Immunity to FeLV?

[C & J]

I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are exposed 
to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they develop an 
immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many 
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.  They 
licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they will 
have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus every time 
they are exposed?

Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown history 
(may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats vaccinated.  

I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they didn't 
pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait to make 
sure they are negative?

Cassandra

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[wendy]

That is a VERY good question, and one I do not have
the answer to.  I'm not sure the experts know this
either.  We don't even know if there is more than one
strain of FeLV.

:)
Wendy


--- C & J <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this
> informationif cats are exposed to the FeLV virus
> and fight it off (don't become infected), do they
> develop an immunity to it, as if they had a
> vaccination?
> 
> I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been
> exposed to the virus many times.  They lived in
> close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years. 
> They licked out each other's dishes, used the same
> litterboxes, etc.
> 
> They both tested negative for the virus in March,
> and I am curious if they will have developed an
> immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus
> every time they are exposed?
> 
> Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more
> cats with an unknown history (may or may not have
> FeLV), if I should have my two older cats
> vaccinated.  
> 
> I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as
> well to make sure they didn't pick it up in the last
> few months.  How long would one need to wait to make
> sure they are negative?
> 
> Cassandra


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the 
world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~



  

Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect.  Join Yahoo!'s user panel 
and lay it on us. http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7 

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Marylyn]

You can have titers run for FeLV.  That will answer a lot of questions for you. 






 If you have men who will 
exclude any of God's creatures
 from the shelter of compassion 
and pity, you will have men who 
 will deal likewise with their 
fellow man.
  St. Francis
  - Original Message - 
  From: C & J 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
  Subject: Immunity to FeLV?


  I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are 
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they 
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

  I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many 
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.  They 
licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

  They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they 
will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus every 
time they are exposed?

  Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown 
history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats 
vaccinated.  

  I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they 
didn't pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait to 
make sure they are negative?

  Cassandra

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Marylyn]

You can have titers run for FeLV.  That will answer a lot of questions for you. 






 If you have men who will 
exclude any of God's creatures
 from the shelter of compassion 
and pity, you will have men who 
 will deal likewise with their 
fellow man.
  St. Francis
  - Original Message - 
  From: C & J 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
  Subject: Immunity to FeLV?


  I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are 
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they 
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

  I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many 
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.  They 
licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

  They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they 
will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus every 
time they are exposed?

  Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown 
history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats 
vaccinated.  

  I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they 
didn't pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait to 
make sure they are negative?

  Cassandra

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[MaryChristine]

while there are different strains of FeLV, everything i've seen implies that
once a cat has been exposed and fought off the virus, of whatever strain,
they do not develop an active infection from further exposure.

before it was known that retesting was vital, cats who tested positive and
were lucky enough to find a sanctuary placement went into an all-positive
environment. many of those cats were actively ill, and the majority, over
the years, succumbed to the opportunistic infections and cancers that FeLV
makes them vulnerable to. some cats stayed healthy no matter WHAT was going
on around them. they were presumed to be positive, because, well, they'd
BEEN positive

at about the same time that the need for retesting was becoming known, at
the sanctuary where i was, we had some positives who, during routine eval
for other things, were retested. negative! some of them had lived with
positives for more than 5 years--constantly exposed, and re-exposed,
presumably, to the various strains. i know that other sanctuaries who have
retested cats have found the same thing--that not all of their long-term
positives really are.

the classic line: not enough research has been done. but it certainly
appears as if mounting an immune defense against the initial exposure
provides STRONG if not permanent immunity against further infection.

marylyn--what exactly does the titre show?  antibodies? antigens? exposure?
chronic viremia? ie, does it have the same limitations that a single test
would?

MC


On 6/30/07, C & J <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


 I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.
They licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they
will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus
every time they are exposed?

Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown
history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats
vaccinated.

I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they
didn't pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait
to make sure they are negative?

Cassandra





--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

I have heard many different answers to this.

I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4 months, and 
retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.

I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+, and it has been 
2 months.

I plan to retest in 4 months.

I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on the 
quarantine.

Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other advise.

I joined this list to learn  :)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: C & J 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
  Subject: Immunity to FeLV?


  I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are 
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they 
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

  I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many 
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.  They 
licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

  They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they 
will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus every 
time they are exposed?

  Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown 
history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats 
vaccinated.  

  I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they 
didn't pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait to 
make sure they are negative?

  Cassandra

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[MaryChristine]

yes WE do know that there is more than one strain.

and if WE didn't know before yesterday, when sally posted the most
up-to-date version of the merck veterinary manual's section on FeLV, WE
should know it now.

and if WE really wanted to know, simply do a google search for, "strains of
FeLV."

THIS is why this list is no longer the incredible resource it once was.
incomplete, inaccurate, out-of-date information; wrong information
consistently being REposted; an absolute inability to look things up in the
archives or on-line so that the same discussions are continually recycled,
with the same people having to put out corrected information to counter the
bad. way too much chit-chat that has nothing to do with FeLV and belongs on
the OT list.

pleh.


--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Gloria Lane]

pleh?


On Jun 30, 2007, at 1:12 PM, MaryChristine wrote:


yes WE do know that there is more than one strain.

and if WE didn't know before yesterday, when sally posted the most  
up-to-date version of the merck veterinary manual's section on  
FeLV, WE should know it now.


and if WE really wanted to know, simply do a google search for,  
"strains of FeLV."


THIS is why this list is no longer the incredible resource it once  
was. incomplete, inaccurate, out-of-date information; wrong  
information consistently being REposted; an absolute inability to  
look things up in the archives or on-line so that the same  
discussions are continually recycled, with the same people having  
to put out corrected information to counter the bad. way too much  
chit-chat that has nothing to do with FeLV and belongs on the OT list.


pleh.


--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Sally Davis]

LMAO...pleh

haven't heard that for a while

Sally


On 6/30/07, Gloria Lane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


pleh?


 On Jun 30, 2007, at 1:12 PM, MaryChristine wrote:

yes WE do know that there is more than one strain.

and if WE didn't know before yesterday, when sally posted the most
up-to-date version of the merck veterinary manual's section on FeLV, WE
should know it now.

and if WE really wanted to know, simply do a google search for, "strains
of FeLV."

THIS is why this list is no longer the incredible resource it once was.
incomplete, inaccurate, out-of-date information; wrong information
consistently being REposted; an absolute inability to look things up in the
archives or on-line so that the same discussions are continually recycled,
with the same people having to put out corrected information to counter the
bad. way too much chit-chat that has nothing to do with FeLV and belongs on
the OT list.

pleh.


--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892








--
Sally, Eric (not a cat),Junior, Speedy, Grey and White, Ittle Bitty, Little
Black, Lily, Daisy, Silver, and  Spike  Visit my BB for some pictures post
your as well.

http://www.k6az.net/ki4spk/index.php?sid=c57c00cf5804ef13853ed6e77a68eed3

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[C & J]

Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more kitties, or else 
hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5 years, that it is unlikely 
they got infected in the last few months.

What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry about with 
my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died, there was a yellowy/orange 
fluid that started coming out of his nose.  Is this a sign he may have had FIP?

Cassandra

- Original Message - 
  From: Susan Dubose 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:54 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  I have heard many different answers to this.

  I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4 months, and 
retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.

  I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+, and it has 
been 2 months.

  I plan to retest in 4 months.

  I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
  And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

  Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

  If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on the 
quarantine.

  Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other advise.

  I joined this list to learn  :)


  Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
  www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
  www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
  www.shadowcats.net
"As Cleopatra lay in state,
 Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
 Purring welcomes of soft applause,
 Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
   Trajan Tennent




- Original Message - 
From: C & J 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
Subject: Immunity to FeLV?


I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are 
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they 
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many 
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.  They 
licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they 
will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus every 
time they are exposed?

Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown 
history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats 
vaccinated.  

I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they 
didn't pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait to 
make sure they are negative?

Cassandra


--


  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
  Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.14/880 - Release Date: 6/29/2007 
2:15 PM

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[MaryChristine]

will answer on the OT list. stay tuned!

On 6/30/07, Gloria Lane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


pleh?

On Jun 30, 2007, at 1:12 PM, MaryChristine wrote:

yes WE do know that there is more than one strain.

and if WE didn't know before yesterday, when sally posted the most
up-to-date version of the merck veterinary manual's section on FeLV, WE
should know it now.

and if WE really wanted to know, simply do a google search for, "strains
of FeLV."

THIS is why this list is no longer the incredible resource it once was.
incomplete, inaccurate, out-of-date information; wrong information
consistently being REposted; an absolute inability to look things up in the
archives or on-line so that the same discussions are continually recycled,
with the same people having to put out corrected information to counter the
bad. way too much chit-chat that has nothing to do with FeLV and belongs on
the OT list.

pleh.


--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892






--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

I'm sorry, what I meant was, out of those 3 options (3months, 4 months & 6 
months), I am going w/ the 4 months as of right now.

So, I have 2 more months to quarantine.

If one of my 12 cats comes up pos., then I pull it out of the mix and begin 
quarantine again w/ the remaining 5.

Five because they are separated, 6 / 6..

Am I making sense?

Sometimes I confused myself...

Now Ursula, who also came from Frankenbreeder house, was neg. when I picked her 
up form the pound, but 2 months later she was pos.

But I don't know when her "first" contact w/ a pos. cat was


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: C & J 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:59 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

  I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more kitties, or 
else hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5 years, that it is 
unlikely they got infected in the last few months.

  What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry about with 
my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died, there was a yellowy/orange 
fluid that started coming out of his nose.  Is this a sign he may have had FIP?

  Cassandra

  - Original Message - 
From: Susan Dubose 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


I have heard many different answers to this.

I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4 months, and 
retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.

I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+, and it has 
been 2 months.

I plan to retest in 4 months.

I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on the 
quarantine.

Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other advise.

I joined this list to learn  :)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: C & J 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
  Subject: Immunity to FeLV?


  I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are 
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they 
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

  I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many 
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.  They 
licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

  They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if 
they will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the virus 
every time they are exposed?

  Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an unknown 
history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two older cats 
vaccinated.  

  I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure they 
didn't pick it up in the last few months.  How long would one need to wait to 
make sure they are negative?

  Cassandra





No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.14/880 - Release Date: 6/29/2007 
2:15 PM

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Gloria Lane]

Well, it's all very confusing anyhow, especially if you have other  
things going on (like I'm losing stuff right and left today).   I  
think the info we get here about people's personal experiences is so  
valuable.   I've just learned not to get too paranoid about FELV, to  
take good care of my cats as best I can, and when I need the info I  
ask you guys or look it up and hope I get the right thing.


I have  three 10-11 yr old FELV cats, and one 4 yr old.  Gotta have  
them re-tested, they're just so dern healthy.


And I know that's fortunate - Monday is the 3 year anniversary of  
sweet Callawalla Banana Boo-boo going to the spirit in the sky.  I  
was up with her all night, and at 3am took her to the emergency  
clinic, which was $300 and worthless, and she died in my arms as I  
carried her back into the house.


Gloria



On Jun 30, 2007, at 5:37 PM, Susan Dubose wrote:

I'm sorry, what I meant was, out of those 3 options (3months, 4  
months & 6 months), I am going w/ the 4 months as of right now.


So, I have 2 more months to quarantine.

If one of my 12 cats comes up pos., then I pull it out of the mix  
and begin quarantine again w/ the remaining 5.


Five because they are separated, 6 / 6..

Am I making sense?

Sometimes I confused myself...

Now Ursula, who also came from Frankenbreeder house, was neg. when  
I picked her up form the pound, but 2 months later she was pos.


But I don't know when her "first" contact w/ a pos. cat was


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened  
claws."

 Trajan Tennent




- Original Message -
From: C & J
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?

Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more  
kitties, or else hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5  
years, that it is unlikely they got infected in the last few months.


What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry  
about with my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died, there  
was a yellowy/orange fluid that started coming out of his nose.  Is  
this a sign he may have had FIP?


Cassandra

- Original Message -
From: Susan Dubose
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?

I have heard many different answers to this.

I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4  
months, and retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.


I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+, and  
it has been 2 months.


I plan to retest in 4 months.

I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on  
the quarantine.


Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other  
advise.


I joined this list to learn  :)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened  
claws."

 Trajan Tennent




- Original Message -
From: C & J
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
Subject: Immunity to FeLV?

I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats  
are exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become  
infected), do they develop an immunity to it, as if they had a  
vaccination?


I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the  
virus many times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa  
for 2.5 years.  They licked out each other's dishes, used the same  
litterboxes, etc.


They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious  
if they will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to  
fight the virus every time they are exposed?


Basically i'm wondering if I were to take in more cats with an  
unknown history (may or may not have FeLV), if I should have my two  
older cats vaccinated.


I want to have the two retested for FeLV again as well to make sure  
they didn't pick

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

I would call that a sign, but if you want to know for sure, have the necropsy 
performed.

I never do through, I would rather spend the money on a cat that is still 
alive, since many come my way broken  :(

Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: C & J 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:59 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

  I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more kitties, or 
else hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5 years, that it is 
unlikely they got infected in the last few months.

  What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry about with 
my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died, there was a yellowy/orange 
fluid that started coming out of his nose.  Is this a sign he may have had FIP?

  Cassandra

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[laurieskatz]

Hi. I have a friend who always has a small group of feleuk positive cats. One 
big orange guy lived in this group for five years. The others living with him 
during this time had all died and she couldn't figure out why he had no 
symptoms and was still alive so she tested him and he was negative. She wasn't 
sure anymore  why he had ended up with the positive group (whether he'd tested 
positive at one time or he hadn't been tested) but they obviously shared 
everything and he was still healthy and negative. He is still alive five or so 
years AFTER the five years with the positive group!
Laurie
  - Original Message - 
  From: Gloria Lane 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 4:45 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Well, it's all very confusing anyhow, especially if you have other things 
going on (like I'm losing stuff right and left today).   I think the info we 
get here about people's personal experiences is so valuable.   I've just 
learned not to get too paranoid about FELV, to take good care of my cats as 
best I can, and when I need the info I ask you guys or look it up and hope I 
get the right thing.


  I have  three 10-11 yr old FELV cats, and one 4 yr old.  Gotta have them 
re-tested, they're just so dern healthy.  


  And I know that's fortunate - Monday is the 3 year anniversary of sweet 
Callawalla Banana Boo-boo going to the spirit in the sky.  I was up with her 
all night, and at 3am took her to the emergency clinic, which was $300 and 
worthless, and she died in my arms as I carried her back into the house.


  Gloria






  On Jun 30, 2007, at 5:37 PM, Susan Dubose wrote:


I'm sorry, what I meant was, out of those 3 options (3months, 4 months & 6 
months), I am going w/ the 4 months as of right now.

So, I have 2 more months to quarantine.

If one of my 12 cats comes up pos., then I pull it out of the mix and begin 
quarantine again w/ the remaining 5.

Five because they are separated, 6 / 6..

Am I making sense?

Sometimes I confused myself...

Now Ursula, who also came from Frankenbreeder house, was neg. when I picked 
her up form the pound, but 2 months later she was pos.

But I don't know when her "first" contact w/ a pos. cat was


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message -
  From: C & J
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:59 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

  I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more kitties, or 
else hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5 years, that it is 
unlikely they got infected in the last few months.

  What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry about 
with my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died, there was a 
yellowy/orange fluid that started coming out of his nose.  Is this a sign he 
may have had FIP?

  Cassandra

  - Original Message -
From: Susan Dubose
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


I have heard many different answers to this.

I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4 months, 
and retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.

I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+, and it 
has been 2 months.

I plan to retest in 4 months.

I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on the 
quarantine.

Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other 
advise.

I joined this list to learn  :)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
   

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

Yes, I feel like I have a science project going on, w/ these 12 cats, which 
originally were 14.

LOVE the name of your kitty.

Kitties shouls always have fancy names, formal names & of course the ""your in 
trouble name"..  ;)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: Gloria Lane 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 5:45 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Well, it's all very confusing anyhow, especially if you have other things 
going on (like I'm losing stuff right and left today).   I think the info we 
get here about people's personal experiences is so valuable.   I've just 
learned not to get too paranoid about FELV, to take good care of my cats as 
best I can, and when I need the info I ask you guys or look it up and hope I 
get the right thing.


  I have  three 10-11 yr old FELV cats, and one 4 yr old.  Gotta have them 
re-tested, they're just so dern healthy.  


  And I know that's fortunate - Monday is the 3 year anniversary of sweet 
Callawalla Banana Boo-boo going to the spirit in the sky.  I was up with her 
all night, and at 3am took her to the emergency clinic, which was $300 and 
worthless, and she died in my arms as I carried her back into the house.


  Gloria

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

I have a client that took in 2 felv+ cats, @ different times.

They always stayed healthy, (we are talking about 2 yrs or so) per se, but one 
day the tuxie was dead in their room.

She took good care of them, high quality food, outdoor enclosure access, yada, 
yada

"Simon", the Siamese became very depressed, and on a hunch she had him retested.

He came up neg/ neg.

Simon went back to live w/ the woman who had originally given him to her, he 
had been a stray.

The woman couldn't keep him if he was pos. due to having a one bedroom 
apartment and two other cats.

Simon has adjusted well, no idea how he tested pos. and now is neg/neg, but he 
has a very good life.



Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: laurieskatz 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 5:56 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Hi. I have a friend who always has a small group of feleuk positive cats. One 
big orange guy lived in this group for five years. The others living with him 
during this time had all died and she couldn't figure out why he had no 
symptoms and was still alive so she tested him and he was negative. She wasn't 
sure anymore  why he had ended up with the positive group (whether he'd tested 
positive at one time or he hadn't been tested) but they obviously shared 
everything and he was still healthy and negative. He is still alive five or so 
years AFTER the five years with the positive group!
  Laurie

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[MaryChristine]

wow, gloria, it's been that long? she's such a beauty--i have a photo of
her in my files!

of course, i guess it is it was 2003 when we did the trip from houston
back to MI argggh.

MC

On 6/30/07, Gloria Lane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Well, it's all very confusing anyhow, especially if you have other things
going on (like I'm losing stuff right and left today).   I think the info we
get here about people's personal experiences is so valuable.   I've just
learned not to get too paranoid about FELV, to take good care of my cats as
best I can, and when I need the info I ask you guys or look it up and hope I
get the right thing.
I have  three 10-11 yr old FELV cats, and one 4 yr old.  Gotta have them
re-tested, they're just so dern healthy.

And I know that's fortunate - Monday is the 3 year anniversary of sweet
Callawalla Banana Boo-boo going to the spirit in the sky.  I was up with her
all night, and at 3am took her to the emergency clinic, which was $300 and
worthless, and she died in my arms as I carried her back into the house.

Gloria



On Jun 30, 2007, at 5:37 PM, Susan Dubose wrote:

I'm sorry, what I meant was, out of those 3 options (3months, 4 months & 6
months), I am going w/ the 4 months as of right now.

So, I have 2 more months to quarantine.

If one of my 12 cats comes up pos., then I pull it out of the mix and
begin quarantine again w/ the remaining 5.

Five because they are separated, 6 / 6..

Am I making sense?

Sometimes I confused myself...

Now Ursula, who also came from Frankenbreeder house, was neg. when I
picked her up form the pound, but 2 months later she was pos.

But I don't know when her "first" contact w/ a pos. cat was


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent





- Original Message -
*From:* C & J <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
*Sent:* Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:59 PM
*Subject:* Re: Immunity to FeLV?

Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more kitties, or
else hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5 years, that it is
unlikely they got infected in the last few months.

What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry about
with my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died, there was a
yellowy/orange fluid that started coming out of his nose.  Is this a sign he
may have had FIP?

Cassandra

- Original Message -

*From:* Susan Dubose <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
*Sent:* Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:54 PM
*Subject:* Re: Immunity to FeLV?

I have heard many different answers to this.

I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4 months,
and retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.

I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+, and it has
been 2 months.

I plan to retest in 4 months.

I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on the
quarantine.

Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other advise.

I joined this list to learn  :)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent





- Original Message -
*From:* C & J <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
*Sent:* Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
*Subject:* Immunity to FeLV?

I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif cats are
exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become infected), do they
develop an immunity to it, as if they had a vaccination?

I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the virus many
times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa for 2.5 years.
They licked out each other's dishes, used the same litterboxes, etc.

They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious if they
will have developed an immunity to it, or do they need to fight the v

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Gloria Lane]

Yup, Sigh, time files...


On Jun 30, 2007, at 7:43 PM, MaryChristine wrote:

wow, gloria, it's been that long? she's such a beauty--i have a  
photo of her in my files!


of course, i guess it is it was 2003 when we did the trip from  
houston back to MI argggh.


MC

On 6/30/07, Gloria Lane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Well, it's all very confusing anyhow, especially if you have other  
things going on (like I'm losing stuff right and left today).   I  
think the info we get here about people's personal experiences is  
so valuable.   I've just learned not to get too paranoid about  
FELV, to take good care of my cats as best I can, and when I need  
the info I ask you guys or look it up and hope I get the right thing.


I have  three 10-11 yr old FELV cats, and one 4 yr old.  Gotta have  
them re-tested, they're just so dern healthy.


And I know that's fortunate - Monday is the 3 year anniversary of  
sweet Callawalla Banana Boo-boo going to the spirit in the sky.  I  
was up with her all night, and at 3am took her to the emergency  
clinic, which was $300 and worthless, and she died in my arms as I  
carried her back into the house.


Gloria



On Jun 30, 2007, at 5:37 PM, Susan Dubose wrote:

I'm sorry, what I meant was, out of those 3 options (3months, 4  
months & 6 months), I am going w/ the 4 months as of right now.


So, I have 2 more months to quarantine.

If one of my 12 cats comes up pos., then I pull it out of the mix  
and begin quarantine again w/ the remaining 5.


Five because they are separated, 6 / 6..

Am I making sense?

Sometimes I confused myself...

Now Ursula, who also came from Frankenbreeder house, was neg. when  
I picked her up form the pound, but 2 months later she was pos.


But I don't know when her "first" contact w/ a pos. cat was


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did  
wait,

   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened  
claws."

 Trajan Tennent




- Original Message -
From: C & J
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?

Thanks for the info, I didn't think you had to wait that long.

I guess my options are to wait 6 months before taking in more  
kitties, or else hope that since my two didn't get infected in 2.5  
years, that it is unlikely they got infected in the last few months.


What about FIP...if Tomi had it, is that something I need to worry  
about with my two remaining cats?  A few hours after he died,  
there was a yellowy/orange fluid that started coming out of his  
nose.  Is this a sign he may have had FIP?


Cassandra

- Original Message -
From: Susan Dubose
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?

I have heard many different answers to this.

I have heard retest in 3 months after the exposure, retest in 4  
months, and retest in 3 months but again @ 6 months.


I have 12 foster cats that were exposed to a cat that is felv+,  
and it has been 2 months.


I plan to retest in 4 months.

I will be putting them up for adoption if they all come up neg/neg.
And of course I will tell the potential adopter about the exposure.

Right now I have them separated 6 / 6.

If one comes up positive in one group, I will start over again on  
the quarantine.


Please someone correct me if I am wrong, or if you have any other  
advise.


I joined this list to learn  :)


Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did  
wait,

   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened  
claws."

 Trajan Tennent




- Original Message -
From: C & J
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:54 AM
Subject: Immunity to FeLV?

I'm wondering, and I can't seem to find this informationif  
cats are exposed to the FeLV virus and fight it off (don't become  
infected), do they develop an immunity to it, as if they had a  
vaccination?


I know my 9 and 12 year old cats must have been exposed to the  
virus many times.  They lived in close proximity to Tomi and Kisa  
for 2.5 years.  They licked out each other's dishes, used the same  
litterboxes, etc.


They both tested negative for the virus in March, and I am curious  
if they will hav

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[laurieskatz]

I adopted 2 boys, age 8 and 9, who had lived together since the younger one had 
been adopted as a kitten.  Stripes kept getting sick on and off so we had them 
tested (my vet had been vaccinating them each year and Squeaky would be sick 
for 3 days after his vaccination). They both tested positive. Stripes lived to 
16 years old and Squeaky to 22. Squeaky didn't have a sick day in his life 
until his last 3 weeks (oral cancer). Stripes continued to be sick on and off 
but was mostly healthy.

and now we have Isabella
Laurie
  - Original Message - 
  From: Susan Dubose 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 6:04 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  I have a client that took in 2 felv+ cats, @ different times.

  They always stayed healthy, (we are talking about 2 yrs or so) per se, but 
one day the tuxie was dead in their room.

  She took good care of them, high quality food, outdoor enclosure access, 
yada, yada

  "Simon", the Siamese became very depressed, and on a hunch she had him 
retested.

  He came up neg/ neg.

  Simon went back to live w/ the woman who had originally given him to her, he 
had been a stray.

  The woman couldn't keep him if he was pos. due to having a one bedroom 
apartment and two other cats.

  Simon has adjusted well, no idea how he tested pos. and now is neg/neg, but 
he has a very good life.



  Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
  www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
  www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
  www.shadowcats.net
"As Cleopatra lay in state,
 Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
 Purring welcomes of soft applause,
 Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
   Trajan Tennent




- Original Message - 
From: laurieskatz 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 5:56 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


Hi. I have a friend who always has a small group of feleuk positive cats. 
One big orange guy lived in this group for five years. The others living with 
him during this time had all died and she couldn't figure out why he had no 
symptoms and was still alive so she tested him and he was negative. She wasn't 
sure anymore  why he had ended up with the positive group (whether he'd tested 
positive at one time or he hadn't been tested) but they obviously shared 
everything and he was still healthy and negative. He is still alive five or so 
years AFTER the five years with the positive group!
Laurie

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

Wow, that's impressive!
Long, happy lives, it sounds like.

You must have / are doing something right.

Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: laurieskatz 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:22 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  I adopted 2 boys, age 8 and 9, who had lived together since the younger one 
had been adopted as a kitten.  Stripes kept getting sick on and off so we had 
them tested (my vet had been vaccinating them each year and Squeaky would be 
sick for 3 days after his vaccination). They both tested positive. Stripes 
lived to 16 years old and Squeaky to 22. Squeaky didn't have a sick day in his 
life until his last 3 weeks (oral cancer). Stripes continued to be sick on and 
off but was mostly healthy.

  and now we have Isabella
  Laurie

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Kelley Saveika]

 Simon has adjusted well, no idea how he tested pos. and now is neg/neg,
but he has a very good life.





A couple of different ways.  First of all, the SNAP test has a high
incidence of false positives.  I've heard estimates of as high as 20%.  This
results in a lot of cats that test FELV+ being killed at shelters when they
aren't really FELV+.

Cats can also "throw off" the virus and become negative.  There's a lot of
good information on the www.felineleukemia.org web page on supplements, etc
to make the kitty's immune system as healthy as possible so they have a
better chance of throwing it off.

There is lots of information out there on this:

"Some kittens are able to clear the virus from their system. Others are able

to suppress it sufficiently that they are not affected by the virus and do
not transmit it to other cats. The exact percentage of cats able to do one
of these two things is not known exactly but it probably is at least 30%
and may be as high as 50% or more of infected kittens."

"It is pretty confusing to deal with feline leukemia in litters of young
kittens. It is entirely possible for only part of the litter or even one
kitten to be infected and the rest of the litter unaffected. Some kittens
(or cats) who are infected with feline leukemia will develop immunity to the
virus and will not ever become ill from it. Probably about 30% of the time
this happens. Some kittens will be able to sequester the virus in the bone
marrow or central nervous system where it will not cause harm until some
future stress occurs and causes the immune system to fail in its suppression
of the virus. This is usually considered to be a latent infection."

(this is why you always test *all* kittens in a litter, especially in
rescue, and not just selectively test one, or assume because the mother
tested negative that the kittens will too).

The above is from http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cfeleuk.html

When a cat tests positive, the general recommendation is to wait 3 months
Retest with IFA.  FELV+ sanctuaries will not accept a cat with just a SNAP
test result because the incidence of false positives is so high.  Even then
they can still turn neg.  I know Best Friends tests all its FELV+ cats
yearly, or maybe more often, to make sure they are still showing pos.

There is a chart on testing and retesting here:

http://www.felineleukemia.org/felvhlth.html

It is really almost impossible to tell if any cat is pos or neg.  Some cats
sequester the virus in the bone marrow:

"Recently it was proven that cats could sequester the virus in their bone
marrow
or central nervous system, keeping it suppressed indefinitely, perhaps
lifelong.
In the event of a serious illness or immunosuppression for other reasons
such as
corticosteroid administration, some of these cats lose the ability to
suppress the virus and it becomes an active problem again. The question is
this: do any cats become immune or are there only cats who are infected but
suppressing the virus effectively in this group? My guess is that there are
many more cats suppressing the virus than there are cats who are able to
become immune."

I'm wondering if this isn't what happened to Shelia Smith's cat, since adult
to adult transmission is extremely rare.




--
Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time.

http://www.rescuties.org

Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!

http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20

Please help Caroline!

http://rescuties.chipin.com/caroline

I GoodSearch for Rescuties.

Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the
Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[laurieskatz]

This was a long time ago so maybe the disease wasn't as strong then, who knows. 
Stripes died in 1989 and Squeaky in 1996
My vet was so laid back about it ~ I think that helped. Stripes on and off 
illness was frustrating but you'd never have know Squeak had anything. The vet 
did say Squeaky's must have been in his blood marrow and called him a "carrier".
L
  - Original Message - 
  From: Susan Dubose 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:16 PM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


  Wow, that's impressive!
  Long, happy lives, it sounds like.

  You must have / are doing something right.

  Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
  www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
  www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
  www.shadowcats.net
"As Cleopatra lay in state,
 Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
 Purring welcomes of soft applause,
 Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
   Trajan Tennent




- Original Message - 
From: laurieskatz 
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:22 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?


I adopted 2 boys, age 8 and 9, who had lived together since the younger one 
had been adopted as a kitten.  Stripes kept getting sick on and off so we had 
them tested (my vet had been vaccinating them each year and Squeaky would be 
sick for 3 days after his vaccination). They both tested positive. Stripes 
lived to 16 years old and Squeaky to 22. Squeaky didn't have a sick day in his 
life until his last 3 weeks (oral cancer). Stripes continued to be sick on and 
off but was mostly healthy.

and now we have Isabella
Laurie

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Susan Dubose]

Thanks, Kelly, good info!

As fas as hseila's cat, that is what they are thinking happened.

A few years back, when they recovered 7 or so cats from the ARC (Karen Wakeland 
nightmare in Dallas), one cat tested neg. but later turned pos.

It was living in their house, w/ the house pets.

It was removed when it tunred pos. and placed in the felv+ area.

Cookie Princess Warrior, her favorite cat of 9 yrs., recently turned pos. after 
all this time.

It's been about 4 yrs. since the exposure.

Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened claws."
 Trajan Tennent




  - Original Message - 
  From: Kelley Saveika 
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2007 8:25 AM
  Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?




Simon has adjusted well, no idea how he tested pos. and now is neg/neg, but 
he has a very good life.



  A couple of different ways.  First of all, the SNAP test has a high incidence 
of false positives.  I've heard estimates of as high as 20%.  This results in a 
lot of cats that test FELV+ being killed at shelters when they aren't really 
FELV+. 

  Cats can also "throw off" the virus and become negative.  There's a lot of 
good information on the www.felineleukemia.org web page on supplements, etc to 
make the kitty's immune system as healthy as possible so they have a better 
chance of throwing it off. 

  There is lots of information out there on this:

  "Some kittens are able to clear the virus from their system. Others are able 
  to suppress it sufficiently that they are not affected by the virus and do 
  not transmit it to other cats. The exact percentage of cats able to do one 
  of these two things is not known exactly but it probably is at least 30% 
  and may be as high as 50% or more of infected kittens."

  "It is pretty confusing to deal with feline leukemia in litters of young 
kittens. It is entirely possible for only part of the litter or even one kitten 
to be infected and the rest of the litter unaffected. Some kittens (or cats) 
who are infected with feline leukemia will develop immunity to the virus and 
will not ever become ill from it. Probably about 30% of the time this happens. 
Some kittens will be able to sequester the virus in the bone marrow or central 
nervous system where it will not cause harm until some future stress occurs and 
causes the immune system to fail in its suppression of the virus. This is 
usually considered to be a latent infection."  

  (this is why you always test *all* kittens in a litter, especially in rescue, 
and not just selectively test one, or assume because the mother tested negative 
that the kittens will too).

  The above is from http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cfeleuk.html

  When a cat tests positive, the general recommendation is to wait 3 months  
Retest with IFA.  FELV+ sanctuaries will not accept a cat with just a SNAP test 
result because the incidence of false positives is so high.  Even then they can 
still turn neg.  I know Best Friends tests all its FELV+ cats yearly, or maybe 
more often, to make sure they are still showing pos. 

  There is a chart on testing and retesting here:

  http://www.felineleukemia.org/felvhlth.html

  It is really almost impossible to tell if any cat is pos or neg.  Some cats 
sequester the virus in the bone marrow:

  "Recently it was proven that cats could sequester the virus in their bone 
marrow 
  or central nervous system, keeping it suppressed indefinitely, perhaps 
lifelong. 
  In the event of a serious illness or immunosuppression for other reasons such 
as 
  corticosteroid administration, some of these cats lose the ability to 
  suppress the virus and it becomes an active problem again. The question is 
  this: do any cats become immune or are there only cats who are infected but 
  suppressing the virus effectively in this group? My guess is that there are 
  many more cats suppressing the virus than there are cats who are able to 
  become immune."

  I'm wondering if this isn't what happened to Shelia Smith's cat, since adult 
to adult transmission is extremely rare.


   

  -- 
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  http://www.rescuties.org

  Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!

  http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20

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  Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the 
Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo! 

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[glenda Goodman]

Hi folks, 
I'm new to this site and do need to get some
information on feline leukemia. This is in regard to a
16-week old kitten that apparently became infected
through her mother. My kitten has tested FeLV+ and
another sibling has as well, also the mother. My vet
told me the other day she believes in testing every
60- days in hopes the kitten might be able to
eventually fight the virus off and test negative. Does
anyone have any information for me on this subject? I
am in the western section of Nebraska...Thank you,
Glenda Larsen
--- laurieskatz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> This was a long time ago so maybe the disease wasn't
> as strong then, who knows. Stripes died in 1989 and
> Squeaky in 1996
> My vet was so laid back about it ~ I think that
> helped. Stripes on and off illness was frustrating
> but you'd never have know Squeak had anything. The
> vet did say Squeaky's must have been in his blood
> marrow and called him a "carrier".
> L
>   - Original Message - 
>   From: Susan Dubose 
>   To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
>   Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:16 PM
>   Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?
> 
> 
>   Wow, that's impressive!
>   Long, happy lives, it sounds like.
> 
>   You must have / are doing something right.
> 
>   Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
>   www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
>   www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
>   www.shadowcats.net
> "As Cleopatra
> lay in state,
>  Faithful Bast
> at her side did wait,
>  Purring
> welcomes of soft applause,
>  Ever guarding
> with sharpened claws."
>   
> Trajan Tennent
> 
> 
> 
> 
> - Original Message - 
> From: laurieskatz 
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
> Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:22 PM
> Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?
> 
> 
> I adopted 2 boys, age 8 and 9, who had lived
> together since the younger one had been adopted as a
> kitten.  Stripes kept getting sick on and off so we
> had them tested (my vet had been vaccinating them
> each year and Squeaky would be sick for 3 days after
> his vaccination). They both tested positive. Stripes
> lived to 16 years old and Squeaky to 22. Squeaky
> didn't have a sick day in his life until his last 3
> weeks (oral cancer). Stripes continued to be sick on
> and off but was mostly healthy.
> 
> and now we have Isabella
> Laurie
> 



   

Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. 
Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. 
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Belinda]

   No I wouldn't see it as a sign of FIP, Bailey had this too (from his 
mouth also), my vet said it was just body fluids coming out, he was laid 
out for his house mates to say goodbye and know why he wouldn't be with 
us anymore.  None of my cats test positive for coronavirus, which my vet 
said was lucky and unusual for a multi cat household.
A few hours after he died, there was a yellowy/orange fluid that 
started coming out of his nose.  Is this a sign he may have had FIP?


--

Belinda
happiness is being owned by cats ...

Be-Mi-Kitties
http://bemikitties.com

Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens
http://adopt.bemikitties.com

FeLV Candlelight Service
http://bemikitties.com/cls

HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design]
http://HostDesign4U.com



BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites]
http://bmk.bemikitties.com

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Taylor Scobie Humphrey]

Mary Christine,

Feh.


"Consciousness is Causal
 and Physicality is its
 Manifestation."


On Jun 30, 2007, at 1:12 PM, MaryChristine wrote:


yes WE do know that there is more than one strain.

and if WE didn't know before yesterday, when sally posted the most  
up-to-date version of the merck veterinary manual's section on  
FeLV, WE should know it now.


and if WE really wanted to know, simply do a google search for,  
"strains of FeLV."


THIS is why this list is no longer the incredible resource it once  
was. incomplete, inaccurate, out-of-date information; wrong  
information consistently being REposted; an absolute inability to  
look things up in the archives or on-line so that the same  
discussions are continually recycled, with the same people having  
to put out corrected information to counter the bad. way too much  
chit-chat that has nothing to do with FeLV and belongs on the OT list.


pleh.


--

Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference

MaryChristine

AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892

Re: Immunity to FeLV?

[Taylor Scobie Humphrey]

Oh--and nicknames, too!

"Consciousness is Causal
 and Physicality is its
 Manifestation."


On Jun 30, 2007, at 6:59 PM, Susan Dubose wrote:

Yes, I feel like I have a science project going on, w/ these 12  
cats, which originally were 14.


LOVE the name of your kitty.

Kitties shouls always have fancy names, formal names & of course  
the ""your in trouble name"..  ;)



Susan J. DuBose  >^..^<
www.PetGirlsPetsitting.com
www.Tx.SiameseRescue.org
www.shadowcats.net
  "As Cleopatra lay in state,
   Faithful Bast at her side did wait,
   Purring welcomes of soft applause,
   Ever guarding with sharpened  
claws."

 Trajan Tennent




- Original Message -
From: Gloria Lane
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: Immunity to FeLV?

Well, it's all very confusing anyhow, especially if you have other  
things going on (like I'm losing stuff right and left today).   I  
think the info we get here about people's personal experiences is  
so valuable.   I've just learned not to get too paranoid about  
FELV, to take good care of my cats as best I can, and when I need  
the info I ask you guys or look it up and hope I get the right thing.


I have  three 10-11 yr old FELV cats, and one 4 yr old.  Gotta have  
them re-tested, they're just so dern healthy.


And I know that's fortunate - Monday is the 3 year anniversary of  
sweet Callawalla Banana Boo-boo going to the spirit in the sky.  I  
was up with her all night, and at 3am took her to the emergency  
clinic, which was $300 and worthless, and she died in my arms as I  
carried her back into the house.


Gloria

[Felvtalk] Adult cats immunity to FeLV

[Georgetta Brickey]

Just wanted to insert a few thoughts.
 
Last year when I ended up with a FeLV kitten I did strict quarantine and a LOT 
of googling research.  In a nutshell, here is what I found - in general terms.
 
1.  FeLV even in a kitten with an active infection is not easily spread from 
cat to cat.  The virus is much like Human HIV - very fragile in the environment 
- some sources say that it dies in minutes unless conditions are optimum - 
temperature, humidity, etc.  To contract it, they have to have close contact - 
grooming, licking, etc.  We did have one negative kitten in foster care 
contract FeLV from a positive kitten she had very close contact with - they 
were Best Buddies.  The other littermates repeatedly tested negative but they 
were not as closely associated with the kitten who tested positive first.
 
2.  Adult cats are apparently less susceptible to contracting it, even when 
exposed longterm in an unvaccinated (FeLV vax) multicat household - apparently 
a healthy mature immune system is strong enough to eliminate the virus in most 
adult cats even with close contact.
 
3.  Some cats can have positive tests and live long and apparently healthy 
lives; others die in the first year of life.
 
4. I am now very careful with quarantine on "sickly" kittens that arrive with 
problems such as persistent "colds", mange mite or ringworm infections - I 
think it is possible that these kittens may have a compromised immune system 
from birth that may make them more vunerable to contracting FeLV.
 
Hope this sparks some serious googling!  There is a LOT of info out there!  
Just use your brain and evaluate what you read - there are some sketchy 
sites/cures too.
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] Adult cats immunity to FeLV

[dlgegg]

I keep new ones, especially kittens seperated until their shots are complete 
and then my vet said give them another week or so just to be sure.  After that, 
I mix them because it is too hard on them and me to keep them locked up in a 
room by themselves.  So far, it works.  None of my negatives have contracted it 
and everyone is healthy as can be.

 Georgetta Brickey  wrote: 
> 
> Just wanted to insert a few thoughts.
>  
> Last year when I ended up with a FeLV kitten I did strict quarantine and a 
> LOT of googling research.  In a nutshell, here is what I found - in general 
> terms.
>  
> 1.  FeLV even in a kitten with an active infection is not easily spread from 
> cat to cat.  The virus is much like Human HIV - very fragile in the 
> environment - some sources say that it dies in minutes unless conditions are 
> optimum - temperature, humidity, etc.  To contract it, they have to have 
> close contact - grooming, licking, etc.  We did have one negative kitten in 
> foster care contract FeLV from a positive kitten she had very close contact 
> with - they were Best Buddies.  The other littermates repeatedly tested 
> negative but they were not as closely associated with the kitten who tested 
> positive first.
>  
> 2.  Adult cats are apparently less susceptible to contracting it, even when 
> exposed longterm in an unvaccinated (FeLV vax) multicat household - 
> apparently a healthy mature immune system is strong enough to eliminate the 
> virus in most adult cats even with close contact.
>  
> 3.  Some cats can have positive tests and live long and apparently healthy 
> lives; others die in the first year of life.
>  
> 4. I am now very careful with quarantine on "sickly" kittens that arrive with 
> problems such as persistent "colds", mange mite or ringworm infections - I 
> think it is possible that these kittens may have a compromised immune system 
> from birth that may make them more vunerable to contracting FeLV.
>  
> Hope this sparks some serious googling!  There is a LOT of info out there!  
> Just use your brain and evaluate what you read - there are some sketchy 
> sites/cures too.
>  
> Georgetta   


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[Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?

[vixenroo]

 Hello All,
This question is for a foster kitten I know of that tested felv+.  Her 
name is Sally and she is only 6 weeks old.  Happily the rescue that 
Sally is with knows enough to test again and Sally is being fostered in 
the meantime.  I'm wondering this, if Sally has tested pos once, 
(assuming it was a true pos), then that means she has been exposed to 
the disease.  If she later tests neg, does that mean she would be 
"immune" to felv in the same way she would had she been vaccinated 
against it?  The reason I ask is Sally has a potential adopter waiting 
for her based on her next test result.  This woman already has an felv+ 
kitty.


I'm wondering if there have been any studies done indicating a cat 
previously testing pos, then throwing the virus and testing neg, is less 
susceptible to contracting felv when exposed to known positive cats.

Nina


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[Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?

[vixenroo]

http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=567324&sk=&date=&pageID=2 



I did a quick search and found the above link that talks about exposure 
and reversion (paragraph excerpt below from 2008).  I've been away from 
felv for a while and am not at all up to date on the research.  
Apparently they now suspect that once a cat is exposed and tests a true 
pos, (Sally may have tested false pos), then they are considered 
infected for life whether or not they are symptomatic.  If my head 
weren't hurting so much I might be able to do a better job of 
translating their "veterinary speak".  It does appear that they wouldn't 
quantitatively know the answer to my question at this point anyway.  
What do you think?


Ideas on possible outcomes of infection with FeLV are currently 
undergoing re-evaluation. In the past, it was believed that about 1/3 of 
cats became persistently viremic and about 2/3 would clear infection. 
New research using PCR technologies suggests that most cats remain 
infected for life following exposure to FeLV. However, they may revert 
to a non-viremic state that is termed regressive infection. In 
regressive infections, there is no antigen present in the blood and 
virus cannot be cultured from blood. But FeLV proviral DNA can be 
detected in blood using PCR (Pepin, Tandon et al. 2007). The 
significance of PCR-positive but antigen-negative regressive infections 
is not yet clear. These cats are unlikely to shed infectious virus in 
saliva, but may transmit proviral DNA via blood transfusion if used as a 
blood donor. Prior to the advent of PCR technology, the term "latency" 
was used for antigen-negative cats where virus could not be cultured 
from blood, but could be cultured from bone marrow or other tissues. It 
now appears that "latency" is a phase through which cats pass during 
regressive infection.

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Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?

[Sharyl]

Nina, I don't want to give you any false hope.  It is more likely that an adult 
cat will throw off the virus than a kitten.  There is always a chance the test 
result was an error.  

Do you know what became of Sally's littermates.  My experience with kittens is 
that all in the litter tested positive at 4 weeks of age and remained positive. 
 The Momma cat was also positive.  It's great that you have a home lined up for 
Sally if she remains positive.  My four positive babies were adorable and I 
loved every day I had with them.
Sharyl
 
--- On Fri, 10/1/10, vixen...@verizon.net  wrote:

> From: vixen...@verizon.net 
> Subject: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
> Date: Friday, October 1, 2010, 1:54 PM
>  Hello All,
> This question is for a foster kitten I know of that tested
> felv+.  Her name is Sally and she is only 6 weeks
> old.  Happily the rescue that Sally is with knows
> enough to test again and Sally is being fostered in the
> meantime.  I'm wondering this, if Sally has tested pos
> once, (assuming it was a true pos), then that means she has
> been exposed to the disease.  If she later tests neg,
> does that mean she would be "immune" to felv in the same way
> she would had she been vaccinated against it?  The
> reason I ask is Sally has a potential adopter waiting for
> her based on her next test result.  This woman already
> has an felv+ kitty.
> 
> I'm wondering if there have been any studies done
> indicating a cat previously testing pos, then throwing the
> virus and testing neg, is less susceptible to contracting
> felv when exposed to known positive cats.
> Nina
> 
> 
> ___
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> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
> 


  

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Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?

[vixenroo]

Hi Sharyl,
I'm sorry for your loss.  I can relate to the heartbreak. My first 
experience with felv was with tiny
babies too.  Happily one of the 6 kittens was neg, so I got to keep my 
special Timmy boy with me,

(he's over six yrs old and sitting on my lap as I type this).

The person who is fostering Sally has no idea what has become of her 
Momma or her littermates.
I asked that question too.  I'm hoping if Sally's test was a true pos 
and her subsequent test is neg,
she might be safe from felv in a home with another pos kitten.  I called 
a veterinary Internist I have
used and asked the question.  I'll let everyone know what they have to 
say when they get back to me.

Nina

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:41:31 -0700

Nina, I don't want to give you any false hope.  It is more likely that an adult
cat will throw off the virus than a kitten.  There is always a chance the test
result was an error.

Do you know what became of Sally's littermates.  My experience with kittens is
that all in the litter tested positive at 4 weeks of age and remained positive.
 The Momma cat was also positive.  It's great that you have a home lined up for
Sally if she remains positive.  My four positive babies were adorable and I
loved every day I had with them.
Sharyl




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Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?

[jbero tds.net]

Nina,

I haven't done a recent search on the persistence of felv but judging from
the quote you had in your email, I can tell you what it sounds like they
think.

PCR is a very senstive test for DNA or RNA.  Basically you have a probe that
attaches to the DNA or RNA of interest.  You then amplify this region over
and over again until you can detect it.  Molecular (genetic) tests are
somewhat new and so their interpretation is not always understood.  By
having a positive PCR test, the only thing that you can say is that the
portion of DNA you put in a probe for is present in your sample.  This DNA
does not mean there is a virus present in your blood (by virus I mean a
particle that has DNA or RNA that is surrounded by a capsule - this particle
is infectious).  It only means that the DNA is present.  Viral DNA implants
itself into your cat's DNA - when it is sitting there, it is not doing any
damage.  When it starts to proliferate, it uses your cats own cells to make
more of it's particles (DNA surrounded by a capsule).  It makes thousands of
viral particles that then rupture the cat's cells and they go on to infect
other cells.

What I am trying to say is that if you can detect felv DNA or RNA -  it can
either be active viral particles or it can be the single strand of DNA in
your cat's cells just doing nothing.  felv is a retrovirus, however, so when
in it's particle form it  should have RNA rather than DNA.  They change the
RNA to DNA and then implant in your cat's cells DNA.  They could potentially
use this difference as a way to differentiate between viral particles and
latent viral DNA in your cat's cells.  I don't know if this has been looked
at yet.

When they talk about antigen negative, that is basically a negative snap
test or IFA.  Both of these tests are looking for specific antigens on the
felv capsule.  If it comes up positive, that mean that the test is detecting
presence of the viral capsule - this means the viral particles are present.

I really hope this makes sense.

If it were me and the second test came back negative (are you doing a repeat
snap (ELISA) or IFA - I would be more inclined to believe an IFA)  my guess
would be that you had an initial false positive.  If this were the case, I
would not mix the kitten with a felv positive until she was a year and a
half and had been vaccinated (then I would consider it).  Kittens are the
ones that have the most difficulty  with this disease and die early.   To be
honest, if you believe the first test, now would be the time to try and
treat the cat as you may be able to clear the virus at this point - that is
a very debatable statement).  Kittens have an immature immune system and it
has been found that felv positive kittens have thymic hypoplasia (very small
thymus - thymus is responsible for making T-cells, a very important part of
the immune response in this virus).  It appears that the virus can actually
inhibit the activity of the thymus.  LTCI injections appear to attempt to
halt and reverse this process.
Hope this helps and good luck.  God bless.

Jenny
On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 5:52 PM,  wrote:

>
>
> Hi Sharyl,
> I'm sorry for your loss.  I can relate to the heartbreak. My first
> experience with felv was with tiny
> babies too.  Happily one of the 6 kittens was neg, so I got to keep my
> special Timmy boy with me,
> (he's over six yrs old and sitting on my lap as I type this).
>
> The person who is fostering Sally has no idea what has become of her Momma
> or her littermates.
> I asked that question too.  I'm hoping if Sally's test was a true pos and
> her subsequent test is neg,
> she might be safe from felv in a home with another pos kitten.  I called a
> veterinary Internist I have
> used and asked the question.  I'll let everyone know what they have to say
> when they get back to me.
> Nina
>
> Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:41:31 -0700
>
>
> Nina, I don't want to give you any false hope.  It is more likely that an
> adult
> cat will throw off the virus than a kitten.  There is always a chance the
> test
> result was an error.
>
> Do you know what became of Sally's littermates.  My experience with kittens
> is
> that all in the litter tested positive at 4 weeks of age and remained
> positive.
>  The Momma cat was also positive.  It's great that you have a home lined up
> for
> Sally if she remains positive.  My four positive babies were adorable and I
> loved every day I had with them.
> Sharyl
>
>
>
>
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Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity to Felv once exposed then test neg?

[vixenroo]

 Jenny,
I haven't heard back from my specialty vet yet.  Something tells me they 
don't have a definitive answer, probably no one does.  It was so kind of 
you to break down what they are saying on the website I found.  You've 
got me thinking, if Sally tests neg on her second test, it is not worth 
taking any chances, no matter what.  If Sally really is negative, she as 
a kitten, is too vulnerable to this insidious disease.  It's just not 
worth exposing her if she can find a loving home in a negative 
environment.  I don't know which test the rescue is planning to use for 
the re-test.  I will strongly recommend an IFA vs another ELISA.  I have 
no real influence here, but I'll throw my two cents in and pray for the 
highest good.

Thank you again,
Nina

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:43:01 -0700

Nina,

I haven't done a recent search on the persistence of felv but judging from
the quote you had in your email, I can tell you what it sounds like they
think.

PCR is a very senstive test for DNA or RNA.  Basically you have a probe that
attaches to the DNA or RNA of interest.  You then amplify this region over
and over again until you can detect it.  Molecular (genetic) tests are
somewhat new and so their interpretation is not always understood.  By
having a positive PCR test, the only thing that you can say is that the
portion of DNA you put in a probe for is present in your sample.  This DNA
does not mean there is a virus present in your blood (by virus I mean a
particle that has DNA or RNA that is surrounded by a capsule - this particle
is infectious).  It only means that the DNA is present.  Viral DNA implants
itself into your cat's DNA - when it is sitting there, it is not doing any
damage.  When it starts to proliferate, it uses your cats own cells to make
more of it's particles (DNA surrounded by a capsule).  It makes thousands of
viral particles that then rupture the cat's cells and they go on to infect
other cells.

What I am trying to say is that if you can detect felv DNA or RNA -  it can
either be active viral particles or it can be the single strand of DNA in
your cat's cells just doing nothing.  felv is a retrovirus, however, so when
in it's particle form it  should have RNA rather than DNA.  They change the
RNA to DNA and then implant in your cat's cells DNA.  They could potentially
use this difference as a way to differentiate between viral particles and
latent viral DNA in your cat's cells.  I don't know if this has been looked
at yet.

When they talk about antigen negative, that is basically a negative snap
test or IFA.  Both of these tests are looking for specific antigens on the
felv capsule.  If it comes up positive, that mean that the test is detecting
presence of the viral capsule - this means the viral particles are present.

I really hope this makes sense.

If it were me and the second test came back negative (are you doing a repeat
snap (ELISA) or IFA - I would be more inclined to believe an IFA)  my guess
would be that you had an initial false positive.  If this were the case, I
would not mix the kitten with a felv positive until she was a year and a
half and had been vaccinated (then I would consider it).  Kittens are the
ones that have the most difficulty  with this disease and die early.   To be
honest, if you believe the first test, now would be the time to try and
treat the cat as you may be able to clear the virus at this point - that is
a very debatable statement).  Kittens have an immature immune system and it
has been found that felv positive kittens have thymic hypoplasia (very small
thymus - thymus is responsible for making T-cells, a very important part of
the immune response in this virus).  It appears that the virus can actually
inhibit the activity of the thymus.  LTCI injections appear to attempt to
halt and reverse this process.
Hope this helps and good luck.  God bless.

Jenny

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