Probably silly question

[abacat]

This is probably silly but my DH was wondering about the new kitty we may be getting.
He was a stray that was brought in to my vet with a wound to his face. The vet tech said it was abscessed and bloody when he came in (heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s fine now). She said he must have been someoneâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s pet because he was already neutered (no microchip).
DH wants to make sure that there is no way this cat will get sick later on (not in general but with FeLv or FIP specifically) since he must have gotten into a fight to get the wound. The cat was tested for FeLv and FIP (negative on both) and I think he was vaccinated for them. Is there any chance the tests could be wrong?
I know I am probably being crazy and super paranoid but Abby is our family and we are very concerned for her.
Feel free to tell me Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m nuts.

 

[sharky]

tests can always be wrong % of error rate...

Most DO NOT vaccinate for FELV as then they test Positive if someone tests at a later date... Katie can you elaborate as you know LOADS about this

Cats can get ill at anytime .... FIP I beleive( someone correct me) is mainly a kitten issue as it fatality rate is HIGH...

ahh okay thanks cloude for the corrections ... ALL see below

 

[cloud_shade]

I think it's FIV that results in positive tests down the line, not FeLV. FIV vaccines are usually not recommended for that reason. While the kitty *may* have been exposed, there is a difference between exposure and infection. It is important to test the kitty after a couple of months to see whether the kitty was infected as a result of the exposure.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1286
http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=213

With Feline Leukemia, testing is a bit more straight-forward (the vaccine doesn't affect whether they test positive or not) but tests need to be repeated 2 to 4 weeks after exposure.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=211


The FIP vaccine only has a moderate success rate--it is not a typical virus as it develops from a mutation of a very common but harmless virus called Feline Enteric Coronavirus. The FIP vaccine is not commonly given to most cats. Unfortunately, FIP can develop at any time without warning--there is no way to safeguard against it. My Willow was indoor only and with me for 8 years before she became ill without warning. We don't know when she was exposed--I had a couple of other cats over the years that could have exposed her to the coronavirus, or she could have had it from the time I adopted her in the shelter. Only a very small percentage of cats with coronavirus will develop FIP, so testing for it isn't all that useful.

Ultimately, it may be a couple of months before you know for sure whether the cat has developed FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) or FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus). There is no reliable test for FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis)--the only way to know for sure is to biopsy the organs and send them to a special lab.

 

[katiemae1277]

cloud shade is right, it is the FIV not FeLV vax that will result in a later false positive. She also has great info on FIP

My question is, how long has the kitty been in the hospital? if he has been "off the streets" for around a month, I would feel very confident in the negative test results, it is much more common to get false positives that false negatives.

Also, FIV is difficult to spread, many people have positives and negatives living in the same household with no problems, so Abby would be perfectly safe.

 

[abacat]

My question is, how long has the kitty been in the hospital? if he has been "off the streets" for around a month, I would feel very confident in the negative test results, it is much more common to get false positives that false negatives.


I'm not sure but I think around a month. She said his wound was pretty bad and now you can't even tell anything was wrong (his fur is even pretty much grown back). He is due for his second distemper shot at the end of this month - I'm not sure how long it is between shots. We won't be picking him up until at least the second week of December (vibes that my husband likes him) so I may ask that he be retested before I get him. I will also find out how long he's been there. I must be driving these people crazy but I want to be sure all is well before I bring in another kitty.
Thank you all for the advice and info.