Hi everyone, I am new to this group--and new to FeLV. I just took in an FeLV+ kitty from the shelter where I am a volunteer. Her name is Dani and she is beautiful. Long story short, she and her three siblings were found outside in a box when they were about a week old. They came to the shelter and tested positive for FeLV (ELISA). They were retested and again it was positive. At 9 weeks, they had an IFA test, all positive. During this time, they were bottle fed until about 8 weeks, shuttled to and from the shelter by a staff member. They were also treated for URIs with azithromycin. The shelter cultures all incoming cats for ringworm and unfortunately theirs came back positive, so they were dipped in lyme a couple of times a week for a while and put on Itraconazole. Dani took longer to shake it off and so was completely alone for some time. During their time at the shelter they were vaccinated with 2 rounds of FVRCP, a rabies vaccine and spayed/neutered. Sadly, Dani's littermates all came down with different issues (I don't know all the details, but I know the vet suspected FIP) and were euthanized. Little Dani was left alone, in a bathroom with no windows, and not many visitors. The second I found out about her, I set up the sun room off my bedroom (it was unheated but fixed that fast) and took her home.
Anyway, I wanted to give the whole background so you know just how much she has been through in her short life. While even here it is not optimal--she is isolated--it is so much better than being stuck in the stuffy bathroom. Here, she bird watches, has a ton of toys, a much better diet and a ton of cuddles (though not as much as I wish. I have 17 other cats.) I have two big questions: is it possible for her to become negative with a positive IFA result at 9 weeks? And, second: how do I best care for her? I have her on a high quality canned only diet (wellness and weruva--no fish) and minimize stress as much as possible. Are there supplements I should be giving? Are NuCat vitamins recommended? Are my food choices OK for her? I will never vaccinate or even take her to a vet (I'd have one come to me if necessary to minimize stress.) I feel terrible she is alone a lot of the time and I have thought about bringing in another young FeLV + kitty for her, but I am worried about causing stress, having it backfire. I have all the patience in the world when it comes to having cats work out issues, but I'm also very careful when bringing in a new cat, quarantining for a couple of weeks, letting her explore while I put others in other rooms, etc. But I wouldn't have that ability to do so with a companion for Dani as I literally don't have any rooms left. Sorry for such a long post! I really want to do right by her. I love her to pieces. Thank you! Laura and Dani girl
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