Help with Feline Leukemia

[teverheart2002]

Feline L. is definitely a heart stopper to any cat owner. Although, I will say this. We had some experience with this with our barn kitties. Our vet tested the mama kitty and told us that she was positive and to put her down. We just couldn't - she is the sweetest cat you have ever met. Named her Mercury because her purr sounds as loud as a boat motor. Anyway, long story short, she is still around - inside kitty now and still healthy. We realize that once she gets sick it will more than likely kill her, but we couldn't put her down. My mom does have another inside cat, but they don't really interact with each other and I do believe that she gets the other one the vaccine. She might even be negative now, but we are afraid to test her again. (plus vet bills aren't cheap)

 

[HorseLady]

Found out tonight he vet did not test the sick kitty, it was just assumed she had Leukemia. Now I wish she did so I could know for sure and save the cost of testing the other kitties. We do have the barn kitties and I'm sure we could transfer the virus from the inside cats to outside cats on our clothing and hands. What a mess! I did give the cats a rabies vaccine about 4 months ago. I wonder if I stirred something up?

 

[Nickel]

Safeway has Feline Pine. It comes in pellets and sawdust type stuff. My cats didn't like the pellets and neither did I. The sawdust was fine but it tracks all over the place. Petco carries different ones, Yesterdays News and Feline Pine but they are the pellet types. I bit the bullet and bought Swheat Scoop (at Petco). It's a good littler and the cats like it. It clumps too.

I'll have to let my mom know. When I convinced her to rescue her kitty a few years ago, I stocked her up on supplies. I bought Feline Pine, and she's used it ever since, but is on the verge of switching because little miss priss (the cat, not my mom ) tracks sawdust all over the house. I'll have to forward this along to her.

 

[Pasofever]

Found out tonight he vet did not test the sick kitty, it was just assumed she had Leukemia. Now I wish she did so I could know for sure and save the cost of testing the other kitties. We do have the barn kitties and I'm sure we could transfer the virus from the inside cats to outside cats on our clothing and hands. What a mess! I did give the cats a rabies vaccine about 4 months ago. I wonder if I stirred something up?

Test the cat that was clossest to her..ie..slept with her..ate with her..same litter box and possibly shared grooming...

 

[teverheart2002]

Found out tonight he vet did not test the sick kitty, it was just assumed she had Leukemia. Now I wish she did so I could know for sure and save the cost of testing the other kitties. We do have the barn kitties and I'm sure we could transfer the virus from the inside cats to outside cats on our clothing and hands. What a mess! I did give the cats a rabies vaccine about 4 months ago. I wonder if I stirred something up?

You might find this interesting and might find your answer : http://www.vetinfo.com/cfeleuk.html

Also:

"Kittens less than 4 months of age are
most susceptible to FeLV. After reaching 14 months or so of age, natural resistance has usually
become strong enough that most cats will not develop FeLV even if exposed to a cat carrying the
virus on a regular basis. Keep the kittens physically separated from Tiger to ensure that they do not
develop the disease. It would also be a good idea to consider testing any cats that may have come
into contact with the kittens you have been raising because it seems somewhat likely that you have a
carrier cat they have been exposed to. Kittens can get FeLV virus from their mother, both in the
uterus and through infected milk. It is not unusual for entire litters of kittens to gradually test positive
over time when they come from an infected mother, so if a littermate of a kitten tests positive it is
important to consider the kitten to be potentially infected with the feline leukemia virus. Cats which test persistently positive for FeLV virus usually have shorter lifespans than cats that can
clear the virus from their bloodstream and test negative after having a positive test at an earlier time.
It could be reassuring to do an IFA test and see if it is positive as well, since there definitely are false
positives on ELISA FeLV tests."

 

[teverheart2002]

Found this pretty interesting :

FeLV is a fragile virus that does not survive in the environment. Ordinary household detergents and bleach effectively kill this virus. There is therefore no danger that cats can be exposed to FeLV in veterinary clinic waiting rooms or exam rooms, or in cages, or at cat shows unless direct contact is made with a positive cat who is shedding virus. Transmission of FeLV requires intimate moist contact. The most common route is contact with infected saliva through grooming, licking, biting and shared dishes and litter pans. FeLV can also be transmitted through a blood transfusion, so all cats who are blood donors are screened for FeLV. Kittens can be infected by their mother before birth or during nursing after birth.

When a cat is exposed to FeLV, there are four possible outcomes. In about 30% of cats, an effective immune response is produced and the infection is resisted. These cats then become naturally immune to FeLV infection for an unknown period of time. In about 40% of cats, the virus is successful and the cat eventually becomes persistently infected and excreting virus in its saliva. Another 30% of cats do not produce immunity but also do not become persistently infected immediately. In these cats, the virus hides in the bone marrow for up to 30 months. Eventually, these cats either overcome the virus or become persistently infected. Finally, some cats can develop latent or sequestered infection. This probably happens to less than 5-10% of cats. These cats, whose virus is hiding in sites such as the bone marrow, will rarely be contagious and are unlikely to develop illness. They will not test positive on routine testing. In general, young cats, especially those under 4 months of age, have the least ability to mount an effective immune response and so are most susceptible to FeLV.

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FeLV.html

 

[Pasofever]

Anytime they draw blood for an Felv test have them draw extra and if they test pos for an in house ELISA have them send of for the IFA.

I had one that EVERY ELISA was pos and neg IFA still could not get a clear clear test on her..nice girl but I had to let her go...could not chance it..

The in house ELISA has more false pos then the IFA

 

[GallopNTec]

Anytime they draw blood for an Felv test have them draw extra and if they test pos for an in house ELISA have them send of for the IFA.

I had one that EVERY ELISA was pos and neg IFA still could not get a clear clear test on her..nice girl but I had to let her go...could not chance it..

The in house ELISA has more false pos then the IFA

I was a vet tech for 10 years, here's some stuff I learned
The combo ( feleuk/FIV) in house test will show false positive in kittens under 6 mos, especially if mom has been vaccinated.
The rabies part of the vaccine isn't what causes cancer, it's the vector ( other crap) put in it. Most manufacturers have modified what they use.
When the FeLV vac first came out , Vets would give it in a limb, because the cancer occurance was so high. School of thought being amputation=save the pet.
I only do 1 yr Rabies on my 3 cats- but I do test( not in house) for Felv/Fiv
every year.They go outside...
Alot of research has been done and it's being found that older dogs and cats do not need to be vaccinated for everything every year.
Shredded newspaper makes great cat litter AND if you have kids they have a blast ripping into little pieces!
Not to brag but my cat made the Charles County Humane Society calendar- he's famous and it's gone to his head!

 

[HorseLady]

I've been keeping a close eye on the indoor kitties and will test them when the budget allows soon. I really am suspicious (sp?) of the 3 yr rabies vaccine I gave everyone a few months before the cat got sick. She was the cat who we could not give the spot-on type insecticides, she'd get sick as a dog for a few days, and I'm thinking she did not have a good reaction to the vaccination. I'll test the indoor cats but what about the outdoor kitties? Is it possible to spread it between the two populations on our hands or clothing?