<<<I have an 11 year old female cat named Killian who just last June tested
positive for felv. My husband has had her for 10 years and she has always
been an indoor cat. Last April we took in a stray which we kept in the
basement. The stray -Meowser- never had any contact with Killian. We had
her for 3 days in the basement. We found out she was felv+ so took her to a
shelter that cares for positive cats. At the time we had no idea Killian
also had leukemia. A couple months later I took Killian to the vet cause it
seemed like she was throwing up a lot. The vet ran some blood tests on her.
She had the IFA and ELISA done among other things. Turns out she has
leukemia but is healthy in every other way! How can this be? How can she
be an 11 year old positive and symptomless cat? How could she have gotten
this?
Thanks Dr. Susan for any input! >>>
It is very unusual for a cat to remain healthy with FeLV for many years, but
we don't really know when Killian was infected. Most cats are infected as
kittens and they are unlikely to live to age 11. I assume she was FeLV
positive on both the ELISA and the IFA? If so, she will need to be monitored
closely by your vet.
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
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Susan Little, DVM
Diplomate ABVP (Feline)
Bytown Cat Hospital
Ottawa, Canada
http://catvet.homestead.com
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