate her into the family.

A false positive is not uncommon in young kittens, because they may carry their mother's immunity. That's why a kitten, if testing positive, is recommended to be tested six months later, when all his mother's biological influence would be gone.

A kitten testing negative...I'm not sure of the chances of him testing positive in six months. Hopefully someone else will know.

FIV is only spread through deep bite wounds, but FeLV is much more easily spread, through direct contact.

by the way, 10 1/2 years ago, when I wasn't as informed on these things as I am now, I rescued a tiny kitten in a similar state to your Finnegan. Ears a mess, eyes a mess, parasites, pneumonia...he had to fight hard to live. He tested negative for Felv/FIV, and I never gave it another thought, I brought him in to my two 8 year old cats without fear.

I had no idea of his beginnings though. He found me.

My Tolly

Anyway as I was saying, now that I know so much more, bringing a stray kitten in might cause me worry until the second test.

I appreciate your quick and thoughtful response...

As far as getting my other cats vaccinated against feline leukemia, I'm not sure. I have heard that the vaccination carries many of its own risks and that it has not pr oven effective enough against the virus to warrant taking said risks. Unfortunately, there is no real way for me to know whether Finn has been exposed to the feline leukemia virus or FIV and I'm left either going by what the vet deemed a safe and viable option or being cautious.

I'm typically the cautious type, but I don't want to do more harm than good by not allowing Finn to socialize with others and, at this point in time, there's no way I'm going to adopt out Finnegan. He was mine from the moment I laid my eyes on him and nothing will change that. But, that being said, I feel exactly the same about my other kitties and don't want to unnecessarily put anyone at risk.

I've never retested a kitten before for FeLV/FIV as they've always tested negative. I know that kittens that test positive can later on test negative, but very rarely have I heard of it going the other way around.

I don't know. I'm at a loss and will wait to see what others say and suggest. This is quite the little conundrum...

I have always taken the negative tests as the final word. I understand false negatives are pretty rare (false positives being much more common due to the nature of the tests). If you really want to be cautious, another test in one month could be done, then if that showed negative I'd be perfectly comfortable introducing him. But I have always integrated new kittens after one negative snap test.

I think I'm the one that brought up the second test. I'm so sorry that I put such fear in you. I didn't mean to do that. I do rescue and the advice I gave you is the advice I've been given. Every situation is different though and I'm not a vet so I think you should listen to your vet. If you have any doubts get a second opinion. If you know who Finn's mom is getting her tested may help put your mind at ease too.

Both FIV and FeLV are very rare diseases (in a large test group among stray cats in Indianapolis only 1% and 2% respectively were positive. None of those were kittens.). Chances that Finn has been exposed are slim, especially since he comes from a fairly small cohesive group where no signs of FIV or FeLV exists. I would not let the very remote possibility affect your treatment of Finn when it comes to introducing him to your cats and getting attached to him. I allow all my foster kittens to live with my own cats after a negative snap test on the advice of my vet. He does recommend retesting of cats and kittens with an unknown history but apparently he doesn't think that the risk is big enough to warrant a quarantine of those cats. You also know where Finn comes from and what cats he has been in contact with. I don't think you should worry more about it. I'm sure Finn will be a healthy, happy kitten as soon as his eye problem is gone. Just go ahead and enjoy him.

Hi Allison, I just went through this with two kittens my husband rescued. One of the kittens tested positive at eight weeks old for FIV. The vet said false positives are common and the kitten was tested again last week when she was spayed, thankfully that test came out negative. My vet did not want to retest the kitten that tested negative so I guess there was not a concern about a false negative.

After the one kitten tested positive for FIV I did a great deal of research and FIV is hard to spread between cats. It is only spread by deep bite wounds. Even my vet has FIV+ and FIV- cats of his own so don't worry about FIV being easily spread to your other cats. Felv is more easily spread but if the kittens test came out negative you should be fine. I say if you are still worried give your vet a call just to ease your mind. Good luck with your kitty! Jenn

I am much calmer at this point and have read through the replies here, done some research on my own, spoken with the coordinator for a local rescue, and spoken with Finnegan's vet. So, at this point, I am accepting the recommendation from my vet and moving forward as planned. And, I'm feeling okay with the situation as it stands.

According to my vet, there is a general guideline that states that any cat that has a negative test be retested 60+ days after the last known exposure to the FeLV/FIV virus. However, the likelihood of false negatives are far less great than those of false positives. It is for that reason that many vets do not require a second test if the initial test is negative. The mother cat's antibodies do not protect against FeLV and so the age at the original test is not important. And, since the kitten has been around the feral colony since birth, there is no reason why he would just now be infected. And, since he is between 7 and 9 weeks of age, if he was infected with FeLV, the test would've at least picked up a weak positive. The cats in the feral colony do have a tendency towards eye infections and URI's, but that is fairly common in such colonies and not truly indicative of FeLV or FIV. And, there are some 6+ year old cats in the colony who maintain good body condition despite their weepy eyes. There is a high mortality rate of kittens in the colony, but that is due to inbreeding, wildlife such as hawks and coyotes, and the elements. Those that don't make it and are found deceased usually have always passed away due to upper respiratory-like illnesses. Let me stress, though, that these are not my cats and that I am doing all that I can to stop the cycle that has presently taken hold under my aunt and uncle's care.

So, the plan is to wait about a week so that Finn's URI and eye infection can heal and then move forward with introductions. My vet will run a second ELISA test at the time of his neuter in mid-to-late January (or early February), but she's expecting it to be negative and strongly feels that I can do intros without worry of spread of disease. I'm not a vet, but have spoke with others, and they, too, are in agreement given the situation. And, for me, that's enough.

I'm a bit obsessive and harp on an issue for forever and a day . So, now, it's just time for me to let it go and love the little guy. In fact, I think he needs a snuggle right about now.

Again, thank you to all who have answered and been supportive. I needed it tonight...

It sounds like a sensible plan.

The eye problems in the colony could be from the herpes virus. Would there be a possibility of adding l-lysine to the feral cats food or water supply? there is a water soluble brand of l-lysine that can be added to water.

L-lysine won't cure herpes, but it helps control it, would could cut down on the spread of it.