Hello, We recently adopted a spayed female adult cat (2-3 years of age), Grace, that was tested for FeLV/FIP (neg. results) upon intake in Oct 2009 by the rescue. She was retested the morning we took her home by the rescue's local vet with a "low positive" ELISA for FeLV (FIV still neg.). The rescue allowed me to take her on a foster agreement because of my dedication and experience level, not with this disease in particular, but with caring for animals in general (former vet tech, former assistant to a veterinary homeopath, past pet sitter, herbalist for animals and founder of a large raw feeders co-op).
We drove a long distance to meet her (from San Francisco to the Oregon border) - requiring a stay in a pet-friendly hotel. She seemed healthy when we met her (we spent a few hours at the rescue, then stayed overnight and picked her up the next morning) but she sneezed a few times and had a tiny bit of snot while we drove away from the rescue in her crate, and had a few fairly dramatic sneezing fits overnight in the hotel, but seemed otherwise healthy and has a wonderful, strong appetite and normal elimination. She developed a full blown URI in the days following and we had her retested by a local feline specialist. She had a positive FeLV ELISA and negative IFA. We have not brought her home yet as I have one very healthy 4 yr old male neutered cat at home that has never been exposed to any cat illnesses. I am keeping the new kitty, Grace, at my work office and warehouse (it's my own business and while not a home environment, I'm there twice daily and spend hours with her every day) and changing clothes/shoes, etc. and doing a lot of laundry to ensure I don't bring anything home to my cat. She's finally getting over her URI and will be retested for FeLV again on May 26th (30 days after the first time I tested her at the local feline specialist vet). I know the odds are not in our favor, but I am hoping she'll be part of that 30% that clear the disease from their systems and are no longer considered persistently infected. The reason why she's at my work is that was the only safe place to keep her in isolation because we live in the city, in a tiny studio, so we do not have a separate room to keep her in. We decided this while we drove home and I discussed the situation with my own vet (who is also a dear friend). We even considered renting an apartment for her and my partner to live in for the next 60 days while we test her every 30 days - that would be really expensive though and she's doing okay so far at my warehouse/office. I just wonder what other's experiences have been with discordant tests in adult cats (not kittens). IMO, it would not be ethical to expose my healthy cat to a positive FeLV cat. But we are totally in love with Grace -- we have been actively looking at cats to adopt since we lost our two Great Danes to senescence last year (in June and in Oct - both were aged 12). Since Nov, we've gone to so many shelters and rescues looking for just the right kitty, with the perfect temperament, to be a companion to our kitty that really misses his beloved elder dog pack. We knew Grace was "the one" the minute we met her. We adore her and hope to spend the next 20+ years with her as part of our family. We hope she will test double negative and can come home where we can then start a proper, slow introduction to our feisty resident kitty. Has anyone had this experience? If she tests positive for both or continues to remain discordant, we'll need to find her another home - breaking our hearts. She's getting a lot of special care, homeopathy and supplements in addition to her species appropriate diet, which we feel will support her towards the best possible outcome (the rescue feeds raw only to all her animals and I've fed raw exclusively since 1989). Thanks in advance! Kasie PS - I noticed today she has also cutaneous horn growth on her paw pads - one resembles a toenail, but the others are just short little tips/horns. I know this condition may be related to FeLV infection, but it may also be found in FeLV negative cats. I've never seen them before - sort of neat to see something so unusual/uncommon. _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
