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FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/26/2009 2:49:48 PM   
velvetears


Posts: 2933
Joined: 6/19/2006
Status: offline 		i took in a stray around 4 to 5 months ago and took her to the vet to get her checked out and all the necessary shots.  They tested her for FeLV (feline leukemia - a fatal disease, kind of like aids for cats).  She tested negative.  But because she was to be an indoor cat they said she would not need the shot.  About 2 to 3 weeks later she escaped as she was in heat.  She returned home a few days later and 69 days later she had a litter of five kittens, they are all precious to me and to see this feline family together has been incredibly heartwarming and delightful.  i love them all and think of them as my babies (i plan on keeping them all one way or another).  Kitties just had their first shots this past Friday - they were born July 1st.  

The vet suggested we test one of the kittens for FeLV - even though she said it doesn't guarantee the others won't test positive - in other words the test isn't going to guarantee they are all either positive or negative based on testing only one kitten.  Well the kitten tested "weak positive" whatever that means, and she said we should test another, so we did and that kitten tested negative. 

i felt like someone hit me with a lead ball in the stomach, instant panic attack, i felt like throwing up and i have been a wreak since i had them tested.  The weekend was torture, i had to wait till Monday to bring moma cat in to test her again. i think everyones assumption was she was infected by the cat(s) she mated with.  i couldn't even go i had my oldest daughter bring the cat in.  Well the good news is she tested negative.  The vet said that the only sure way to know is to  have the first kitten tested again in a month.  If the kitten is negative then all is well and the first test is wrong.  If the kitten tests positive then the mother  has to be a carrier and all the kittens are infected and probably expected to live no longer then a year.  i have asked this vet so many questions my head is spinning.  i am no less confused then when i started. It seems perhaps she doesn't have the answers and is guessing.  She said in all her 11 years as a vet she has only seen two carriers - that this is very rare. 

i would appreciate anyone's insights or experiences with this horrible feline disease to post and i have a few questions if anyone knows - if the kitten is retested and positive, all the kittens will eventually die, will the mother cat always infect a new cat brought into the home?  Can some cats be positive and some negative? Should i seperate negative and positive or is it already too late?   Can a kitten be a carrier as well and not have the disease?   

These little bundles of joy, who have brought such joy to my life, are so full of energy and life it is hard to imagine they could be so sick.  i am heartsick over the whole thing. 

< Message edited by velvetears -- 8/26/2009 3:02:26 PM >

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/26/2009 3:08:54 PM   
Rule


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Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline 		I guess that it was a false positive. Apparently this leukemia virus is hard to transfer. For now there is insufficient argument to worry. Let's see first what the next test shows next month.

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/26/2009 3:15:19 PM   
velvetears


Posts: 2933
Joined: 6/19/2006
Status: offline 		i am hoping so, but the vet said it is a very reliable test. (elisa test)  98.5% accurate i believe.  Thanks for the encouragement not to worry, even though i will. 

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/26/2009 3:58:24 PM   
NyDaddysGirl


Posts: 75
Joined: 11/23/2006
Status: offline 		First, kudos to you for taking in a stray and having it vetted.  I do hope that you consider having it fixed though, so you don't find more unexpected additions to your family.

I had a friend in high school that took in a stray.  It was our Senior year and close to the end of it when she had the cat tested and discovered it had feline leukemia.  She was supposed to be my transportation to a huge graduation party we were going to go to.  She was so distraught that she couldn't go to the party.  She was sure that her cat just received a death sentence.  Ultimately, that cat lived for many years, into old age, well beyond what the set expectations were.

I hope that this eases your mind a bit.  I know how much worry it can be when your pet might be seriously ill.  (I also own a cat that was a stray and few a months ago had a health scare involving him.)  I also hope that everything works out fine for the whole family.

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/26/2009 5:00:24 PM   
windchymes


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Status: offline 		I'm a medical lab tech by trade, and I've done plenty of ELISA tests.  (it's a method, not a particular test)  "Weak Positive" results, even though another kitten and the mamma tested negative, could very well be a false positive.  Things can interfere, the person running the test might have screwed something up.  Anytime there's something inconclusive like a weak positive, retesting at a later date is always recommended. 

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/27/2009 3:09:19 AM   
soul2share


Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
Status: offline 		I had a cat that got into a fight w/a stray, she ended up with feline leukemia.  She was an indoor cat, the stray actually ripped a hole in a screen and got into the house, and Alex was pissed about it....less than 3 weeks later, she had a case of full blown leukemia.  The virus works fast and it's fatal.  The only possible "cure" the vet could suggest was a complete blood transfusion using the blood of his vaccinated cats....but even then, it was no guarantee.  I ended up putting her down.....one of the worst days of my life.  But here's the kicker....we had TWO cats, and Mickey never got the virus.  She lived to a ripe old age of 18.  They shared litter boxes, food and water dishes, and Mickey was fine.  The vet never did come up with a reason for it....I don't know if some animals are naturally immune or not.

If mom hasn't shown any of the symptoms, consisting of depression, hiding from everything and everyone, not eating, etc, she may be fine.  Tests are NOT 100%, and neither are the vaccinations.....my second cat I lost to FeLV had the shots....in fact, she got sick about 3 months after getting her booster.  While I'm no tech, I'd tend to think that maybe the result was a false positive......genetically, I don't think her giving birth to nothing but carriers of the virus is possible.

But, as cute as the little kittehs are, you need to get mom spayed.....there are plenty of places out there that will do it for a reduced rate....especially since you have several to do.  I think it's great that you are giving them all a home....bless you for that!  All 4 of my kittehs are freebies that would have ended up in the pound had they not found me.  So, prepare to be owned, bossed around and just generally turned into their staff.....resistance is futile!  Trust me on that one!

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/27/2009 7:41:14 AM   
lockemann


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Joined: 7/14/2009
Status: offline 		My mother was a cat breeder for 20 years.  Feline Leukemia is a real threat, and it can be passed through blood and genetics.  Just like the AIDS virus in humans though, feline leukemia affects each individual cat differently.  In the 20 years that I grew up with many cats in the house, only one ever tested positive for FeLV...and he is still alive 16 years later.  If your momma cat tests negative and the kittens all test negative, the best defense against them contracting the disease is to not let them outside.  Indoor cats who are negative can not contract the virus through normal routines.  Exposure to FeLV can infect cats, but the virus does not live very long outside of a feline host(a few hours at most).

Carriers are EXTREMELY rare.  FeLV is a retrovirus that acts similar to HIV, in that it uses pieces of the host cats DNA to replicate itself.  A cat who tests negative a few times in a row should be safe.  Kittens are the most at risk for contracting the virus, as are elderly cats.  If the kittens all test negative, keep them inside and get them fixed as soon as the vet allows.

There are several diseases that can affect our feline friends.  If you adopt a stray cat, get it tested, get it spayed/neutered, and keep it indoors.

Read her for more information: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/felv.html

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/27/2009 8:02:12 AM   
hizgeorgiapeach


Posts: 1672
Status: offline 		FeLv is one of the few feline diseases that I've Never had a scare with - even while I was working with a breeder - so it's one of the few that I have zero experience in dealing with other than having them tested/vacinated against.
 
2 of my 4 are pound rescues, and the other 2 are rescues prior to being sent to the pound - 1 spayed female, 1 neutered male, 2 currently unneutered (but soon to be snipped) males.  Demonspawn in fur and fangs, every single one of 'em - but I wouldn't give 'em up to save my life, and I'm more attached to them than I am to the spawn I actually gave birth to.  (Hell, at least the cats Need me - can't say the same for my spawn at their ages.)

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/28/2009 6:56:14 AM   
VirginPotty


Posts: 11624
Joined: 7/16/2008
From: Virginville
Status: offline
FIV Facts (courtesy of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary):
 
1. The Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus is a slow virus that affects a cat’s immune
system over a period of years.
2. FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.
3. FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no
symptoms.
4. FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread causally, like in litter
boxes, water or food bowls, or when snuggling and playing.
5. The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or
serious, penetrating bite wounds.
6. A neutered cat in a home is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly
introduced.
7. Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15
years ago.
8. FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible by keeping them indoors
and free from stress. Feed a high-quality diet and treat any secondary medical
problems as soon as they arise.

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/28/2009 8:00:03 AM   
rideemwet


Posts: 93
Joined: 6/12/2009
Status: offline 		A "weak postive" to me means retest in a few weeks.  98.5% is probably for a clear indication, on the test,  what you've really got is "inconclusive".  I've had cats test marginally positive and then retest in 6 weeks as clear.

I've had felv positive cats in with our family of cats.  We vaccinated any new cats and kept them separate for several weeks to a month.   The two felv positive cats we had lived for years and never infected any of the vaccinated cats.  Now, the vaccine is not 100% sure fire guaranteed bulletproof, but it is a good bet. 

FeLV, if it really is that, does eventually wear them down and you'll eventually have to make some tough decisions, but that happens regardless of FeLV.    I've faced too many of those decisions with cats and horses, but I don't regret it. 


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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/29/2009 5:58:58 AM   
Phoenixpower


Posts: 8098
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: hizgeorgiapeach

FeLv is one of the few feline diseases that I've Never had a scare with


Lucky you. Throughout my first 25 years living in Germany, most of my cats I had throughout my life died on that one. As far as I know from my vet my current ones are fine and my new Birman girl is fine as well. The ones who died on that one back home in my experience it usually came out when they were under enormous stress. E.g. once I took my girl with me from my parents house to my flat which is a 90 minutes drive. She used to be my cat but for a while I had moved back home, which is why I thought it would be better for her to take her with me as my parents went on holiday. Sadly that journey was a bit too much for her and about 3 weeks later she had to be put down.

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RE: FeLV vs being a carrier? - 8/29/2009 9:42:49 AM   
velvetears


Posts: 2933
Joined: 6/19/2006
Status: offline 		Thanks to everyone  for the advise and information, i really do appreciate it.  Emotionally i am doing better.  Six months ago we had to put down our old girl Ebony - a beautiful all black stray i found when she was 6 months old. We had her 17 years, she got cancer of the eye which the vet said is pretty common in older cats.  At the time if diagnosis it was inoperable and they gave her 6 months, that would have been just around Christmas that year, we were blessed to have her not only that Christmas but the next Christmas as well, she was put down that next January.  It was so hard on my oldest who grew up with that cat.  That cat attacked a dog once who grabbed my daughter's arm, she kicked his ass lol, she was a real fighter.  When Ebony died i wanted to wait about a year and then take in a kitten or two, but my daughter brought home this cat, she's beautiful, but was a bit wild and tore open my hand after only a week or two of letting her in.  i took her to the vet and got her checked out and vaccinated and asked about rabies which the vet told me was not a worry but couldn't guarantee me.  i was on the fence as to if we should keep her. The vet said most feral cats calm down and are fine.  i wasn't going to just toss her out, if she didn't work out i was going to find her a home.  In the meantime i contacted the animal welfare league and they send you a certificate to bring to the vet to spay your cat for $50.00.  She went into heat and escaped for a few days.  She came home a few days later and when we discovered she was pregnant we figured we would let her  have a litter and keep two of the kittens and find good homes if she had more then 2.  Well she had five and if you spend anytime with kittens you just fall in love with them all.  What an experience it has been.  When the kittens started to become more independant and curious i would take them downstairs and let them play. The moma cat was not too comfortable and tried to take them back up two flights of stairs.  i stopped her and she eventually laid on th ebed with them but would get up meow, lick them and just seemed not too happy about the situation.  There was one kitten laying next to me i was petting it, the moma cat was watching us, the other kittens playing or nursing.  i didn't want to stress the moma so i put all the kittens in the kitty cube and took them back to the "nest".  i went back down to go to bed, lights out, about 10 minutes later the mama cat came back down with a kitten in her mouth, the one that had been lying beside me and left it on the bed for me, it was as if she knew how much i adored and loved her kittens.  The moma cat will never be a cuddly lap cat but i don't distrust her like i used to and plan to keep her.  She is definately going to get spayed soon, the kittens in about 3 months.  They will be indoor cats, i live on a bad road and they would get run over if i let them out.

i will get the kitten retested and i pray it is negative, but despite what it is i am at peace with it and whatever years i have i have.  Thanks again to everyone!


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