if a cat tests neg for FeLV can they get it suddenly?

our new cat tested neg. for FeLV three weeks ago but all of a sudden she's having symptoms similar to a URI (with no fever and clear dischage - see other thread). But she has EXCESSIVE thirst! My doc did a blood test for diabetes and its not that. He doesnt know what the thirst is from. And now this! I'm on the verge of tears. I'm so worried. What if our other cat gets it?

How old is the cat and how did you come to adopt it? Do you know anything about it's background? FeLV usually doesn't cause extreme thirst, in fact when they are sick they don't have much interest in food or water. Did the vet run test for the kidneys?

Well, we adopted her from a PetSmart, but between her stay there and the time we acquired her, she was fostered and was treated for what was believed to be a URI with Clavamox. Fast forward about 5 or 6 weeks.... we brought her home about four weeks ago. She was seen by our vet and was tested for the basic things, tests were negative, so we vaccinated her. Wasn't sure if PetSmart veccinated her, but the vet said it wouldnt hurt her to have them again just in case. Now this week she's had trouble with congestion that started out mild but over the span of a few days went crazy and got terrible! Clear nasal discharge. Sneezing. Forcefully trying to get rid of the stuff in her nose (almost seems as if she's trying to forcefully exhale to get rid of it). Breathing with her mouth open today. And ever since we got her, she's drooled -- noticeably when she is nervous. And she has an appetite like no other (except for today but I'm attributing that to the fact that she can't smell most likely!) and she drinks an entire bowl of water in a day. I'm concerned about our other cat, too. I'm sick with worry. I don't want anything serious to be going on! I don't know how a URI would come about so abruptly!

He didn't run tests of kidneys I don't think. She is believed to be approx 5 (give or take), and she is believed to have been a stray before the shelter got her. She was pregnant then but has since birthed her kittens before PetSmart got her. I'm assuming petsmart tests their adoptees, so she must have been negative then. Then our vet tested and she was negative. Just someone tell me it's stupid to worry!

I'm sorry my question turned into two posts... i'm new at this message board thing!

Think of the times when a cold hit you full force out of the blue. A URI can come on that hard and fast with cats also.

If she has been eating as much as you say, it sounds like where ever she came from, there was not a regular source of food and she's trained herself to eat when food is available to her. That sounds like either a stray that was on her own for a while or she was neglected by her previous owner.

Think about the stress in her life in the time you are aware of. Living in a cage a Petsmart, then moved to a foster home while sick, then moved again into your house. This poor girl is probably unsettled right now and if she is going to catch something like a URI, now is the time. It is VERY common for cats moving to new homes to get sick within the first 30-60 days.

Petsmart doesn't adopt animals. They give space to rescue organizations to adopt out the animals in their program. If you want to find out more about her background, including any medical treatment she received before you adopted her, pull the adoption contract and contact that agency. You may find out how long they had her and if she had been sick other than the URI. Petsmart will know nothing about her background.

If you are concerned about the URI, contact your vet again. Clavamox works on bacterial infections but most URI's are virus based. Just like a cold, they need to run their course. Vet's give Clavamox to prevent secondary bacterial infections and some vets don't like to over medicate cats so will advise you to ride it out. When you call, ask if they ran a kidney test.

To help her out with the congestion, run some vaporizors for her and if it gets really bad, confine her to a small room like a bathroom with the vaporizor. It will help break up the congestion. If she is eating less, tempt her with very stinky canned cat food such as the ones with tuna.

Please keep us up on how she is doing. I willing be sending positive vibes that this a simple URI that needs to ride its course.

thank you!

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Petsmart doesn't adopt animals. They give space to rescue organizations to adopt out the animals in their program. If you want to find out more about her background, including any medical treatment she received before you adopted her, pull the adoption contract and contact that agency. You may find out how long they had her and if she had been sick other than the URI. Petsmart will know nothing about her background.

If you are concerned about the URI, contact your vet again......

Click to expand...

Amy is so right. We proudly adopted our Sammy from Petco May 20, but he came from a shelter 120 miles away....there was "no more room at the Inn", so to speak, so they farmed him out in the hopes he'd stir an interest. Sammy was 8 - very, very pretty but nobody wanted him. All the other Petcos within 100 miles were full, so he -and destiny - made its way down to us. I called the original Shelter listed on his ticket attached to the cage and found out only his true name (Sammy, which he got back and is now happily part of our S-Team of pets) and that he was turned over to the shelter by a young girl who had him inside his entire life. Other than that - we knew nothing. He also came with severe food allergies that we are just getting over through various food trials - we had no idea! I thought it was FIP, FIV, - anything!
We diligently pursued every angle until the lightbulb clicked.

Please see your vet again, and yes, we did lose one in our past to FeLV and it doesn't really manifest itself like you have described in the earliest stages. What will usually happen first is a raging fever and elevated white blood cell count indicating the presence of an "intruder" in the body....

That said, any FeLV test can show false readings both ways so testing again in 6 mos is always a good idea. I didn't see how old your girl was -?

Please keep us posted. My sense is that it's another ailment.

we think she is about 5 or so. had her checked again today and our vet seems to think its allergies, or possibly a virus, but after he gave her a shot of cortisone, it didnt help..... so my gut instinct says no on allergies. I guess she just has a cold?? THAT I can handle! I get literally sick myself when my babies get sick. Like I said, mucus is clear. Her main problem seems to be congestion. Still no fever (thank God!!)

-clear nasal discharge
-no fever
-sneezing fits every once in a while
-congestion
-just yesterday showed a lack of interest in eating but I attribute that to not being able to smell!
-a little bit of drooling, mainly when scared or stressed.

Sound like a cold to you all??

It sounds like a cold to me too. If you don't have a vaporizor, you can sit with her in a steam filled bathroom (run hot water in the tub with the fan off). To tempt her to eat, you can try warming her food--sometimes that increases the smell. You have to make sure that she eats sufficient amounts. If she doesn't eat for two days, talk to the vet about appetite stimulants. If she still doesn't eat, you may need to force feed her.

Also, did the vet check her teeth? Sometimes teeth problems can lead to nasal problems, and that might account for the drooling as well.

thanks to you all for your input! I'm glad I found these forums! She is still on the AmoxiDrops (I guess to stave off secondary infections?). I hope she gets better soon!! Our other cat is on Amoxi, too, as a precaution.

Originally Posted by PawPrinter

I hope she gets better soon!! Our other cat is on Amoxi, too, as a precaution.

Click to expand...

...good thinking!