Re: article about feline leukemia by Dr. Susan Little

[Faye Lewis]

This is a worrisome illness. It just is the worst thing I have ever 
encountered.  I hate it. I just hate it. It is impossible to tell how your 
cat caught it.  He could have gotten from the dishes or litter boxes but he 
may have been bitten without you knowing it too.  Cat bites are difficult to 
find on a cat body unless they are infected. Most cats have a squabble or 
two. The only reason  I know Tigger did not bite the kittens because he was 
never left unattended with them.

From: Cherie A Gabbert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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To: felvtalk@vlists.net
Subject: Re: article about feline leukemia by Dr. Susan Little
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 11:02:37 -0800 (PST)
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I know noone said, saliva or urine, my vet actually told me prolonged nose 
to nose contact and a bite from the infected cat, but then I ask myself how 
did Snowball get it and past so violently. I just want to make sure I know 
all I can about this, just incase one of my others comes up 
positive.....They share water and food but, usually one will eat and then a 
little while later another will come along to nibble, there is time 
inbetween the two eating out of the same dish.
As for the kitty litter box, well I have three boxes and they all get used, 
sometimes they almost form a line at the favorite one, like the womens 
restroom, so urine would be a concern. I just am a worry wart if I do not 
have something to worry about with my babies, I think something is wrong 
with me.

Cherie
Faye Lewis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
The virus is fragile and has a short life outside the body. However, fresh
urine and fresh saliva would be a risk. However, it seems, based on a some
people's experience that blood exchange is the most efficient means of
transmitting the disease as in bites or being born to an FeLV mother. That
does not mean that saliva, etc cannot pass the disease-- just that it
"seems" to be harder to transmit this way. My two kittens were excessively
groomed by my positive cat, shared food, water and litter boxes and thus 
far
(24 months) have not been positive and they have each had 9 tests. Now, to
complicate matters there seems to be some genetic protection for some cats.
In other words, some cats are genetically prevented from getting the 
disease
at all (small percentage) BUT we have no way of knowing if our cats are
genetically protected. My kittens may not have gotten the disease because
a)they are genetically protected or b)the virus was too wimpy to infect or
c)they did not lick themselves immediately after the positive cat licked
them nor ate while the virus was still alive or d) some unknown fact or 
just
plain luck or 3)they may yet still go positive.

No one has said that the disease cannot be passed with saliva, urine, 
litter
boxes etc. Some of us think that isn't the most likely means of
transmission and we could very well be wrong but are willing to risk it by
not segregating our negative and positive cats. This is not an easy
decision and the answers are not black and white because there is a lot we
still do not know about the disease.

>From: Cherie A Gabbert
>Reply-To: felvtalk@vlists.net
>To: felvtalk@vlists.net
>Subject: Re: article about feline leukemia by Dr. Susan Little
>Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 07:39:26 -0800 (PST)
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>Thank you for posting the article, but now that verifys my concern about
>shared dishes and litter boxes. I have been told different things, one is
>the virus can not live outside the body for a long period of time (15
>minutes) and weakens as time passes, and I am also told, in this article
>too that shared dished and grooming can is the most common way of
>transmission. I am confused, can anyone help me muddle through the facts.
>Cherie
>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Lisa and all who are interested,
> I wrote to Dr. Susan about the possibility of her writing an article
>for us and/or the website about feline leukemia and I got this response
>today:
>
>Hi Anne:
>
>I wrote an article some time ago with basic information about FeLV:
>http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FeLV.html
>
>But I just don't have time to update it or write anything more indepth 
due
>to my travel and lecture commitments right now.
>
>You are certainly welcome to continue to forward questions from the list
>and I will do my best to answer them.
>
>Dr. Susan
>Chapter Author, A Home Veterinary Guide, in:
>The CFA Complete Cat Book
>http://www.cfainc.org/catalog/books.html#completecatbook
>
>Feline Reproduction Manual:
>http://catvet.homestead.com/ReproCD.html
>
>__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^
>Susan Little, DVM
>Diplomate ABVP (Feline)
>Bytown Cat Hospital
>Ottawa, Canada
>http://catvet.homestead.com
>__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^
>
>Anne and Jimi Too Cool, Simms, Sophie and other furry friends in MI