New cat on the block
Hi Ashley! I'm glad you found this site. Your vet is wrong - though it's true that there is no cure for FeLV, it's certainly not a waste of money to keep an otherwise healthy, happy kitty alive and well. So I'm glad you didn't take his recommendation to put Mr. Kitten to sleep. True, it gets expensive, and you probably should invest in high-quality food (many people on this list recommend Innova) and the experts here will tell you what supplements to give Mr. Kitten to keep his immune system strong. But at four, your cat has reached and passed a major milestone (our little guy died at 11 months and the latest cat we rescued from the SPCA is thankfully, not FeLV+). You won't find a better educated, more sympathetic and caring group of people than on this list. Best wishes for the continued good health of Mr. Kitten! Peggy
Please add Jimi Too Cool to the CLS
Dear Anne, I am so sorry for your loss. Having recently lost my little Scooter, I can say I know how it feels, though he wasn't with us as long as your Jimmy. What a sweet poem. The words are so true - in time the pain lessens and the thought of him will bring a soft smile rather than tears. How wonderful to have him with you for so long. Peggy
please add my Lizzie to CLS and prayer list
Dear Hideyo, I'm so sorry you lost little Lizzie. From your posts I can tell that you care so much about your babies. Know that we are thinking of you and saying prayers for Lizzie. Peggy
Pepper died
Candace, I'm so sorry to hear about Pepper. It's hard to lose a friend. I'm sure you gave him your love, warmth, a good home and friendship. -Peggy, Montana, Karma, and Cassie
Re: new diagnosis
Dianne, I'm sorry you had to find the list in this way, but I guess that's how we all came here. Is Asia drinking enough? My Scooter (11 months old) was dehydrated when I took him to the vet, and he wasn't eating and was also lethargic. His blood work looked good but he had a tissue mass behind one molar which made it painful to eat. We treated it with antibiotics and I made the liver shake I found on this site (do a search and you'll find the recipe) and he ate it right up. But not long afterward he became even more lethargic and cried in discomfort when he was picked up so we took him back to the vet. The vet took an x-ray and discovered his kidneys were enlarged, but she suggested we take him to a specialist for an ultrasound because she thought it might be lymphoma. Scooter also had problems urinating. Sadly, he got so bad so quickly that we didn't get a chance to get the ultrasound. As someone else mentioned, this is probably the worst case, so I don't mean to panic you but it may help to know what to look for. I'm hoping it's something simpler that can be cleared up quickly. I wish you and Asia the best! -Peggy
offer: soft claws
I bought these for Scooter but never got a chance to put them on him. If anyone is worried about a small cat scratching up their furniture and would like to try these, please e-mail me and I'll mail them to you. They are size small, colored black. -Peggy
Scooter has gone to the bridge
Our little baby wasnt strong enough to hold on over the weekend. The vet called yesterday to say that his condition had worsened. He was no longer responding to their petting or holding him, and didnt even stand up during the examination, and seemed to be in much more pain. She had given him more pain medicine and he was basically out of it. I asked about the dex cocktail, and she said his kidneys were even more enlarged and felt hard and she didnt think it would help at this point. My husband and I didnt want him to continue to suffer, so we decided to let him go. We are comforted by the fact that he did find us, as he would have likely starved to death from the mass in his mouth, so at least we were able to help him finish this life in comfort and warmth. We only had him for a couple months but this little fellow really worked his way into our hearts, and the house seems so much quieter now. But I am so grateful to him for teaching us so much about this virus, and should another stray kitty come to us we will know a little more about what to do. I requested a post-mortem in case they can learn anything more about his condition and if there is useful information Ill post it. Were going to bury him in the back yard sometime this week. Our vet was wonderful and said that we should envision him in his healthy 7 pound body running around free of pain. Thanks to all of you who have helped us through this difficult time. Prayers for all the kitties still fighting this disease, and to all of the compassionate caregivers working so hard to help them.
You are my support group-please add Schumacher to the CLS
Brenda, Im so sad for you. I know how it feels. As much as we try, sometimes all we can do is love them and let them go when its time. But keep Schumacher in your heart Im sure he was a wonderful kitty.
Evander Please add him to the CLS
Sherry, Im so sorry. I saw this message and said a prayer for you and your Evander.
Re: Scooter's Dental Problems; continued
We had a rough night. I gave Scooter some more liver shake by an eyedropper he didnt seem to mind that I was gently opening his mouth and squirting it in. Then he slept at the foot of my bed. Sometime during the night he peed the bed, which is worrisome as hes always been so good about going to the box. I couldnt sleep there anymore so I took him and put him on a towel and we finished the night in the spare room, but he cried and growled at me as I picked him up, as if it hurt him to be moved. This morning I tried to put him in the litterbox to see if he needed to go, and he growled at me again, stood there for a minute and sat down in the litter. Now hes lying on a towel at my feet. What could this mean? He was dehydrated and lost a lot of weight before the first trip to the vet Monday, and he ate some since then but not as much as a healthy cat would eat. Could it be the lack of adequate food and water, or in your experience is this a symptom of something more serious? My husband and I are worried - we dont want to put him through all this suffering and it breaks my heart to see him like this, but hes so young! This isnt fair Thanks again to everyone for all your advice. The list has been extremely helpful and supportive. Cross your fingers for our little guy!
Re: Scooter's Dental Problems; continued
Thanks everyone for your responses. Scooters blood work from Monday was good, says the vet (I asked for a copy of the results but I cant interpret any of the numbers). I took him back to the vet this morning for his dental work. They did an x-ray of his mouth and found a soft tissue mass, which could be a tumor, behind his molar on one side. So a dental extraction isnt the answer. His temperature was only slightly elevated (102.8) but he was still very lethargic, though his lymph nodes werent swollen, so he didnt have an obvious infection. The vet gave him fluids and monitored him through the day. I stopped by on the way home to see if he was any more alert, but he was sleeping (in the litter box). I pulled him out and laid him on the soft fleece they provided, and took the towel and toy mouse from the carrier and put them in with him so he would have some familiar smells. He just sat there while I petted him, but he did eat some canned food so thats a very good sign. The pain seems to be in his middle somewhere, because when I try to pick him up thats when he growls. Would a urinary track infection cause that? Ive decided I will likely keep him at the vet this weekend, since my husband and I are both going out of town. Id much rather he was at home, but if hes still not eating or drinking at least this way I can be sure hell get food and water. He didnt look like he was bothered by being there hes still kind of out of it. In fact, he didnt seem very stressed or very much different from when he was at home. Im going to stop by again tomorrow afternoon on my way home from work. Ill ask about the possibility of a urinary infection. How would they teest for that? The vet did say that the mass could be a tumor, which could be cancer. He tried to get me to see that the outlook wasnt great since Scooter has FeLV, but they are going to continue with antibiotics and monitor his mouth to see if it clears up. Im hopeful, because of the way he was eating the canned food tonight. He hadnt had anything solid for a couple days. The liver shakes were great thanks to whoever sent in the recipe.
Scooter's Dental Problems
Thanks for all your advice and input. The vet tech didnt seem to think the oral rinse would be helpful at this point they immediately told me about extraction for the extreme cases. Last night I made the liver shake from a recipe I found in the archive, and thankfully, he ate it up four saucers full! He ate some more this morning. I hesitate now to take him to the vet because of the stress of staying there so long. (We have to leave him through the weekend because well be going out of town.) I think Ill let him stay home today as hes much more alert and eating! But Ill ask the vet for her input as well.
Scooter's dental problems (a bit long)
Hi All, This is my first medical problem with Scooter, my first FeLV cat, who has been lethargic for about a week. Sunday I noticed he had very bad breath, and though I didnt see anything wrong with his gums he was acting like he was uncomfortable or even in pain so I took him to the vet Monday morning. He was dehydrated (I now know how to test for this when you pull up on his fur at the back of the neck the skin should snap back, but if dehydrated the skin will tent.) They did blood work and found everything looked fine, but he has lesions in his mouth, which is common for FeLV kitties. The weird thing was that he only has them on one side of his mouth apparently this is common in FeLV kitties but they typically get them all over the mouth, says the vet. The infection caused him to lose a pound and the lesions make it very painful to eat solid food. So the vet gave me liquid antibiotics for him and scheduled surgery, including dental extraction (if needed) for Thursday. Apparently he may have stomatitis which means the cat is allergic to the tartar on his teeth. The fix for this is to remove the teeth causing the problems. I left Scooter at home around 11 am today after trying to get him to lap up as much of the gravy from the cat food as possible, as well as some vitamin gravy from the pet food store. He ate some, but cried like it hurt to even swallow. Tonight, my husband came home before me and apparently found Scooter crying behind the computer, squatting down like he was about to urinate. He did, which is unusual because hes always been very good about using the litter box. So I called the vet (closed) and left a message telling them I was bringing Scooter in tomorrow for observation and possibly sub-Q fluids instead of waiting until Thursday, as he will likely continue to lose weight and I dont have any idea what else to expect. Does anyone else have any input about this? Hes going to undergo surgery, but since his blood work looked OK Im not so worried about that as I am about the weight loss and of course the fact that my baby is in pain. Hes OK for now, curled up near the wood stove, though hes probably getting even more dehydrated from the heat of the stove. Thanks for any advice you can give, or just support. Ive been a wreck since Sunday about this.
RE: My baby, Olive has become free now --my 4th loss to FIP..
Dear Hideyo, I am so, so sorry for all the pain you are going thorough with your recent losses. You know rationally that you have done everything you could to give your kitties a few months or perhaps years of a happy and secure and loved life, so please dont let yourself feel guilty for any decision youve made. Your intentions were and are (as are all of ours) to do whatever we can for the animals we so dearly love. You have given all four of them food, shelter, warmth, and care. Be gentle with yourself, and dont second-guess your decision to help little Olive to the bridge. Hold on to the images you have of her sweetly sleeping the way cats do - with her little paws tucked in underneath her and the contented look on her face. She was lucky to have had you for the short time she was here. -Peggy
Re: O.T. Cute Kitty Contest Winner for Novermber is...Spencer!
What a great picture! Who could deny that cats have their own personalities from looking at this! I wonder what that handsome boy was thinking?
lethargy...but no other symptoms
Maybe Im just paranoid, but this is my first experience with FeLV so any little thing out of the ordinary makes me wonder if something is wrong. Scooter is about 11 months old, and weve had him for about one month. He had an initial trip to the vet and was neutered and had his first set of shots. Were feeding him Pro Plan, but Ive found a local source for Innova and will be making the switch soon. Im not giving him any supplements but he gets canned food and occasionally tuna fish at breakfast. Hes never shown any signs of being sick and has always acted like a normal kitten. He would walk all over my desk when working and play aggressively with his toys. But lately, Ive noticed an abrupt change in behavior. He just sleeps a lot. When I tried to play with him, he was alert but not nearly as fast in chasing around as he used to be. I did a search of this forum on lethargy and every ailment was accompanied by something - pale gums (anemia), diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, etc. But Scooters only symptom is sleeping. Maybe this is just normal, as its getting colder here (Virginia) and we have a wood stove, which is where hes spending more and more time, but hes still a kitten and hes acting more like my 13 year old cat. He is due for his booster shots, so Ill be taking him to the vet in a couple weeks, but after reading this forum I have more faith in you folks than in the vet. I found the liver shake recipe and am willing to make it for him if you think it will help (Im vegetarian so it kind of turns my stomach to think of handling the livers) If anyone has any input I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks very much!
Re: o/t ideas please for my ex-foster cat
Were having similar problems with Montana and Scooter. Scooter is our new adopted FeLV+ kitty, and before Scooter came to us, Montana pretty much slept on our bed at night, hung out with me while I was working, and generally was the boss of the place. Years ago, when I adopted Karma, they fought (hissing and some batting) but eventually became civil enough to both sleep on the same bed at night (much to my husbands dismay at times!). But now that Scooter is here, Montana is making himself scarce, and I do worry about him. Hes a big baby, and I dont want him to feel unwelcome in his own house, but at the same time, Scooter needs us. Part of the problem is that Scooter is so young and playful and shows no fear of the others, but they just dont like him yet. Hes not exactly working hard to gain friendship either - if Montana is sleeping in a chair, Scooter will approach the chair, Montana will growl a warning, Scooter will continue approaching, and eventually theres hissing and batting. (I am slightly worried about the hissing, but its mostly by Montana, who is negative, as Ive yet to see Scooter hiss at either cat.) So at times its less than peaceful and although its hard for me to see Montana avoiding being inside, and I miss him at night, I know that eventually they will all learn to get along. Maybe if Molly knows that other people who take in cats have to go through the same sometimes painful period of adjustment, shell be willing to give Katya another chance. I hope so! -Peggy and JR
Re: Prince says hi :)
Hi to Prince from Montana, Karma and Scooter! We were in the same place as you a few weeks ago. My husband and I took in a stray (Scooter) and the day I brought him to the vet, I got a call at work with the bad news. Like you, I never considered FELV to be a possibility, so we were floored to learn he was positive. After much soul-searching, we opted not to take the vets advice (pts) and decided to keep Scooter. Fortunately, the vet was supportive as long as I promised to keep Scooter indoors and of course maintain my two negatives vaccinations. You would never know Scooter was sick hes just a normal 10 month old kitten, a bundle of energy and very loving. My other two cats are allowed to go outdoors, so Ive been trying to get Scooter used to a collar and retractable leash, but the few times we tried it indoors he hated it, and even seems scared to go outside so if hes happy being an indoor cat, Im fine with that too. Montana and Karma are still learning how to deal with him, and there are occasional fights but mostly just batting and growling but never any scratching or biting. I dont separate their dry food, but I watch carefully when they have their canned food in the morning and immediately remove and wash Scooters bowl so the others wont be tempted to eat from it. I dont know what to do about the water bowl but cross my fingers and know Im doing the right thing for Scoot even if it puts the others at a slight risk. This group is so supportive its really great to read about the success stories of kitties in peril being placed, and heartwarming to read the sadder stories of cats who eventually succumb to the disease, or complications from it, and the response of everyone when that happens. Best of luck to you and Prince and your other kitties! Here are links to pics of my little guys (theyre big files so they may take forever to view): Scooter http://academic.mbc.edu/mperozzo/scooter.mht Karma http://academic.mbc.edu/mperozzo/Karma.mht Montana http://academic.mbc.edu/mperozzo/MONTANA.mht
Re: Dante' Please add him to the CLS
Sherry, Im so sorry we all know the pain of losing a loving companion. Be glad that you were able to give Dante your love. Our prayers are with you. -Peggy, Montana, Karma and Scooter
sensitive stomach
I apologize for this unappetizing post so early in the day, but I have a question about Scooter, my FeLV+ kitten (10 months old) and I hope the experts out there can help. This is my first experience with a FeLV+ cat, though I do have two neg cats. Montana somewhat regularly gets stomach upset and throws up, but hes older and its not so frequently that Im worried about him. But Scooter has been throwing up almost daily. Im feeding him the same thing the other cats get I havent discovered a way to separate their food, as they have a feeding station that drops food into the bowl as they eat (gravity fed). They get Pro-Plan, which the negs are used to, mixed with kitten food (Royal Canin from the vet). They also get about a tablespoon of canned food (9 Lives) every morning. Scooter is otherwise apparently healthy hes a good weight and very energetic and loves to play. Im not giving him any other supplements. I havent yet tried some of the other cat food Ive seen lots of you are feeding your cats, but Im probably going to start mixing it into the current stuff and gradually get everyone on something to boost the immune system. So here are my questions should I be worried? Throwing up could mean lots of things in healthy cats, but what else can it mean for Scooter? And is there a cat food out there with decent nutrition that is formulated for cats with sensitive stomachs? Hell be going to the vet in about a week for his booster shots, and so far my vet has been very supportive of my decision to keep him, so Im hoping she can add some insight as well. If so, Ill post any useful information to the group. Thanks so much everyone! Im really glad I found this forum.
Angel Peanut
Im so sorry about Peanut too. What really strikes me is that you wondered if you had done the right thing. Please know that there is no right decision to be made you have to look into your heart and do what it tells you. It sounds like thats exactly what youve done. You gave Peanut as much as you could give and did as much as possible. What else can we do? So of course you did the right thing for Peanut.
integration
To answer Susans questions: We have 3 cats: 2 negatives and one pos. The pos just came to us last week so were still novices and learning. But as far as integration goes, we didnt really do anything special. We really didnt have to since we arent worried about stressing our healthy cats, and Scooter seems comfortable here so theres not a problem in keeping him away from the others and gradually introducing him into the household. One cat (the oldest) was chosen by me, while the other two were strays that picked us probably because they knew they would be cared for. When Karma came to the house about 7 years ago, she and Montana hissed at each other awhile but learned to tolerate one another. Theyve never gotten friendly enough to sleep curled together or groom each other, and on some (rare) occasions one will take a swipe at the other in passing. Now that we have a third, we integrated him by letting him in the house (no cages) and so far, except for some hissing at the food bowls, its been fine. Scooter (FeLV+) can tell that hes third in the hierarchy and walks carefully when Karma is in the house but otherwise seems perfectly comfortable. The negatives can come and go using the cat door, so they arent all three in the house together 24/7 which probably helps keep the peace.
Ideas to make the car less stressful?
I have the same problem when taking the cats to the vet. Ive found that each cat is different. Montana (an older cat) hates the car but prefers to be allowed to sit on the passenger side floor. (But before you try this for the whole trip, I recommend driving around the neighborhood or a parking lot just in case your cat freaks out and distracts you that can be a disaster! Best if you have a friend go along just in case.) Montana does OK but he drools and poops its a sure way to get a stool sample, though not the most pleasant on the olfactory nerve. My other cat, Karma, prefers the security of the cat carrier, though she cries the entire way to the vet. For very long trips I get drugs from the vet (for the cat, not me) to help them relax. Scoter only had one trip so far, and he did OK in the carrier. Ive never tried drugs for short trips because I dont want anything to affect the results of the physical more than the ride in the car already does, but perhaps Ill give them a little catnip next time and see if it helps.
meds and vitamins?
HI Ive been reading lots of posts mentioning all sorts of medications for FeLV cats. I know that I need to feed Scooter high quality food, and was advised to supplement it with non-ethylene glycol l-lysene and vitamin C. Do I get this from a pet place or a natural foods store? Should I also be giving him other meds? So far hes not showing any signs of distress or illness. Hes 10 months old and just came home from the vet yesterday (shots and neutering) and you would never know he tested positive from his behavior. And another thing how do you keep your positive cats food bowls away from the neg, and vice-versa? Montana and Karma are negative and are indoor/outdoor cats used to having dry food available 24/7. They immediately went for the others bowls last night. I can make sure they dont share the canned food, as I watch over them as they eat it and take the dishes away when finished, but with the dry food, they dont eat it all at once. Is there a big risk in their sharing dry food? I know the virus doesnt live long outside the cat that and its spread in salvia. I guess we could try to put the dry food outside, but this area has lots of strays and we dont want to attract any more cats (or worse) to our house just now. If anyone has found a simple solution to this, Id love to hear it. (Our house is small and difficult to section off, so all cats go everywhere.) Thanks, Peggy
Re: Partners' reactions to FeLV+
I have a wonderful husband as far as being a softie for animals. He was the one who suggested that we keep our little stray, Scooter, rather than let the vet put him to sleep. Scooter was in quarantine at the vet and we couldnt find a home for him, so it looked like we would have to do the hard thing, as we already have two (negative) cats. But I couldnt bear the thought of Scooters last days being alone in a strange place, so I suggested bringing him home for a week to comfort him before the end. My husbands eyes filled with tears and he said we would just get too emotional, and he didnt think he could handle it. Then he asked, Cant we keep him? Thats when I knew what we had to do. I found this forum and after reading all your posts, I feel much better about this decision. With diligence, we can protect our cats and give Scoot the love he needs. I didnt ask for a special needs cat, but I agree with another post who said that sometimes pets choose us, rather than the other way around. Thanks to everyone who has been replying to my initial post for advice. I feel much better about this knowing we have the experience and support of fellow animal lovers! Best of health to you and all your kitties. -peggy
new to FeLV
Hi All, I too am a new subscriber looking for advice. Ive learned much about this virus in the past 12 hours because the stray cat (Scooter) that my husband and I are in the process of adopting (well, hes adopted us really) is FeLV+. The vet called me today after I dropped him off for neutering and shots to tell me the test was positive (she repeated the test to confirm) and recommended Scooter be PTS. We cant do that but we have two negative (but vaccinated) cats already. We are very torn between putting our cats at risk and saving Scooter. So after a very difficult day of unsuccessfully trying to find a home for Scooter, weve decided to keep him. All the web sites say you have to keep the pos cats isolated from the neg, but I dont see how I can do that without locking Scooter in a room for the rest of his life. Montana and Karma are indoor/outdoor cats (we have a door with magnetic-activated lock). We can turn the door around so Scooter cant get out but ours can still come and go as they please but were going to give Scooter the run of the house, which isnt a big house by todays standards. I dont know if we can keep their food separate Montana is older and underweight so I dont want to take away the gravity feed bowl and limit his eating. Also, Montana and Karma rarely use the litter pan, as they prefer the great outdoors, but in rainy or cold weather they use it. Scooter will have to use it, as hes got to stay indoors for the rest of his life. From what Ive read online, these arent the main ways that the virus is transmitted. I know grooming is a big one, but we dont have a clear picture of whether they will eventually become friendly enough for that (no chance of it just yet). So my question is what has been the experience of others in similar situations, and do you have any good advice for a couple of scared cat lovers? Something I might have missed on the other web sites that will help me keep all three cats happy and healthy as possible? Montana is about 12 years, Karma maybe 8, and Scooter probably 6 months. (Thanks everyone! Ive enjoyed reading your posts.) -peggy
