In addition, these 2 were both kittens when I found them, my positive was evidently born positive, and her best friend whom she groomed and 'mothered' was a kitten. He's still negative.
Cherie A Gabbert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Cherie A Gabbert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Tonya,All is well, I am ok with being a worry wart right now, as you said I have conflicting emotions. I would never put Amber down or seperate my cats, after coexisting for so long that would be hard on everyone. I just am tring to be prepared for the worst, and maybe help my negatives.Example, I was playing with Amber with her stick (favorite toy), and she catches it and chews it, well Candy jumped on her head and then put the stick in her mouth...now they shared saliva, should I not play with them together, and if I don't aren't I alienating one or the other. I do not want any hard feelings in my furr family, or one or the other thinking I pay special attention to the other. (Worry Wart) Life goes on the sun will rise tomorrow, it is just what I am thinking now.Cherie
catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Cherie,I didn't mean to imply you're a worry wart either! When this first happened to me I was just like you. I was frantic, I cried for days worried that I should euthanize my positive, try to find her a home, etc.... Then I just couldn't do it so I decided to try to find her another home. Then to keep her separated. Well that didn't work. Then I spent tons of money testing my 10 negatives every 3 months for about a year, updating all their shots, even if they weren't due yet. Worrying and worrying. Then She got sick and I spent a fortune taking her to an eye specialist for herpes, and a homeopath for all these supplements, and an internist. And emergency vets. she almost had pneumonia, etc.... but we pulled her back. Then I started worrying again that because I knew she must be actively 'shedding' the virus, so I spent more money retesting all my negatives again and trying to keep them s! eparated from her, considering euthanizing her, etc...After going through all that, I just decided we're going to quit stressing about this and do the best we can. It's easier for me to say that now because it's taken years for me to get to this point, and no one of my 10 has ever got sick from her or tested positive. As I said, I even brought in a new positive. It's been years and I don't think my negatives are going to go positive now, and if they do, I think it could just as well be because it's been there all along and not showing up on elisa as it could be that they got it from one of my positives. I'm just saying that after dealing this as long as I have, and considering all of the conflicting information, I've just decided what will be, will be. No one is leaving or going to be separated from my group because of their felv status. And if an felv needs a home and I had room, I'd give it to them. This is just based on my experience (and reading all the conflicting reports like! ! ! you've been asking about.)tonya
Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Cherie,
You're not a worry wort, there is cause to be concerned. What most of the folks on this list have learned, is that it doesn't do any good. This disease is such a nasty chameleon that you just never know what's going to happen. What I've decided to do is to make life as pleasant and stress free as possible for all my animals, do whatever I can to help insure their health, and pray. Being on this list has shown me that sometimes no matter what you do, tragedy still strikes. I have opted to make our day to day (cherish the moment) existence as harmonious as possible, that means everybody has access to everywhere and everybody else. Have I stopped worrying? NO! But, I do try.
Thank you for the visual of the cats waiting on queue for the litterbox. After the sad, sad news about Leeloo, our concern over Levi, a! ! ! nd the roller coaster ride of our sweet Simon, I needed cause for a smile. This list has been invaluable to me as a source of camaraderie and information, but sometimes I feel like I just can't take the heartache anymore.
I can't help thinking that we're close to finding an answer, at least a partial answer. It's on the fringe of my awareness, but it makes sense to me, that if a cat is still within the first stages of the disease, (tests positive on the ELSA, but negative on the IFA?), and we hit them with a proven immune booster like feline interferon, that there is a much better chance that they will clear the virus. The day is coming that when a cat tests positive, there will be a reliable protocol for fighting this bastard and winning. I just know it.
Sorry this turned into a rant. I'm feeling very low right now, and very angry at the same time. Does anyone have any of the appetite stimulant Valium to share?
Nina
Cherie A Gabbert wrote:
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.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 protect! ! ! ed. 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 07:39:2! 6 -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
