Hi there all, just wanted to introduce myself and start some dialog concerning my cat community. I live out East on Long Island and my town is affected greatly by FIV and FELV cats.
I have been a rescuer for 20 years and never seen outbreaks so fearsome. For over 15 years I never had FELV cats (a couple of FIV positives, but never symptomatic). Within the last year I've seen 6 of my cats come down with symptoms resulting in their deaths. Two were middle aged and one was a breeding female who lost the battle with FELV after being stressed by litters. Most of her brood has passed away and I now have four left, 2 from 2 different litters. It's heartbreaking to see them become symptomatic,and I recently lost my favorite in very bad circumstances. What I'm writing about is how to get a vet who knows that cat is FELV to help follow through with antibiotics, steroids, and a triple coctail. No one wants to try steroids as they fear the problems with the liver, but the cats die without them. How can I convince my vet to offer the steroids that they need to absorb the fluids once they start coughing? My last vet left me alone and at my wits end with just antibiotics and an IV D5W. Poor kitty died in the middle of the night due to fluid buildup. It seems to me that the vets out here just don't want to treat FELV cats because they consider it a poor outcome no matter what. Your thoughts? Thanks, Manda
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