FELV vaccine without FELV test first??? Help!!

Hi there--

I am new to the cat world but have recently acquired a 9 week old kitten (born April 13th). I am trying to learn everything I can about the proper care of cats and kittens in order to give my boy the best life possible. He is an indoor only cat and will never be allowed outdoors. From what I read online, I determined it was likely best he did not get FELV vaccine as the risks outweigh the  benefits in his case (very, very low likelihood he would ever come in contact with the disease). I did want him to get FVRCP shot though so I brought him into the veterinarians today for just that. Unfortunately, I found out... after the vet was done with him... that they had given him FELV vaccine anyway. Now I am stressing out because he was never tested for FELV beforehand (which I heard is recommended due to the fact FELV vaccine can "awaken" FELV inside the affected cat and cause them to become ill???) Are my worries unjustified? I am very concerned. I am still learning about cats and their care so I hope maybe someone with lots of experience can give me some more information.

Thank you

 

This is a good site written by a vet for info on vaccines. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccines

I'm sorry to hear that your vet injected him with an optional vaccine that you did not approve. However, unfortunately, at this point, all you can do is watch for adverse reactions. Many vibes that your boy will be just fine.

Thank you for the reply and article recommendation. The article was very helpful and confirmed that my fears are justified. I just wrote the clinic and asked if their vaccines contain adjuvants...something I should have known about ahead of time, I suppose   I feel so helpless at this point. When I told the lady at the front desk (who informed me that my kitten had gotten FELV vacc anyway) that I did not want it because of the risks she looked at me like I was stupid. Grrrr...Hopefully everything will be end up alright! Thank you for the kind thoughts!

I would be furious if a vet ever gave any of my cats or foster cats a vaccine with lots of controversy that is completely an optional choice and NOT required like the FVRCP!

As for your concerns of the vax waking up the virus, unless you have reason to believe your kitten is from an felv+ momma cat, I wouldn't waste your energy and stress over that.

A young kitten who is indoors only will only be felv+ if it came from the mom.

Statistics-wise, the large majority of positive cats are in fact kittens, but most were born to a positive mom. Kittens are also much more susceptible to contracting this virus than a full grown adult with a strong immune system.

At 9 weeks old it's very unlikely that this kitten has had outside exposure to have contracted it.

Even the kittens actually born with this virus from their momma have a decent chance of their systems tackling the virus and getting rid of it.

The kittens who have been born to a pos mom will test positive initially but given a retest in 6 months, they can test negative, since the most common test done shows exposure, so it needs time to fight the virus off.

If retesting shows positive, they can do a more extensive test that will show if there is actual virus in his bone marrow.

However a retest after 6 months showing another positive, chances are it is actually in his system and is positive for the virus and not just exposure to it.

Thank you for taking the time to answer! Yes..I was pretty shocked/ upset when they said they had given him it. When I tried to explain my reasoning behind not wanting the shot given, they acted as though I had no idea what I was talking about and didn't know what was good for my cat. The girl just kept saying, "Feline Leukemia is very dangerous they need it to be prevented." I was trying to explain the risks and the fact he is and will always be indoors only but she just blew me off. If I were more experienced in the feline world, I would have probably pushed the matter further but I ended up just paying and leaving  No undoing that mistake, anyway 

I don't know much about his mother...or father. They were both indoor/outdoor cats but I don't believe my boy ever went outside. They were in an area where there are no stray cats (there are lots of coyotes that keep that from happening ) so probably less in the line of diseases in the area? I saw his mom and she appeared very healthy but I do know looks can be deceiving. He appears healthy...weighed 2 lbs 13 oz today...vet said he looked great. Of course, that doesn't mean too much.

I am happy to hear that even IF his mother was/is pos...theoretically....he could still fight it off. I'm kind of a worry wart Thank you for the solid advice--I feel a bit better.



 

Not to worry then about the UNWANTED vax causing any concerns.

I also believe it can possibly wake up dormant felv, which is highly unlikely.

Glad I could offer some help!

It just gets me about that, what nerve....grr!

Irritates me as well but what can ya do Thank you again for advice!