YES. Squeaky tested positive at age 13 and lived to age 22, symptom free except for his final 3 weeks. Laurie
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sue Koren Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 6:33 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Hi again :) Does anyone know if a positive cat who stays positive but not sick for a certain length of time, if the chances are that they will not become sick? Or could the sickness just come on them at any time regardless of how long they have harbored the virus and remained healthy? (I hope that made some kind of sense) Sue ---- MaryChristine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ============= yes, cats can retest negative on IFAs if enough time has passed so that the virus can work itself out of the system. just as with initial exposure, the time period given varies from 60 to 120 days, depending on who/what you read--i go for the 120 days or longer, so i don't always wonder...... tho it's not mentioned in the current on-line merck manual, and i never thought to keep the reference back when i first read it in 2003 or so, it used to refer to a case where it took a cat seven or nine (my memory is going) for a cat to revert to negative on an IFA. generally, however, if 120 days or so has passed since last possible exposure, i figure they're not gonna seroconvert--but until/if the virus gets activated, they're just positive, not sick. my little pastel calico, lorelei, who came to me last summer solstice, just retested positive on the IFA when she was spayed, so i'd say that it's pretty definite that she's gonna stay positive..... but it didn't really matter, because it wasn't going to change anything one way or another, so there was no rush here to retest.... and for those who don't know, all my others are either vaccinated, or were inadvertently exposed almost eight years ago, so she's no threat to anything other than my peace of mind--calico, after all..... MC On Mon, Jun 2, 2008 at 5:51 PM, Laura B <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > A few weeks ago I joined this list but couldn't post, so Belinda very kindly > posted an introduction for myself and my FeLV+ kitty, Laura. Thank so much > for the replies we got, we read them all. > > I wanted to send in a little update on Laura (still don't have a new name > for her), she is doing very well. Most of her fur is growing back (she had > bald patches) and since being on the l-lysine she is not drooling nearly as > much (she had herpes lesions in her mouth). She seems to be settling in and > loves her room with a view. I spend as much time with her as possible, and > my nieghbor (another cat person) comes over daily to give her a snack and > some lovin. > > I think she has also put on a little weight, which is good because she > is quite thin, other than that she is doing well. My vet just had me bring > her in and restest her, (IFA), she came back positive again. Do cats ever > test neg on an IFA after testing positive? Vet also retested the three cats > in her care that were positive on snap tests a month ago when she discovered > Laura's status. Out of the three only one retested pos on an IFA test. > > Anyway, just wanted to pop in and thank you all, also give a little update > on my sweet girl. > > Best regards, > > Human Laura and furry Laura > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892 _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org