I feel the same way, Nina, and I know several who mix their kitties
like that. At some point, kittens develop a strong enoungh immune
system to deal with it - but I'm not sure what that point is. FELV
virus dies when it hits the air, and I just don't think it's gonna
pass to the kitten, if the kitten is isolated. Even so, I still
think it would take a bite or something like that to pass it on. Just imho.
Gloria
At 05:28 PM 4/8/2006, you wrote:
Hi Lance,
I am usually a big advocate for mixing pos and negs in the same
household. Here comes the but... Not when it comes to
kittens! Esp kittens that haven't yet been vaccinated. Barbara is
right, kittens have a way of getting into all sorts of places that
are suppose to be restricted. I wouldn't risk the health of the
little one. Adult cats have far less chance of contracting the
disease and far better chances of clearing it if they do. Kittens
and geriatrics don't have as strong an immune system and therefore
are at greater risk. When I had felv in the house, I wouldn't have
dreamed of bringing in a kitten.
Nina
Lance wrote:
Hello all,
My mother is considering adopting a kitten that needs a home. To the
best of my knowledge, the kitten is FeLV negative. It's only six
weeks or so old. Right now, my FeLV+ cat, Ember, is living in my
room, and is kept away from the others. She's had a few jailbreaks,
but I can be much more careful with her than I have been. The other
cats in the house tested negative with ELISA a few weeks ago (see the
"Ember" thread for the whole story).
Anyway, I know generally what vets and others think of having a
negative in a positive's house. I'm isolating Ember. However, the
kitten will not have had her shots, and probably won't be ready for
her first FeLV vax for another month. Even with Ember being isolated,
and the kitten having no direct or indirect exposure (i.e. no one
shares food, food bowls, boxes, water), do we run any risk of having
the kitten come up positive just by living in the same house as my girl?
Thanks,
Lance
