Cat with possible false positive FeLV...please help!

Hello,

I am new to the forums and have owned many cats in my life. About four months ago at a grocery store during a snow storm we rescued an adorable little cat we named Meeka that was shivering out in the cold. I've rescued cats before, and brought her to the vet.

Meeka was tested for a multitude of diseases and initially they all came back negative, however after a second test was done, she showed up positive for feline leukemia. We have kept her separate from our other cats to be safe. A few weeks later, she was tested again more extensively (bone marrow) and the results were negative. About a month later she was tested at the vet yet again (basic test) and it came back "minimally positive." In short, we really just are not sure of her condition.

I've done what research I could on the topic, and to my understanding it is possible for cats to fight off the disease before it is permanent. My question is this:   what can I do to help her fight the disease better? Is there a way to boost her immune system to help her? Are there any vitamins or medicines I can get for her? I think she is right on the verge of beating this, and I want to do everything I can to help. Any advice would be very appreciated; she is so loving and I couldn't imagine losing her knowing I could have done something to help her! Thanks in advance for your help!

Welcome to the cat site!

I hope we can help answer any questions you have.

One big question I have for you here is, how old was the cat when you found her?

As soon as I know I will give you my input but it will be determined by her age.

Oh gosh, I forgot to write her age! The vet says she is between 3 and 5. Thanks for your input!

Okay this is good news. If she were a young kitten age, this would mean she most likely was born to a mom with felv. Kittens just don't seem to be able to rid themselves of the felv, ever.

Being an adult is a good thing because, she likely contracted it during mating, male cats will bite the females neck during mating to hold them down, often times biting too hard and drawing blood, which means anything he has, she will get.

If she has a healthy system, she has a good chance of her body resisting submitting to this virus, but it takes several months for this to happen.

The in office SNAP test for the virus, only shows when they have contracted it.

The lab test that came back negative is very good, as it actually tests the bone marrow to find if it is infact present, which would mean it is there to stay, so obviously the neg result means she is still in the transitioning stage and more often than not, is able to fight the virus off and be rid of it.

I would not retest for at least 3-4 months. Recommend 6 months.

Of course it can't hurt to feed her an excellent diet to help her strength, but also believe it is in a cat's genetic makeup how strong they are too, except of course for a worn down cat, emaciated when you found her, unhealthy, etc.  Not unhealthy surface but unhealthy internally, barely surviving on trash for food, etc. which makes a cat nutrient starved.

I would have a positive outlook on her coming out of this clean!

Chances are she will.

Meanwhile please keep her indoors only. This is for her protection as well as other cats she may contact. The virus was still given to her regardless of her passing through it, and she IS able to infect others through food dishes, etc. The virus lasts for up to 3 minutes outside the cat. If there are other cats around who are not as healthy, they may become permanently infected. We don't want that.

I would get your other cats the felv vaccine too. I know many cat owners who have multicat homes and one has felv, and they live fine together many many years without spreading it.

Once she has a clean snap test, no worries further.

If for some reason she tests positive later on, it's NOT  a death sentence! It is far worse for a kitten who acquired this from their moms, than an adult cat. She can live many years with it, very similar to fiv, which is basically weakening the immune system and unable to correctly respond to viruses, etc as well. 

I hope I was able to be some help and comfort to you

Thank you so much for your advice!

The vet has told us she is a very healthy cat. She's gained weight since we brought her in and we feed her a healthy diet. We also make sure she stays indoors and away from the other cats.

I'm glad she will likely fight it off, I just wanted to see if there were any options with vitamins or whatnot that we could get, just to give her a little extra help.

Thanks again for your advice, you've put us at ease!

Very glad I could help!

Good luck with your girl!