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Any help would be greatly appreciated. I took in a momma cat and five kittens in June. The kittems were @ 2 weeks old. All the cats received medical care and their vaccinations as soon as they could. Everything was fine and when the kittens were ten weeks old two went to my neighbor who gave them a great home. I kept three kittens and the momma. I spayed the momma and kittens ( two boys and 1 girl). Two days after the girl kitten was spayed she started acting listless and not eating and the vet and I assumed she had picked up an infection and put her on antibiotics. She perked right up and all was well. Then two days after she was done with the antibiotics she got sick again. A test at the vets office (not done by regular vet but an associate whom I had not seen before) told me she had feline luekemia. He wanted to put her down right away. I chose to put her back on antibiotics and see if we could get her to recover where maybe the disease would be dormant and not active. ( wishful thinking maybe, but she is my baby and I love her so much and she is only 4 months old) The worst part was that I was told that the other cats most likely have it as well.
The next day I made an appointment with my regular vet and took the momma and boy kitten in. They tested negative as well as the two girl kittens from this litter that I gave to my neighbor. My vet was so surprised as I have had this family of cats since the kittens were two weeks old, they have never been exposed to another cat since I have had them, they have all been sharing everything all this time, and they have never been allowed outside. When my vet did the tests on the brothers and mother he did it right in front of me and explained everything in detail. When the other vet had done the test he took my girl out of the room to the back so I didn't see anything.
My question is; Could it be possible that the test is wrong? Could there be something else going on? And how could she have gotten this disease since it was not passed on by momma as was thought? Has anyone heard of anything like this?
I have found a family member who will take my girl and give her a good home and they have no cats. I would like to see if I can get the disease dormant before that as treatment is expensive and sending her away now might stress her out so much if she really does have the disease. In the meantime I have her seperated from the others even though the others tested negative and have been vaccinated.
I love my baby girl and this is just breaking my heart. Thanks so much to anyone who can help.
DonnaColleen
They actually can get a positive result but can clear by the retest in 6 - 8 weeks later.
There are a number of different scenarios here...he can be positive, positive but clearing the infection, or false positive. Most vets recommend retesting in 6-8 weeks but keeping isolated from the others. And a third retest if positive. He 'could' be sick from an active infection and you don't want continual grooming/play fighting to infect the others.
I have no words for the vet that wants to put him to sleep, but maybe he didn't realize that you could possibly have an isolation room for the kitten. FeLv is only spread through active, continual contact, not through walls...
We always recommended retesting twice if a positive result was shown and the tests were 6-8 weeks apart.
I have no words for the vet that wants to put him to sleep,
I do, but they'd merely come up as a string of *.
Sadly, this doesn't seem to be a one-off and I've lost track of the number of times I've read that the owner had the animal euthanised on the spot. While no FeLV + cat is going to live a long life, there are plenty out there that live happy ones until the end. And often, the end is much further away than people think.
Tigafan's excellent post cuts to the heart of the matter: don't panic, test and retest.
In the meantime, also do your own research into the matter (making sure you stick to sound, reputable sources) so that you too are armed with the facts.
Thanks for the support! I will definitely get her retested and I want it done right in front of me this time. Do I have to wait at least 6 weeks?
DonnaColleen
You should. Even 'if' it was a false positive, it very well might not have been. Give the kitten time to get over being sick. There is also such a thing as a false negative, although far less common.
Read towards the bottom on "how it is diagnosed". A retest should be done.
In the body of the article,you will get your ans. as to the "why" the vet suggested putting the little one to sleep.
I had a cat years ago, that infected every cat that was brought into the house, but never exhibited any signs. This was before testing was ever done. He finally passed at a ripe old age....but not before killing many cats, unknowning to us.
Please, make sure your kitten is kept quarantined from the rest of the household of cats.
Thanks for the website. It was very informative. I also appreciate everyone's support. Our girl (Princess Aurora) is on antibiotics now and is eating well, playing and in good spirits. If she is actively shedding the disease can she still recover? Most websites seem to be vague. They mention a positive test but not shedding that clears up. Thanks again,
DonnaColleen
AFAIK an FeLV+ cat will be shedding or has the potential to be shedding the virus for as long as the cat is alive - hence why it can not be housed with any other cats. This is regardless of whether or not the cat itself is "actively" ill or not - i.e. the cat may be shedding the virus but exhibit no outward symptoms of being unwell.
There was a FeLV+ cat in our local rescue up for adoption (solo, of course). He was somewhere around three or four years old and is a great big hunk of a feline with a personality to match his outstanding looks. A healthier looking cat you couldn't find... but having be repeatedly tested, he was indeed a FeLV+ cat and was being adopted out as such.
Thanks for all the info. My daughter and her husband will take Princess Aorora for me as they have no cats and will love her for as long as she has. I guess I was hoping that the test might just be flat out wrong so I could get her well and keep her. I definitely am etting her retested in 6 weeks and with my regular vet whom I have known for over 12 years. Until then I am going with the antibiotics. In my heart I still hope the test was a fluke. I really appreciate all the respose though. It is nice to know I am not alone.
DonnaColleen
Thanks for all the info. My daughter and her husband will take Princess Aorora for me as they have no cats and will love her for as long as she has. I guess I was hoping that the test might just be flat out wrong so I could get her well and keep her. I definitely am etting her retested in 6 weeks and with my regular vet whom I have known for over 12 years. Until then I am going with the antibiotics. In my heart I still hope the test was a fluke. I really appreciate all the respose though. It is nice to know I am not alone.
DonnaColleen
Sounds like a great plan! Please keep us posted...and no, your def. not alone. Many of us, who have had cats for many yrs have had some connection, one way or another, with this horrible disease.
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