Anemic kitty

Alrighty so this might be a long story but I need to give a little background. My cat Cupcake was a rescue kitten that my family adopted after about a year of failed attempts to find her a furrever home. She came to us with matted eyes so I always assumed she had a URI and she still gets them especially in times of extreme stress. One day I noticed she wasn't her peppy self (mother's instincts View media item 296185

Anemia as a symptom of FeLV is routinely treated with Prednisolone/Prednisone and/or Cyclosporine (if severe), so that's something I would discuss with your vet asap.  I went through the same thing with my boy, Rumi, who was rushed to the vet with severe anemia and tested positive for FeLV.  An IFA test (more accurate than the ELISA, which is what your vet would've used) was negative, but the anemia persisted and a bone marrow biopsy/aspiration was finally performed to get a definitive diagnosis: Primary Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia at the bone marrow level.  I opted for a mycoplasma PCR to rule out the infection your antibiotics were prescribed to treat.  If your kitty has responded to them, it sounds like that's at least partly responsible for the anemia, but you should be aware that mycoplasma is tough to kill.  Some kitties need to be on it for a month or longer.

So here's the dirt.  If you want to fight FeLV (a usually fatal disease), you need to act fast and hit it hard.  There's a promising experimental drug you can get directly from the manufacturer, with your vet's assistance. The drug is free, only the cost of shipping is your responsibility.   There is also LTCI, which seems pretty hit-or-miss according to the many anecdotes I've read about it.  It's also important to use immune boosting supplements like AHCC, Transfer Factor/Colostrum, DMG, oy, I know I'm forgetting a few!  I hope one of the holistic cat people will jump in and offer more suggestions.  You'll find more information here: http://www.felineleukemia.org/     They have a mailing list you'll want to join, where you'll get a ton of great advice (and moral support).  

This is where it gets tricky because the last thing you want to do for IMHA is use immune *boosting* supplements.  You need immunomodulators that regulate, not stimulate.  DMG is the only one I mentioned that is an immunomodulator/adaptogen and can help either disease.

Because early intervention is crucial in treating FeLV, and you want to use the appropriate supplements, I would highly recommend getting the IFA test so you have a better idea of what you're dealing with.  

Best wishes to you both and I hope you'll keep us updated.    for better days ahead!  

P.S. You can PM me for further info about that experimental drug I mentioned.  ETA: I'd briefly forgotten the name; it's RetroMAD1.  I have the email addresses and phone numbers for the company contacts. 

I wanted to thank you for such a detailed response and apologize for not getting back sooner. I have not had Cupcake back to the vet yet but so far everything has been great. I ran out of the antibiotics about a week ago and since then she has not had any relapses and her gums are bright pink again. She is cuddling more then ever now and we've been able to enjoy each others company again. I am going to have another blood test done to determine if her anemia has improved and I am going to retest for FeLV. I have seen before where a cat can test positive on the ELSA test but negative on the IFA test. Even though she's the only cat in the house I'd feel better knowing so that I can give her the best care. I've been doing some reading about how FeLV positive cats can lead great lives if given a little extra care and knowing what to look for. I  love her so much and am ready to invest whatever I can to help her lead a happy life