Well, good news and not so good news. The cat that originally started all of this, Ozzy, is definitely an older cat and as I suspected, he tested positive for FIV although neg for FeLV. As he is obviously a battle veteran and drew blood from the person who originally rescued him too, indications are he will be more than happy to fight others and share the virus. He was also loaded with tape worms which men's Miss Kitty likely has them too so I have to dose them both for that.
The vet couldn't give me an estimate of Ozzy's age other than to say he was no spring chicken. Why? Because he has almost NO teeth. One canine was intact but the rest were broken or missing. He removed a couple of the broken ones but says there were many that were just roots and there was nothing he could do short of major surgery. Says his gums are in surprisingly good condition, he just has no teeth. Suspect many were broken in fights. It is amazing to me how he puts away dry cat food - LOTS of it - when he has no teeth! Technically, a fighter like Oz should be quarantined for the rest of his life cause of the FIV. If I were to do that it would mean keeping him in my master bathroom. Not too fond of that idea. Only other option is to make him an outdoor cat and I don't like that either. If he starts spraying that will be my only option tho I suspect. Even tho neutered now he has been around long enuff marking is a natural thing for him and will likely continue. Now for the good news. Miss Kitty came thru with a clean bill of health, got her vaccinations, and goes back in 4 weeks for her boosters. Total bill this time around was $168. Both are now back in the master bathroom while I "gird my loins" and prepare to dose them for worms. I think Oz will take his in a bit of canned cat food but Miss Kitty turns her nose up at anything from a can so hers will have to be a pill. I will let all know if I survive! ;-) Kat _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
