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By all means, have her tested again. Hang in there. She's already a lucky cat; here's hoping she'll be blessed with a foster home or a new owner who can make her an only cat and take good care of her.
Before she was treated for her wounds and her infection? Talk about inhumane ...
Feral cats have a lifespan much much shorter than domestic cats and most people have limited budgets. Spending hundreds of dollars on one cat with chronic illness can mean not having the money to later save 2-3 cats with something treatable.
Not saying anyone is right or wrong on the topic, just explaining about having to make hard decisions with limited resources.
If you can't make at least some tough decisions you wind up like the very nice lady on the farm next to my family. She lost her house and they had to come in and put down the 120 dogs she'd rescued. She probably could have saved 20 or so but was unable to draw a line and overwhelmed herself financially and also in the ability to properly care for the animals she loved.
Not sure how my post was irrelevant? From everything I've read the cat hates being indoors and likes to roam.
I'd ask the vet what he thinks the chances are that the other cat(s) in her house will get the disease from her despite trying to separate food etc.
I applaud the OP's gentle soul, I'm just cautioning that supporting a feral cat population has a lot of side-consequences in terms of the deaths of other animals (birds, reptiles etc.) as well as disease transmission and should be pondered carefully.
I can't help but think of the guy who loved his burmese pythons so much he couldn't bear to put them down when they got too big....and so released them into the everglades.
I'm learning to differentiate between feral and stray so perhaps the title of this thread is deceptive.
Piewacky wants to have a human, which is much different than a full blown feral who would otherwise be too fearful of humans to bother. I have no idea where she and a few others have originated but the most likely origin is a formerly owned cat and/or a kitten of an un-spayed outdoor cat. Her disposition is very sweet but she's unfamiliar with litter boxes. She accepts treats put on the ground, but will not eat them out of my hand. She fears confinement, but when I allowed her to roam a portion of my house (supervised) her anxiety fell away. She prefers to be near people as opposed to left alone in a room. She requires a good deal of affection. A true feral cat by contrast would accept none.
Another cat as example of neighborhood population... a former elderly resident passed away. His cat 'lindsey' was an indoor/outdoor cat. This cat refuses to accept a new home and avoids people. He insists on living on his old porch and since that house has yet to be sold, he remains roaming freely. He was fixed late in life. The only way to help him cope with the loss of his owner is to leave him be and make sure there's food around. He won't tolerate a new owner, it's already been attempted a few times, and his loyalty to that house/ this neighborhood is all he knows. He's very old and set in his ways, the same way humans can get. He won't have a long life living outdoors as he is, but I think that's something people have to accept-- he decided for himself how his life will go.
By all means, have her tested again. Hang in there. She's already a lucky cat; here's hoping she'll be blessed with a foster home or a new owner who can make her an only cat and take good care of her.
Before she was treated for her wounds and her infection? Talk about inhumane ...
Speaking of 'talk about inhumane'... I went to the humane society hoping to hook up with animal lovers who would be willing to volunteer. What I got was the pat answer; "if they're feluk +, we only put them to sleep". I guess she assumed I was trying to dump this cat, but even still, I think truth in advertisement is severely lacking in this brand of 'humane'.
Update on Piewacky:
The tubes have to go back in because she's developed another abscess on her hind end & the leaking is increasing. She was jittery with me at first today but I think it was because a dog was yelping in the next exam room scaring her. This infection was caused by a dog attack so it's understandable.
Super affectionate as ever, and she allowed me to use a de-shedding tool to clean up her coat a bit without any fussing. That's better behaved than Kitkat, Mr drama king acting like I was killing him LOL. Hopefully it will help prevent dander and loose fur from getting in her wounds. Another good sign... she's getting some gloss back in her coat.
Kitkat smells piewacky on me when I get home and is out of the blue becoming more affectionate. Competition? Likely. I never have understood sibling rivalry because sis & I were never that way with one other.
Speaking of 'talk about inhumane'... I went to the humane society hoping to hook up with animal lovers who would be willing to volunteer. What I got was the pat answer; "if they're feluk +, we only put them to sleep". I guess she assumed I was trying to dump this cat, but even still, I think truth in advertisement is severely lacking in this brand of 'humane'.
Update on Piewacky:
The tubes have to go back in because she's developed another abscess on her hind end & the leaking is increasing. She was jittery with me at first today but I think it was because a dog was yelping in the next exam room scaring her. This infection was caused by a dog attack so it's understandable.
Super affectionate as ever, and she allowed me to use a de-shedding tool to clean up her coat a bit without any fussing. That's better behaved than Kitkat, Mr drama king acting like I was killing him LOL. Hopefully it will help prevent dander and loose fur from getting in her wounds. Another good sign... she's getting some gloss back in her coat.
Kitkat smells piewacky on me when I get home and is out of the blue becoming more affectionate. Competition? Likely. I never have understood sibling rivalry because sis & I were never that way with one other.
I am so happy that the links were useful. I, too, found them quite informative, and am crossing my fingers that her test was a false positive. I really think a home with you is the best option but, obviously, is not going to be possible if she actually is FeLV+. Sending hopes and prayers for a successful recovery and retest
I'm so sad she tested positive...but, as others have pointed out, it could very well be a false positive. SNAP tests aren't always accurate, especially with an immune system fighting so hard against other things. I definitely agree she should be re-tested later down the road, and I'm sending prayers that she recovers fully with a clean bill of health!
THANK YOU for not giving up on her!!! It sounds like you already have a strong bond with this little girl, and the best of all scenarios is for her to be able to stay with you...a thousand blessings to you for having such a strong and kind heart!
Mathguy - this is not a true feral cat. While the OP has called her a "feral" she is most certainly not - she's a stray or, at most, born to a "formerly domesticated" momma.
A true feral cat will not allow a human being within a distance (actual distance depends on the cat) and sure as heck is not going to allow itself to be touched by a human being without drawing blood.
While it sounds like semantics, it isn't. There is a huge and vast difference between true feral cats and strays/one generation removed from domestication (called "formerly domesticated"). The latter revert to fully domesticated easily. True ferals are another matter. True feral cats are hardwired differently.
People call stray cats "feral" cats for reasons I don't know, but so it seems to be. Read through most posts here where the term is used and most are not discussing true feral cats.
While the cat in question may not be used to being indoors, this is merely something the cat has to learn. The cat is actively seeking affection and attention - no one is forcing the cat to want to be petted. As such, that needs to be taken into consideration as the cat's own wishes/desires.
Mathguy - this is not a true feral cat. While the OP has called her a "feral" she is most certainly not - she's a stray or, at most, born to a "formerly domesticated" momma.
A true feral cat will not allow a human being within a distance (actual distance depends on the cat) and sure as heck is not going to allow itself to be touched by a human being without drawing blood.
While it sounds like semantics, it isn't. There is a huge and vast difference between true feral cats and strays/one generation removed from domestication (called "formerly domesticated"). The latter revert to fully domesticated easily. True ferals are another matter. True feral cats are hardwired differently.
People call stray cats "feral" cats for reasons I don't know, but so it seems to be. Read through most posts here where the term is used and most are not discussing true feral cats.
While the cat in question may not be used to being indoors, this is merely something the cat has to learn. The cat is actively seeking affection and attention - no one is forcing the cat to want to be petted. As such, that needs to be taken into consideration as the cat's own wishes/desires.
This is very true. There is a feral male who hangs around the neighborhood, and despite serious efforts on my part, he won't come anywhere near me...I've tried and tried and tried to coax him, but he's not having it. As soon as he sees that I'm looking at him, he runs away like a flash of lightening. Another cat (female tortie) started coming around last year, and she was completely opposite...wanted to be pet, fed, loved. My ex-tenant ended up adopting her, but if he hadn't it would have been easy to find her a home given her sweet temperament and love for humans. It was a bit of a struggle to get her to stay inside at first, and for awhile he allowed her to roam (she is spayed) as she pleased and come back in as she pleased, but now I'm happy to say she's 100% indoors.
I had an interesting relationship way back with a pretty feral girl. She was around my apartment complex which was out of town and surrounded by fields. She was quite young and very much at a distance. Over the months she became calm around us, sitting alongside our cat in the evening, and when she had kittens she came to us one night mewing and then called them to come out from the brush. She let them walk around us and visit.
It was sad because I hated to see them on their own. I never touched her but when she hurt her back I fed her until she was well and I saw she had a mouse in her mouth. She abandoned her brood with me eventually and disappeared for two weeks, showing up again looking shiny as a new penney. I think now I could have "domesticated" her in time. She was no longer fearful. But I didn't realize it at that time. But I did adopt her surviving kitten and had him for 19 years!
what a heart-rending thread! Poor pie! My husband is a biologist and he says yes, that feral cats do spread many diseases, but they also have to deal with the very tough selective processes in life. If they are not real tough, or bred from a true survivor lineage, they often die real young. In the wild, yes, their lifespan is much shorter than your pet pampered kitty. But this one's already shown she's a survivor. and now she's getting the best medical attention.
The new "L" tests are quite sensitive so they can also be false positive for sure. I'd not give up on her unless she gets really obviously sick and you'll see that in her eyes. Test again when she's looking and feeling better. My husband studied animal behavior in wild predators and he realized early on, after spending a lot of time observing them in the wild that they truly have individual feelings, even like to play with humans (some great stories!) and are compassionate. I also saw a show on elephants and rhinos and lemurs grieving a few nights ago on Nature. It was amazing. We always assume they're "only" animals. you've got a keeper there, harborlady. You've certainly done all that you can.
I hope she has the stamina to pull through. Please let us all know. Even if it's bad news... we'll have an on-line wake!
Not saying anyone is right or wrong on the topic, just explaining about having to make hard decisions with limited resources.
In defense of Mathguy, he's just working the numbers. We all need to know both our emotional and financial limits.
If you can honestly handle this journey - we cheer for you. If it becomes cost prohibitive or impacts the health of your current cat - we will cry with you and be here to support you.
There were times we couldn't financially continue to support some chronically ill pets, and had to let them go humanely. Today, we can afford to help them, and we honor those we've lost by doing everything we can to help their brothers and sisters today.
We had a cat that initially tested positive and eventually tested negative. We are pulling for Pie. And however it works out - we will be here.
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She probably could have saved 20 or so but was unable to draw a line and overwhelmed herself financially and also in the ability to properly care for the animals she loved. 
