7 month old FeLV+ treatment?

tands

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
10
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
Sabby was tested mid October for FeLV+ after a benign mass was found in/around his mouth and removed. He was positive, and a snap test was done an appropriate amount of time later which was also positive. 

He is asymptomatic and very friendly and playful. I just adopted him on Saturday because his owner couldn't keep him as they have another cat. 

However I've heard of Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator (LTCI), and I was wondering if anyone has had experience with it?

Because he is asymptomatic should I not be worrying about treatment yet or would LTCI be beneficial now anyways?

Right now he is on Hill's Adult Feline Oral + food but I recently bought him Blue Wilderness Salmon food and I read somewhere that FeLV+ cats are better when fed poultry, not fish so I am very disappointed. He also gets 1/4 a can of oral health wet food for dinner. He also receives vitamins for his immune system than contains lysine, 2mL twice a day. I don't know if he likes it but he eats it.

I've been looking into Duralactin and Nutri-Cal. I don't know if I'm getting ahead of myself because he doesn't have any symptoms, but I don't want to wait until he starts getting sick to start looking into and purchasing treatment options.

I know that I need to keep his stress down and that worries me because it is going to be at least a few weeks if not a month until our dog stops trying to play with him. Our dog is very very friendly but she acts like he is another dog, so her 125 pound weight jumping around him trying to play with him is scaring him, making him run under the kitchen table or behind the couch. When he does that we are usually able to pet him unless she barked at him which seems to worry him more. But if she just jumped around him (or if he just hears her walking or running around the corner) then we are able to pet him in his hiding spot. 

Separating them is not an option as our dog is allowed everywhere even the bathroom, but they are separated if either none of us or only one of us are home. We also don't force them to interact, if Sabby wants to hide then we let him and if he wants to walk by our dog we let him. 

What are your opinions on LTCI, Duralactin, and Nutri-Cal?

What can I do before he shows signs of being sick to help him?
 

tulosai

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
2,018
Purraise
330
Location
Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Hi!

My best advice to you would be to discuss your concerns with, and ask these questions of, a vet.  While people here might be able to give you stories about their own PERSONAL experiences with LTCI, Nutri-Cat, etc. only a vet can work with you to determine what treatment is appropriate for YOUR cat. I'd urge you to make a vet appointment ASAP and write down all your questions and concerns so that the vet can thoroughly address them with you.

Thank you for helping this cat!
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Hi and welcome!

I agree with @tulosai  in regards to talking with your vet about LTCI, etc.

The next part of my post you are not going to like hearing, and I apologize for this, but in my opinion and experience, it will do you no good at all to sugar-coat this scenario for you.

When a 7 month old kitten is positive for felv, it is very likely to have been infected from his mother. This means it is in his system full on, and most of the time has a very different outcome than an adult acquiring the infection.

Having a cat rescue group I have seen more than my share of positive kittens, the majority of them are seemingly healthy, happy and bouncy, playful kitties.

Occasionally one will appear unhealthy from a few months old, and never get better, and will suddenly pass. 

But for the healthy ones, and I will just throw this number out there from what I see, more than half, probably closer to 2/3 of them, will suddenly begin to go downhill, out of the blue. In a matter of weeks to months, and will pass.

Occasionally there will be one who seems to stay asymptomatic, and for them, I can't tell you the future and how they do, since by then they have been adopted out to people who have a positive cat in their home already and wish for a companion for that cat, or to a home with no other cats who understand it may be a very short life for the kitty and they choose to love the kitty for whatever unknown time period they may have.

It is sometimes up to 18 months of age before succumbing to this virus.

Saying this, it does not include using meds or LTCI. I have not seen or heard much positive news regarding it's help, it is not a cure but in some cases it can possibly prolong their life.

I'm sorry about saying this, hoping you are already well aware of the deal with felv and what to expect.

 
 Positive vibes.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

tands

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
10
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
Thank you both!
I am going to book an appointment for him in two weeks, I just wanted to have lots of opinions and information by then. For example if I would have gone this morning, I wouldn't have known about LTCI or Nutri-Cal! So I'm trying to research as much as I can before we go see the vet. I also didn't want to shove him in his carrier again so soon.

I do understand because he's so young there isn't a very good chance he'll reach a decade old or even 5 years, but I didn't want him to be euthanized just because he is sick.

He was an outdoor cat when found, still just a baby not even 8 weeks old. A neighbor thought he belonged to the farmers beside him so he brought him over but it turned out he was at least a month younger than the litter they thought he was from. So he's a mystery cat, but he'll remain my baby for as long as he is on this Earth.

I know he might get sick quickly and that is why I want to be prepared with immune system booster vitamins and questions to ask the vet. Thank you. :)
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
The very best to you and your little one.

You are a very special person to care for this baby.

Only wish mom was known so she can be fixed, rather than continue to produce more positive kids, which is draining every bit of reserve she even has left. 

Sad :(
 

Docs Mom

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
598
Purraise
984
Location
Lafayette, IN
Hi T&S, I have Felv +'s and it really is just a (pardon the term) crap shoot... My Kayenne, I had for 4 1/2 yrs. Her brother passed at 8 mos, so its likely they got it from their mother.

Serendipity my avatar, I lost at 9 mos. after a lot of "tries", including LTCI.
That said, the number ONE thing is NO stress....can he have a room to his own where the dog cannot bother him ?
Just keep educating yourself...lots of info out there. Mine get Pet-tinic vitamins and Maitake mushroom with DMG along with high quality food. Is that what got Kayenne to 4 1/2 yrs ? Who knows...

Thank you for choosing to care for him vs. the alternative.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

tands

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
10
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
Thank you for feedback! There is no room he can be alone in, but today he was brave enough to sneak out of the bedroom he is enclosed in (while we are out at school and work), we had just put him in there but I put the baby gate up incorrectly (we actually close the door when we leave, but put a babygate up until we leave so we can go in and out easy but the dog can't) so he just went around it and even though he saw the dog he made his way through the living room and with my coaxing got to the kitchen when I realized he was close to freezing or was going to go slow enough for the dog to snap out of her 'stay' command that she was doing very well in. 

They both ate their breakfasts peacefully within ten feet of each other even though they were separated by a kitchen table, so this morning went very well! He is very trusting as he lets me carry him on his back like a human baby, and in situations where our dog (mind you our dog has anxiety and a multitude of other health problems) would flinch or bolt from the room like us dropping something, he would just carry on whatever he was doing or look at us then stare like asking us why in the world would we do that. 

But 24/7 there isn't a room he can be enclosed in. They are generally separated by a door or babygate from 9 or 10 pm (on weekdays) until about 5 or 6 pm the next day so they are only around each other for a maximum of 5 hours a day for most of the week. Other than breakfast while we are all getting ready at the same time, they don't see each other very long. And my sister today mentioned when she left she thought she heard him jumping at the door trying to get out and I think he hates being closed in a room because where we got him, they had to keep him in a room that was possibly less than half the size of our bedroom, because they have another cat and didn't want the virus being passed to her. So I wonder if that is stressing him out. I know cats sleep a lot though so I don't know if he was playing with something, or if he is actually stressing about being alone. 
 

Docs Mom

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
598
Purraise
984
Location
Lafayette, IN
Sounds like he and the dog might eventually settle down. Since you don't have other kitties, no reason he can't be out with you.

Good luck ! Feel free to pm me, nice to know I'm not alone...always takes some convincing with my vet to pursue treatment....
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

tands

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
10
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
It has been 5 months already!! Wow. He has been doing great, but he has a vet appointment today and I am looking for some suggestions: 

Past 6 days Sabby has been really weird! He is a year year old neutered tabby tom who has been FeLV+ since he was 3 months old (he was rechecked three or four months later) so we are guessing his Mom passed it on, his exact place or time of birth is entirely unknown. 

Yesterday was the first day in almost a week he touched his wet food (pate kind, he would lick out the gravy from the gravy and meat kind but leave the meat) and he ate EVERYTHING in his bowl throughout the day! Has has two kinds of dry food and gets 1/4 of each right now because I am switching from one food to another and he also gets 1/2 can of wet food. 

Yesterday he ate all of his food. Slowly but surely and I was extremely excited. I split his wet food into four different portions, the first part he ate it. Yes! The second part he left until I went to throw it out but when I walked in it was gone so I guess he ate it. Third part I warmed up and he ate it. Fourth part I was going to warm up but the power went out so I grabbed a spoon and he slowly ate it all off of the spoon. Then throughout the evening he meandered his way back to his food bowl to nibble at his dry food and then sleep. 

Some days in the past week he wouldn't touch the wet food (So I didn't give it to him on the 19th, just dry food which some of breakfast and dinner was left in the morning and I threw it out to start fresh) but I tried the gravy and meat kind which is when he licked off all of the gravy and then decided he was done even though he had dry in his bowl too. And where it would usually take him 2 hours to eat his breakfast maybe up to 6 hours, it was still there 24 hours later. 

He also isn't as active as usual. Sometimes we play fight and he bites us but when my sister tried playing with him he just ignored her or walked away she even tried to aggravate him into play biting like she always does and he just ignored her or left. He is also sleeping on the kitchen chairs once or twice lately and I haven't seen him do that in like 2+ months. He has access to nearly every room- kitchen, living room, bathroom and one of the bedrooms. He has a bed behind a lazy boy chair in the living room that I often find him sleeping it. It is away from the dog but still in the same room as me which I think he likes. 

He has also had 4 coughing fits in the past 4 months. 2 were in the last two or less months, one of which was a few days ago during his "eating is not important" thing. We are going to the vet today but he ate all of his food yesterday and he has been nibbling on his food today (fed about 3 hours ago) but I'm very confused. 

I leave the province (Canadian) soon for a month and while I have my sister and Mom looking after him I am worried I won't be here for him if something happens, I don't want to take a chance with his virus. 

Lymphoma in the neck/throat is something that was brought to my attention as someone I have talked to told me their last 4 FeLV+ kitties died from it and it started with not eating. Not eating is also one of the first signs of his Leukemia progressing but because he ate everything yesterday I don't know what to think. I weighed him about a week or two before this started and I am weighing him again today before the vet visit to see if he lost any weight. 

He is using the litter box fine, he is not  aggressive (but he attacked my feet in bed this morning, he hasn't done that in awhile!), delirious, puking or sneezing or falling over. He just seems to be less active, coughing a big, and very finicky. I fed him 8 treats two nights ago (no idea why that many) and he ate them all but then the next morning (yesterday) he didn't touch them and I threw them out with the dry food so I could start over and keep proper track of his eating. I have tried different dry foods and different wet food, hand feeding (worked for wet food did not work for dry food). 

Any thoughts or suggestions on what to talk about at the vet? Any experiences? Please and thank you! :)

Oh and p.s.: I don't know how or why but on one side of his face he has normal whiskers but on the other side he has few and one is very, very short only maybe one centimeter out of his fur but we have 0 idea how that happened because no one did anything to his face! I never paid attention to his whiskers so I don't know how long they have been like that. He had a benign mass on his mouth at 3 months old (that is why he was tested for FeLV and was neutered at the same time the mass was removed) but it was removed without issue and other than FeLV he has been perfectly healthy and I have had him since a few weeks after he tested positive for the second time in January. 

I have never seen him cough but my sister has those four times and the last time she recorded it on her phone. He has always had a funny breathing pattern but when I got it checked out the vet said that because there were no other symptoms of anything like coughing, sneezing, itching, puking or anything that he is fine and just to watch him. That was about 4 months ago. 
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
If it was me, I'd make a clear list of concerns you want to discuss and take it in with you. When there are a number of issues it's all too easy to come out and realise you forgot to mention something.

The three big ones that stand out to me are decreased/erratic appetite, lethargy and coughing. If you're able to describe the type of cough then that could be really helpful in pinpointing the cause. Even better would be if you could take the recording with you.

Lymphoma should be discussed again too. The whisker changes could be significant. While it's normal for whiskers to fall out and be replaced (just like hair is), whiskers growing back shorter is usually symptomatic of weight loss. I have no explanation as why it's only happened on one side, but it is something the vet needs to be aware of.

Hope the visit goes ok :vibes:
 

white shadow

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
3,102
Purraise
2,985
Location
CA
 
What can I do before he shows signs of being sick to help him?
Hi TandS !

Do you know that there's a specialized online community devoted exclusively to FeLV ?

That is the place where you'll find information about the latest treatment protocols, and get the benefits of their almost 18 years online experience.

IF you think you'd like to join up with those people and check out the group, post back and then I'll give you the links.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

tands

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 4, 2015
Messages
10
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
That would be great! :)

He got 12 days of antibiotics for a possible infection and 12 days worth of appetite stimulants (one every three days as needed). He threw up the antibiotics last night but that was completely my fault. The syringe they gave me is weird so I had trouble with it and I think it went into his throat too quickly. It took much longer this morning but not even a little bit of gagging which is great! 


He seems to be coughing kind of phlegmy today (but only 3 coughs, not continuous coughing for 30+ seconds) but other than that he is eating great without the appetite stimulant he actually ate extra food last night! I won't be home tonight but I might asking my sister to turn on the shower and leave him in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes to see if the steam helps anything.
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
The trick with syringing meds is to go slowly, being sure to give swallowing time between pushes. It can take a little while to get the hang of exactly how fast/slow you need to take it. Great news that he's eating better though 
 

white shadow

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
3,102
Purraise
2,985
Location
CA
 
He got 12 days of antibiotics for a possible infection......

He threw up the antibiotics last night....that was completely my fault....it went into his throat too quickly

It took much longer this morning but not even a little bit of gagging

I might asking my sister to turn on the shower and leave him in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes to see if the steam helps anything.
  1. About these antibiotics....make sure you address this in the new group including the name of the a/b....personally, I would have huge questions about giving a/b's to an immune-comprimised cat for a "possible" (translation: "undiagnosed") infection
  2. When syringing liquids into any cat....it is imperative that the cat NOT ASPIRATE the liquid (breathe in)....cats are particularly susceptible to Aspiration Pneumonia - and, it is usually/often fatal....so, from here on in, yes, go very, very slooooowly !    Also: do NOT 'aim' for the throat, rather, put it in the side pocket(s) of the mouth. What Columbine said is equally important: withdraw the syringe and allow the cat to swallow. Instill only a few drops at a time.
  3. And, because he already has this coughing condition, you have to be 1000% more careful then you otherwise would
  4. The usual issue in administering liquids is the struggling cat....so, the first task is to get to a point where the cat is relaxed/calm. the tools we use are time and techniques the cat finds pleasurable - cuddling, stroking etc. Those tools work on us as well - they help settle us down, so the cat picks up on our relaxed vibes rather than the otherwise stressed ones.
  5. IF your sister is likely to be doing this kind of thing in your absence, you'd better have her learn all of the above before you leave - the best way to learn is by doing.
  6. Again about your sister....we know that stress weakens immune systems. You'll be away a month - that's an eternity for a cat. If you want to reduce the stress of your disappearance on your cat, you'd better allow your sister to form a close bond with him now - so that your absence isn't felt as much as it otherwise would. So, move over and get her 'in there' while you're still around.
OK - about that specialized online group: First, they don't use a forum like this for discussions....they use email as their operating platform (this is how the earliest online groups worked, and many continue like this today). You should first get a brand new email address that you'll use exclusively for the group - that will help you manage the information flow easiest.

You can sign up for the group here: FeLV Talk

They have their own website here: Feline Leukemia Support.org

Meantime - drop back once in a while with updates !
 
Top