FeLV

[9kittens]

My daughter rescued two pregnant feral cats. 10 days apart, she ended up with 9 kittens. She took the mothers in to be spayed and found one of the mothers tested positive for feline leukemia. We tested one kitten at like 6 weeks old and were told he tested positive also. After doing some reading, we found that 6 weeks was really to early to test. Long story short, my son and girlfriend adopted 3 of the kittens. The problem is one is female and they have been looking for a place in Orlando, FL to get all 3 kittens fixed but are being told that if they test positive for leukemia, the clinics will not spay or neuter. We were told by our vet in VA that a cat could live a relatively normal life even if they have FeLV. They just should not ever be let outside. These kittens are so precious and my son would like to get them fixed and love them and give them a old life for as long as they have. Does anyone know of a facility near Orlando that can help them. The kittens 5 months old and they feel like they are running out of time before the little female goes into heat. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Maybe this could help?

Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

 

[Antonio65]

We were told by our vet in VA that a cat could live a relatively normal life even if they have FeLV. They just should not ever be let outside.

I don't think I can agree on this.
FeLV cats are very likely to have a shorter life and often impaired by a few ailments.
I agree that they shouldn't let out in order to prevent the spreading of the disease to other cats.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
This may help;
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) – TheCatSite Articles

 

[9kittens]

Hi
This may help;
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) – TheCatSite Articles

Thank you.

 

[fionasmom]

orlando florida spay/neuter - Google Search

I apologize if these are the same clinics that you have been calling. Is your son looking for low cost, for which I certainly don't blame him? I wonder if a private vet would do the surgeries; however, the cost will be more, possibly much more.

 

[9kittens]

He doesn’t want to spend a fortune but he has invested quite a bit in them kittens already and just want to prevent the brother sister kittens he has from reproducing. He realized the possible issues of taking these kittens but we just could euthanize them. They are just too sweet.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can they (they probably already are) keep the little girl separated, or start to do that while spending time with her, along with a purr toy or a heartbeat toy so she doesn't get to feeling too alone til they can find a vet?

 

[Astragal14]

How many times have each of the kittens been tested for FeLV? Testing is complicated when kittens are under 6 months old due to false positives/negatives and the potential to clear an initial infection (meaning, yes they had FeLV but their body fought it off).

FeLV testing can be a bit more complex than FIV testing due to the variety of stages and forms of infection...

While the ELISA test is highly sensitive and specific for detection of the FeLV soluble antigen, testing is complicated by the ability for the animal to possibly fight the infection or develop a latent infection. In other words, the test is sensitive and specific for that particular moment in time.

A negative ELISA test does not rule out potential for development of FeLV, depending on when the animal may have been exposed, nor does a positive test determine that a cat will be persistently infected and succumb to FeLV-associated disease. The soluble antigen may still be circulating in the blood long after the body has cleared the infection, resulting in a positive ELISA test without true infection.

https://humanepro.org/sites/default/files/documents/making-sense-of-felv-and-fiv-testing.pdf

Kittens under 6 months of age should not be tested, as they may test positive for FeLV or FIV even though they are rarely infected. The antibodies of these retroviruses can be passed from infected mothers through nursing and will pass through the kitten in time.

Protocols: Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Testing

 

[9kittens]

Can they (they probably already are) keep the little girl separated, or start to do that while spending time with her, along with a purr toy or a heartbeat toy so she doesn't get to feeling too alone til they can find a vet?

Poor little girl was put in jail last night. Yes they are trying to keep her separated from her two brothers. It’s not easy.

 

[9kittens]

How many times have each of the kittens been tested for FeLV? Testing is complicated when kittens are under 6 months old due to false positives/negatives and the potential to clear an initial infection (meaning, yes they had FeLV but their body fought it off).


https://humanepro.org/sites/default/files/documents/making-sense-of-felv-and-fiv-testing.pdf


Protocols: Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Testing

The mother tested positive and we only tested one of the four kittens which came back positive but as I said, the baby was only weeks old. Some people said we should just euthanize the kittens but they were so healthy and cute we just couldn’t do it. We are in Virginia and my son and girlfriend drove from Florida to pick these little guys up. He has tried 3 places so far and once he mentions the mom tested positive they have told him they would not do the surgeries. He is getting them tested Mon but are running out of time before little girl may go into heat.

 

[Furballsmom]

It's not