FeLV+ cat with Vaccinated, FeLV- Cat

[dolceshmolce]

I know I’ve posted a few threads about our 4-month old FeLV+ “foster”, Loki, so sorry for posting so much! I am not necessarily going to do this, so don’t flip out, but does anyone have a FeLV+ cat with a vaccinated, FeLV- cat? Reason I am asking is because a few places I’ve read that it might be okay to house a FeLV+ cat with a FeLV- cat that is vaccinated for the virus because the vaccine is very effective, but our vets + other vet resources are advising against this due to the fact that no vaccine is 100% effective.

I am genuinely interested if any of y’all have had experience with owning both an infected and noninfected, vaccinated cat?

Again, not saying I am going to necessarily do this, but I am very curious!

 

[fionasmom]

Help needed: Kitty tested FeLV positive; double-cat household
Indoor cat of 7 years suddenly tested positive for FELV - multi cat household. Devastated and lost.
Stray tested positive for felv, worried my cats were exposed

I have never faced this situation personally, but it is discussed from various perspectives in the threads above.

di and bob Jcatbird

 

[Heart For Cats]

I read while researching FLV the test is 80% accurate. Also, the FLV can exit the body in 8 weeks, so retesting at that time can produce a negative result. When were the cats tested?

 

[dolceshmolce]

fionasmom Thank you for these. Good to read personal experiences.

Heart For Cats I’ve heard the test can be very flawed, too. We waited longer than 8 weeks after the initial positive result, both came back as a strong positive and he has had constant infections which is very characteristic of the virus, so it’s confirmed. He was first tested in early July and then retested last Friday.

 

[dolceshmolce]

*Important finding for anyone who references this thread in the future!*
I just found a very interesting study done on inactive FeLV vaccines (Versifel) vs recombinant FeLV vaccines (PureVax) and it looks like the inactive virus-based vaccines are WAY more effective.
Study for reference: https://www.merck-animal-health-usa...e-compared-to-a-recombinant-felv-vaccine_2014

So if anyone goes to get your cat vaccinated for FeLV , request the inactive virus vaccine, not recombinant! It looks like the latter barely even does anything according to the data on that study…so I have no clue why vets are still using it is it offers little protection. That makes no sense, honestly infuriates me because it has probably given pet owners all over a false sense of protection for their cats.

Of course our older cat was given PureVax So in our case, I wouldn’t risk letting him and Loki be together.

 

[Jcatbird]

I do have a positive cat and vaccinated cats. Many of the vaccinated cats lived in a colony with positive cats, including my positive cat. The colony members that tested negative were vaccinated but for awhile they were living all together. This was 14 years ago. Felv was something that many caused many vets to suggest euthanasia immediately back then. I’m so glad I did not listen to them about Mackie and gave him a chance. There were others that were positive that became very, very sick that I did end up making that choice but not before giving them the best chance possible. I now know so much more about the illness. I keep water, food and litter separate but , honestly, many were so exposed before I rescued them, I feel the biggest risk is through mating or fighting. That’s not the only risk, just the worst risk. Maybe I was lucky but not one cat that lived in close connection to Mackie contracted Felv. I allow him to socialize with the others, I just supervise. He has a place in a bedroom for privacy. IF he gets actively sick, I will keep him separated during that time. I do have to keep him away from my Fiv cat. Spay, neuter, good hygiene, good nutrition, good vet care, the right vaccines and lots of love. If you give that, you have given the best that anyone can give. Quality of life is what counts. If they are happy, we can be happy.

 

[di and bob]

I have a 8 1/2 year old mother and her 8 and 7 1/2 year old sons. The older son has been really sick off and on for a few years when they tested and he came back positive for FeLV. The vet said his white blood cell count was almost 0 and he didn't know how he was still alive and would die in days. He was so sick, refusing all food and losing half his weight in a week. He hid under The bed. I finally got him to take a few licks of Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors each day. They were all in and outdoor cats up until that time, now are strictly indoors. I started him on DMG to build up his immune system and Life Gold for cats with cancer. All three of them have been on it for two years now, though the other two aren't as bad. Mama shows no symptoms at all, younger son has scarred lungs and gets a little sick a couple times of the year but not near as bad. Yammy is still alive and very active and happy since two years ago when he was supposed to have died! A month ago he became sick again for a week, but not near as bad. I am very happy with the two meds, and don't even know if the other two have it, and wouldn't change anything if they didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to be proactive with the supplements. I am so happy to have had two more years and praying for more!
PS there are new studies out there that say it is NOT contracted by casual means, like grooming or saliva/feces. It is given through deep bites/mating/fighting I believe that.
.

 

[Jcatbird]

 

[dolceshmolce]

Jcatbird di and bob Thank you so much for chiming in! I love hearing personal experiences.

Jcatbird - Oh wow! That is amazing. How exactly do you keep separate food, water & litter?
You are so right, quality of life is important. That’s why I believe that our Loki has had such a long battle with giardia, I think the separation is really stressing him out and hurting his immune system even more

di and bob - How wonderful it is when cats defy all odds and beat death! They are tough little creatures. I am going to look into DMG & Life Gold. Loki is on a l-lysine + omega supplement currently.
That’s so interesting, I have not read that yet! What are the studies that were done? I would love to read up on them because that’s totally new to me and very good news.

 

[dolceshmolce]

Also to expand upon my comment about the different vaccines, I read more into it and it appears that the PureVax is the safest FeLV vaccine in terms of having lower instances of vaccine-induced fibrosarcoma than other vaccines. So in that regard, I understand why some vets may default to that one. But still, worth talking to your vet about which one may be the best for your cat.

 

[Jcatbird]

I keep food, water and litter separate by either taking everything up during visiting time or by staying there and watching Mackie to be sure he does not share. On odd occasions he has used a litter box and I wasn’t going to snatch him up out of it, so I removed the box afterwards and put a clean one in place of it until that one was scrubbed and cleaned. If I see any cat looking for water, food or box during visits, I give it to them while I monitor. I also have a large cage that I let Mackie stay in for longer visits. He likes to nap there. It’s a juggling act that I may be taking to extremes but I want Mackie to be able to play with the others and I have to prevent him from using anything my FIV cat uses. I think the biggest risk in the house is for my FIV cat to be exposed. Mackie does not bite, is neutered and the others are immunized so ,since the others had a lot of contact before I knew he was Felv, I am hoping no one will ever contract it. We are all still learning about Felv and we have come a long way since the earliest diagnosed cases so you must make your own judgement calls with the help of others who have Felv cats, your vet and any research you can find. Stay current on everything and continue to learn. di and bob have had excellent results with their cats. Mackie has not had active illness yet so they may be able to tell you more than I can.