Desperate for advice.

Hi everybody, My cat, luna, is 3 years old. We went to spay her last year. But that vet told my husband and I, that she was postive for feline leukemia. And not to bother getting her spayed, because she may not live long... But, here it is, a year later and she is still doing very, very well! (Thank the lord.) she still eats and drinks just fine. She had a cold a few months back. but we took her to the vet, got some meds, and she was back to normal. So now we found out, just today, that she now has Pyometria. An infection in her uteris. It is  fatal without surgery. Now, of course, we want to jump in right away and give her the surgery.

                                 My question is... Even though she is a healthy cat living with feline leukemia. The vet said there is no way of knowing how long it will be until she succumbs to the leukemia. could be a year, could be 10 years. In your opinion, should i go ahead with the surgery? theres a chance she could come out, good as new, and live a semi long life.  or would i be putting her through all this for nothing? Sorry for rambleing, she is beyond special to my husband and I. She is definitely, our little baby girl. Is there anybody that has any advice for me? I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.

The only other choice is putting her to sleep . So, yeah, I think I'd risk the surgery. If she doesn't make it, at least you know you tried. I think she has a good chance of surviving the surgery; it's post-op infection that will be the biggest risk. Make sure your vet is aware and willing to get her antibiotics without delay.

Okay, I'm not sure why your Vet chose to inform you to not have her spayed. It's true that feline leukemia is a terminal illness but it can also cross if she had gotten out and gotten pregnant. Which in heat cats can and often succeed in doing. I do know this, if she is not spayed soon, the pyometra will kill her before the leukemia will. 

I agree with Willowy, that you give her a chance at it. I don't know though, that you'd trust this Vet to do it.

First, thank you for taking care of Luna. And I am sorry Luna is sick.
What were the circumstances that led her to be tested for FIV/FeLk in the first place?
I don't have any first-hand information about FeLK cats, only what I know/have observed from volunteering at a cat sanctuary that takes houses indefinitely FIV, FeLK and "general population" cats. (FeLK cats are housed in their own room; FIV and GP cats are sometimes in the same room(s) if the personalities mesh).
All of the male cats in the FeLK room are neutered because that operation is considerably less risky than spaying. The people who run the cat sanctuary don't like to spay FeLK cats unless otherwise indicated. (Frequently going in and out of heat, weight loss). Several of the cats have lived a fairly long time, they get excellent, proactive, medical care. My favorite room is the FeLK room; those cats seem to be the friendliest.
But my feeling is that Pyometria is more or less always fatal (as I understand it) in a very short time; with proper vet care, including good nutrition, FeLK cats can live happy and more or less healthy lives. So, yes, I'd go ahead and get the surgery done. Prayers and vibes.
Other Readers: feel free to contradict me; this is my un-scientific opinion.

Ritz said:

First, thank you for taking care of Luna. And I am sorry Luna is sick.
What were the circumstances that led her to be tested for FIV/FeLk in the first place?
I don't have any first-hand information about FeLK cats, only what I know/have observed from volunteering at a cat sanctuary that takes houses indefinitely FIV, FeLK and "general population" cats. (FeLK cats are housed in their own room; FIV and GP cats are sometimes in the same room(s) if the personalities mesh).
All of the male cats in the FeLK room are neutered because that operation is considerably less risky than spaying. The people who run the cat sanctuary don't like to spay FeLK cats unless otherwise indicated. (Frequently going in and out of heat, weight loss). Several of the cats have lived a fairly long time, they get excellent, proactive, medical care. My favorite room is the FeLK room; those cats seem to be the friendliest.
But my feeling is that Pyometria is more or less always fatal (as I understand it) in a very short time; with proper vet care, including good nutrition, FeLK cats can live happy and more or less healthy lives. So, yes, I'd go ahead and get the surgery done. Prayers and vibes.
Other Readers: feel free to contradict me; this is my un-scientific opinion.

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Yes, without treatment it will surely get worse. 

actually we have a different vet now. I didn't care for the first one..

We found out about the feline leukemia when we took her to get spayed. They just did a routine test and it came back positive. Also, i forgot to mention she is indoor outdoor. Thats what she was when we got her. We tried desperately to train her to be only inside. but it was torture for her. she cried and cried, wouldn't eat. after a week we let her out. but shes inside 90 percent of the time.

thank you for you advice everybody.

I sure hope it goes well for Luna. Please keep us updated on her progress. Its a wonder she wasn't pregnant by now, being indoor-outdoor.

nansiludie said:

I sure hope it goes well for Luna. Please keep us updated on her progress. Its a wonder she wasn't pregnant by now, being indoor-outdoor.

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Thank you, and I will! I know I thought the same thing. Felv can apparently cause infertility though.

I ran this scenario by the head of the cat sanctuary where I volunteer. (They rescue FeLK+ cats and they are housed in a separate room from the other cats. They have an FIV+ room too, but depending on the personality of the cat, the FIV+ cat may be integrated with the FIV- cats.)
He said that they spay female cats over the age of two. At that age they are probably healthy enough to tolerate the anesthesia. As you probably know, cats don't die from FeLK itself; they die from underlying illnesses.
Now, if the female cats develops Pyometria, which is always fatal, then they will spay the cat asap and hope for the best.
Good luck--and keep us up to date.
Thanks.

Ritz said:

I ran this scenario by the head of the cat sanctuary where I volunteer. (They rescue FeLK+ cats and they are housed in a separate room from the other cats. They have an FIV+ room too, but depending on the personality of the cat, the FIV+ cat may be integrated with the FIV- cats.)
He said that they spay female cats over the age of two. At that age they are probably healthy enough to tolerate the anesthesia. As you probably know, cats don't die from FeLK itself; they die from underlying illnesses.
Now, if the female cats develops Pyometria, which is always fatal, then they will spay the cat asap and hope for the best.
Good luck--and keep us up to date.
Thanks.

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Thank you! We ended up getting surgery. She's doing great!

Yeah yeah yeah!!