Angi & Babies Vet visit

Angi definately has the feline leukemia. Her kittens tested "light positive" The vet said that could be because they have the antibodies in their system from nursing but a small chance they are not infected.
They all got vacinated and he wants them tested again in 6 weeks. My husband the scientist says though that if they get the vaccine they will test positive anyway. So when I take Penelope in for her shots and to be tested, I will ask the vet about it.
The father was a stray, that was so small, we thought he was a kitten I named him Dusty Star because he had a white splochy spot on his chest, the rest of him was all black) and I first saw him at night. We brought him in and he mated with Angi. It happened after we had him for a week and I was upstairs with them trying to introduce them, holding him so they could see each other, when the doorbell rang. I quick put him back in the room where we had been keeping him apart from the others but the door didn't shut properly and I had no idea he had gotten out. I got a phone call right after what turned out to be a delivery, and didn't get upstairs for another 20 minutes or so. I heard Angi make a loud strange meow and thought I better get off the phone to go see what happened. By the time I got upstairs she was hiding under the bed and he was peekiing at her from the bedside. Penelope was on the bed growling at him. We took him to the vet 2 days later to be neutered and for shots and that's when we found out he was sick. He had been sneezing a lot and had lost his voice. At that time we thought we couldn't take him back home and risk Angi and Penelope getting sick. So sadly, we had him put to sleep. This was heart wrenching and I cried for days. He was so sweet. We didn't realize they had actually mated and Angi was pregnant until it was too late to do anything about it without risking her life. I think Dusty was part Siamese because he was very vocal and talked to me constantly. He was, once he realized he could trust me, very affectionate. I miss him. If I had only known what had happened I would have kept him. But when you hear something like that you panick, at least we did. We threw away any toys and litter boxes and dishes we thought he might have come in contact with and throughly cleaned the upstairs. I asked my husband what he thought we should do about the kittens since we both felt it would not be right to give them to anyone if they were sick and he said we will just deal with it one day at a time. So that is the story and that is what we are doing. Sorry this is so long but I thought some would wonder how we came into this situation.

LoopyMom

I pray that God gives you the strengh and wisdom to make the decisions you are facing. God bless you and the little kitties.

I'm so sorry about Dusty and your bad news.

But do talk to the vet. I began the feline leuk. series with a cat once and moved in the middle. The new vet tested her as a matter of policy and didn't want to do the shots since she came back positive. I made a comment like, "That's interesting, the other vest tested her before starting the shots and said she was negative. Could she have gotten it while getting the shots even if she doesn't go outside at all?" The vet was like, "Oh, that explains it, they test positive if they get the shots because it's a vaccine." He said the vaccine introduces a dead or weakened form of the disease that the body can defeat, like an extremely mild infection, so the immune system can show up in the testing as if the cat (or person sometimes) has had the disease. I don't know if that has changed in the last bunch of years, but it's definitely worth asking about, esp. if she was someone else's pet before she was yours.

The first thing I am wondering is why was a cat euthanized just because he was sick?
If your cat tested positive for the leukemia virus, it is almost 95% certain that it was passed to the kittens. The vaccine won't do any good if given to a cat that tested positive. The vaccine itself does not give a positive result either. Kittens can show positive until they are 6 months are older and not have any signs. They can stay positive or they can also come back negative 6 months from now. You wont really know until one of them gets very sick. Leukemia positive cats can live many years without any problems. All it means is that they have to be only cats and stay indoors. It is no reason to euthanize a cat.

LoopyMom,

The whole situation is so heartbreaking. I am so sorry, and you and the kitties are in my prayers.

Sandie

Are you a Vet? I did what the Vet said would be the best in my situation. Not everyone knows every little fact there is. They wouldn't take him. At that point in time I didn't think the others were infected. And to keep him separated from them for the rest of his life well that seemed cruel. He would not have had free roam of the house. If you have a problem with that , well then its your problem. I did the best I knew at the time.

LoopyMom

Thank you to all who have been supportive. If I had to do it over I wouldn't have had Dusty put to sleep. But I did not know much about it then. Every time I visit his grave I wish he was here.
I didn't do it to be cruel. I don't know if I can stay on here anymore. But I do want you who show understanding that I appreciate it.
Blessings,
LoopyMom

Sandie works for a vet, is a breeder, and is very, very knowledgable in general about cats. She is one of our resident experts here, and is quick to help anyone who needs it. If she doesn't have the answer off the top of her head, she will ask the vet, or do the research herself. She is a huge asset to the site, and we are lucky to have her. I'm sure she didn't mean offend you.

I am so sory you had to put Dusty to sleep. My sister gave me a kitten that had leukemia. She swore to me that he was healthy after she gave him to me in a way that I couldn't turn him down. I found out later that he had leukemia. He was sick to his stomach for a few days and by the time the vet could see him, he was so sick and there was nothing they could do but hydrate him. He was suffering and was not going to get any better, so I made the hard decision. It was unreal how fast he went downhill. All 3 of the others had been exposed. When they were tested only my beautiful red tabby, Leo, had been infected. The others were vaccinated immediately. It has been a year and Leo is still fat and sassy and has had no symptoms. As much as I would hate it, if the time comes where Leo is sick and and will not get any better, I will NOT let him suffer. I wish it were legal for someone to do this for me. You did what you thought you had to do and I don't think you should be chastised for it.

Im sorry I don't have any great words to comfort you Loopymom, but I just wanted to say Im truly sorry for your loss and the difficult decisions you faced. It is never easy to know what to do when in a such an emotional situation....if you want to talk feel free to pm me or whatever, love and hugs to you all!

I didn't realize that asking a question was chastising in the lounge KK.
LM, first off, I asked you a question. I would have expected to get a reason the vet put him to sleep. I never said you knew either way.In the first post you didn't say what was wrong with him or if the vet had any influience in that decision. As you stated, if you had to do it again, you wouldn't.

LM - please realize that euthanasia is a difficult topic and people have varying oipinions on that matter. Please stay with us and work through this. I am no kitty expert and have made decisions in the past, that I would change now. That comes with age and experience with kitties. I have enjoyed your input here !

You did the best for Dusty that you could and that is what matters.