Feline Leukemia: HELP!

rosie211

rosie211

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Hey everyone.

I am relatively new to this site, but it is my go to source for cat related issues.

I have 5 cats, 2 of whom are brothers and are 10 years old. I took them in this morning and found out that the one who is the sickest has feline leukemia. I am just so sad right now and so confused and scared.

I am taking the other one back in just a few minutes to get him tested. I think the other 3 have had the vaccine but I'm not sure. 

Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I am going to ask the vet about an immune booster. I am just in shock right now.
 
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Do they go outdoors? What's their history? It's rare for a 10-year-old cat to get FeLV, because adult cats have a natural 90% immunity, and if he was exposed as a kitten it's unlikely he would have lived this long :/. Make sure the vet does the test they have to send away to a lab---the SNAP test for FeLV gives a lot of false positives.
 
ldg

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It is possible that they were exposed as kittens, and the cat sequestered the virus in his bone marrow. That just recently happened to one of the kitties of another TCS member, Momofmany.

It's definitely best to have the IFA test done to confirm the virus before doing anything, because as Willowy points out, those SNAP tests have a lot of false positives. I see no point in the FeLV vaccine for the others, they've been living with the kitty already anyway.
 
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rosie211

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Willowy said:
Do they go outdoors? What's their history? It's rare for a 10-year-old cat to get FeLV, because adult cats have a natural 90% immunity, and if he was exposed as a kitten it's unlikely he would have lived this long :/. Make sure the vet does the test they have to send away to a lab---the SNAP test for FeLV gives a lot of false positives.
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No, they are all indoor cats.

Both of my oldest (brothers) are from a wild momma. The brother tested negative, but this one tested positive. He has lost weight and was severely dehydrated. 

They did the quick test on both of them today.

We are going back to pick him up in the morning and I will ask about the other test, thank you.
 
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rosie211

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LDG said:
It is possible that they were exposed as kittens, and the cat sequestered the virus in his bone marrow. That just recently happened to one of the kitties of another TCS member, Momofmany.

It's definitely best to have the IFA test done to confirm the virus before doing anything, because as Willowy points out, those SNAP tests have a lot of false positives. I see no point in the FeLV vaccine for the others, they've been living with the kitty already anyway.
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Yes, I think that is what happened. And even the one who tested negative could end up with some other sort of cancer from this being dormant in his system.

Thank you.
 
summeroflov

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Many cats can be carries of the FELV and never show any signs or symptoms, while they will still infect others who may show signs. They can contract FELV at ANY age from a carrier or an effected cat, and it is very, very easily spread.

If you want an accurate test get the ELISA test, not the SNAP or Combo test. It is the most accurate. Have ALL of your cats tested- one FELV cat will infect the others if together long enough.

We have had 5 cats who have passed from the Virus (all exposed as kittens) and have 3 currently living (ages 3, 2, and 14 months). The cats who contract it as adults seem to live longer than the cats who contract it as kittens, but FELV cats can live up to 8 or 10 years, Our average has been about 2 years, with the oldest cat (got her at 6 months) living to be 5 years old.


Sources: Mother of 3 living (and 5 angel) FELV cats.
 
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rosie211

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SummerofLov said:
Many cats can be carries of the FELV and never show any signs or symptoms, while they will still infect others who may show signs. They can contract FELV at ANY age from a carrier or an effected cat, and it is very, very easily spread.

If you want an accurate test get the ELISA test, not the SNAP or Combo test. It is the most accurate. Have ALL of your cats tested- one FELV cat will infect the others if together long enough.

We have had 5 cats who have passed from the Virus (all exposed as kittens) and have 3 currently living (ages 3, 2, and 14 months). The cats who contract it as adults seem to live longer than the cats who contract it as kittens, but FELV cats can live up to 8 or 10 years, Our average has been about 2 years, with the oldest cat (got her at 6 months) living to be 5 years old.


Sources: Mother of 3 living (and 5 angel) FELV cats.
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Thank you for this reply. I have been a cat mom for 10 years now but was ignorant about this virus until today. 

I am very worried about my other cats, age 7, 5 and 1. I am glad that my youngest got in to see the vet at only 6 weeks and got shots then. He may be the only lucky one. I will be talking with my vet about the test they send out for. I am still in shock with the whole thing and I really appreciate the input. Hopefully my peanut will be doing better when I pick him up in the morning. I do know that dehydration can be debilitating and the cortisone shot should help get his appetite back. 

Prayer or happy thoughts would be appreciated. I also appreciate any and all input I have gotten from this post. You all taking the time to respond to me has helped me so very much. Bless you all.
 
white shadow

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Hi rosie211.

Almost ten years ago, I too was shocked with the same discovery and, I too knew nothing about it.

(And, if it's helpful to know, that cat was perfectly healthy for his first 9-10 years, a sole indoor cat.)

I'm going to give you some information that I did not have then.......a fact that haunts me to this day. There are online resources I didn't know about....I believe that, if I had known, that little cat would not have passed before his time.

There are two private groups of people online whose sole purpose is to manage their FeLV kitties' health. The groups have been running for years and so have a huge collective knowledge base of treatment information - far more than most members' individual Vets. They also keep on top of recent study information and should drug trial programs be made available, they would be the first to know.

All I can say is that I only wish I would have known about them. (FYI, there are similar groups for almost every feline chronic disease/condition.)

I would recommend that you at least join both - that way you can see how they work and then decide whether/not you want to participate.

The first one is here: http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org    It flows from their website here: http://felineleukemia.org/

The second, a smaller and less busy group can be found here: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeLVPositiveCats/

These groups use email as an operating platform. I recommend you get a new separate email address for each - that will keep the info flow more manageable for you.

Apart from that recommendation, the other lesson of mine was to never be pressured into making any irrevocable decision. "Professionals" are not all 'created equal'........there is a natural intimidation factor at play when we deal with them.....we need to walk away, and discuss the issue with those we know and trust to have the full info picture, and time to mull over our options.

I do hope some of that will be of real help.
 
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rosie211

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White Shadow said:
Hi rosie211.

Almost ten years ago, I too was shocked with the same discovery and, I too knew nothing about it.

(And, if it's helpful to know, that cat was perfectly healthy for his first 9-10 years, a sole indoor cat.)

I'm going to give you some information that I did not have then.......a fact that haunts me to this day. There are online resources I didn't know about....I believe that, if I had known, that little cat would not have passed before his time.

There are two private groups of people online whose sole purpose is to manage their FeLV kitties' health. The groups have been running for years and so have a huge collective knowledge base of treatment information - far more than most members' individual Vets. They also keep on top of recent study information and should drug trial programs be made available, they would be the first to know.

All I can say is that I only wish I would have known about them. (FYI, there are similar groups for almost every feline chronic disease/condition.)

I would recommend that you at least join both - that way you can see how they work and then decide whether/not you want to participate.

The first one is here: http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org    It flows from their website here: http://felineleukemia.org/

The second, a smaller and less busy group can be found here: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeLVPositiveCats/

These groups use email as an operating platform. I recommend you get a new separate email address for each - that will keep the info flow more manageable for you.

Apart from that recommendation, the other lesson of mine was to never be pressured into making any irrevocable decision. "Professionals" are not all 'created equal'........there is a natural intimidation factor at play when we deal with them.....we need to walk away, and discuss the issue with those we know and trust to have the full info picture, and time to mull over our options.

I do hope some of that will be of real help.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for this post. I will be joining those groups as well.

The part of this that makes me feel blessed is that my vet isn't pressuring me to do anything; more than anything, he wants to follow my lead in this. I mentioned the intereferon (as one of my cats has taken it in the past) and I asked if if might help in this situation. He agreed that it would be a good addition to the cortisone.

In other words, he is a great vet who wants to help me make choices I am comfortable with. I do know that at some point, we may have to put him down. I am not fully prepared for it, but I do feel like he is still full of life and can still live a happy life for now. I don't want him to be in pain.

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful words; all of you who have replied as well.

I take great comfort in them; I have never dealt with anything like this and it helps me very much to know I am not alone; even if it is only online. It means the world to me. I will check back in tomorrow with how we are doing and how my little peanut is doing with everything. Thank you all so much, blessings.
 
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rosie211

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Just a quick update. Peanut is doing well right now, he seems to have a good appetite and is eating his dry and canned food very well. Drinking some water and staying well hydrated. The cortisone shot seems to have helped with appetite and thirst like the vet thought it would. He is very happy and more active than he has been in awhile. Just enjoying the time we have with him; loving on him like crazy! I feel like every day we have with him now is a blessing.

Thank you all again for your kind words and for taking the time to think of me and my sweet kitty :) Bless you all!
 
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