Hi Everyone
I am new to this list and to the world of Feline Leukemia. We have 3 precious
cats, and we found out at the end of last year that two are FeLV positive, and
of those two, one is FIP positive as well :(
Details:
Kitty1 (11 years old, male) is the reason we got any of them tested at all. He
was just a little "off" - more subdued, less energy, a little on the skinny
side. He tested positive for FeLV and FIP. Our vet put him on a round of
cortisone and antibiotics, and he seemed to bounce back. He still isn't
completely 100% though (although hard to pinpint actual behaviours, more just a
general sense I have), and is still skinnier than I would like.
Kitty2 (11 years old, male) also tested positive for FeLV (but not FIP). He
currently has no noticeable symptoms at all, although he does vomit a lot. This
has been going on for 5-6 years though, and he is long-haired, so I don't think
it is related.
Kitty3 (1 year old, male) tested negative for both viruses (and FIV). We had
him vaccinated against FeLV when he tested negative, and he had the booster 4
weeks later. We will continue to give him the vaccination every year.
If you got through all of this, thanks so much. Now my questions:
Q1. I want to start Kitty1 on some form of treatment, just to build him up/keep
him strong. I have the sense that all is not 100%, even although he is not
noticeably unwell, is eating fine etc. I was thinking of asking our vet to
start Interferon. Any thoughts here? Suggestions? Would something else be
better? Would it be bad to start a treatment like this before he is noticeably
sick? What is the recommended dosage here?
Q2. Is there anything I should be doing for Kitty2. He seems fine, hasn't lost
weight etc. He does throw up a lot, but has for the last 5-6 years.
Q3. We have decided to keep Kitty3 instead of rehoming him, after a lot of
thought. He has had 3 homes in the last year (a shelter rescue who was then
neglected by the person who adopted him... grrrr...), and he is so settled with
us, that I worry about trying to find him yet another home. I think he must
have been exposed by now in any case (the older boys would groom him on the
face when he was little), so my prayer is that he has immunity. Am I being
naive here? Should we find him another home?
Q4. Any tips, advice, suggestions on what I can do to prolong our boys' lives
with a reasonable quality?
Thanks so much in advance. And sorry for the long message.
Vicky
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