Re: FeLV Vaccination
i'm taking offense these days to anything that's a choice for ignorance--all the calls and emails from folks with vets who should have the initials stripped from their names. i think of the people who write us because they're heard that some of us keep positives and negatives--and thing of all the folks who do NOT have a group like us, and how many cats won't leave their vet's office because they don't realize that they are NOT getting good advice. i'm not at all anti-vet, as most people know, i'm against vets who don't take the time to remember that we're the consumers. i'm taking in a little CH cat in a week or so, and not a lot was known about her vetting. i told the folks who have her (she was dropped out at a groomer with a, you find her a home or we'll just have her euthanized) to make sure she had a FeLV shot, and to get a booster shot from the vet for me, and i'd keep her in the foster room til it was time for it, and long enough for it to take effect.. her vet didn't bat an eyelash knowing she was going to a felv home, and they decided they'd keep her until the booster and then bring her. it SHOULD be that matter-of-fact. and maybe it just has to do with the veterinary-malpractice blog i just read the other day, and thinking of how much we don't question because we want to think the best i'll go eat worms now. low-carb, high-fibre, sugar-free, boring ones. vets can and should be wonderful resources, On Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 8:22 AM, Sally Davis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: When I first took my gang in for testing(. I already knew I had a positive and all were exposed. ) he told me a story about a client's that cat tested positive and lived twelve years after that. As Far as I know a healthy 12 yrs. The cat was retested every couple yrs and was always positive. Although he is not cutting edge, he was not going to discourage treatment either. He was totally in agreement to try the immunoregulin. His partner is the one who actually treated Junior. She has been great as well. I think I have helped educate her. She is fairly young so will be practicing a long time. She knows I mix my cat's and the reason why. I think it is less strssful to Junior. One downside is that. The newest kitten, who was dropped on me last fall, has yet another cold, and I tried to keep him away from Junior but junior caught it from him. JJ has had all his vaccinations. Sally -- 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, Pewter, Junior Junior (newest) , Silver, and Spike Please Visit my Message board for some pictures. You are welcome to sign up. http://www.k6az.com/ki4spk/index.php?sid=c57c00cf5804ef13853ed6e77a68eed3 -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
Re: FeLV Vaccination
My vet says the vaccine is 90+% effective. My 6 negatives were vaccinated and all are over 5 years old. My vet and I agreed that mixing my one positve with the others had very little risk. - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 1:12 AM Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination I would vaccinate my negatives, wait the 2-3 weeks necessary and booster them, wait 2-3 weeks more and let them mix. All this IF the other cats are over a year old. That has always been my protocol and I've never had a negative cat 'catch' the leukemia from my positive. tonya Sue Frank Koren [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected?
Re: FeLV Vaccination
A thought: Most vets are going to steer toward caution because they do not want to be blamed if a cat develops FeLV+. This is human nature and part of their ethics system. Knowing that, we can ask more questions and pin them down. The good ones who are up on FeLV will be forthcoming with answers. I have found this to be particularly true with those who accept alternative medicine even though they do not practice it themselves. Once we, not they, make the decisions the vets I know and go to are very supportive. I can really understand why they would not want the responsibility. On Mar 1, 2008, at 4:44 AM, Pat Kachur wrote: My vet says the vaccine is 90+% effective. My 6 negatives were vaccinated and all are over 5 years old. My vet and I agreed that mixing my one positve with the others had very little risk. - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 1:12 AM Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination I would vaccinate my negatives, wait the 2-3 weeks necessary and booster them, wait 2-3 weeks more and let them mix. All this IF the other cats are over a year old. That has always been my protocol and I've never had a negative cat 'catch' the leukemia from my positive. tonya Sue Frank Koren [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected?
Re: FeLV Vaccination
there's a HUGE difference between being cautious, and chosing ignorance. using statistics that are as outdated as 60% efficacy for the vaccine isn't caution, it's bordering on malpractice. no, none of the vet schools, or the veterinary associations, are gonna say, sure, go ahead and mix them! until there's solid, hard evidence--which has been impossible when the treatment of choice has been euthanasia. i understand that position--vets ignoring the current knowledge base, the research done by the vet schools and the professional associations, and the merck manual, in favor of stuff that wasn't standard practice even years ago isn't caution. my vet, who is NOT a young man, was taught quite awhile ago not to make a decision re: FeLV based on a single positive test: the information has been out there, and so much has been learned in the past six years that i know of that there is truly no excuse for vets to be further behind in their knowledge than a batch of folks on an internet list who are NOT scientists. i don't expect any vet to know everything about anything--that's an absurd thing to require. but when faced with a situation, to not even find out what the current standard is, is no more acceptable. i came into this FeLV thing late--i have nothing but the utmost respect and awe for those folks on this list who, when it was much harder to do so, said, NO! you cannot kill my cat just because it has a virus, and either worked with their vet to find options, or went out on their own to get the information. without them, all of our lives would have a lot less love (and fur) in them. On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 10:47 PM, Marylyn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A thought: Most vets are going to steer toward caution because they do not want to be blamed if a cat develops FeLV+. This is human nature and part of their ethics system. Knowing that, we can ask more questions and pin them down. The good ones who are up on FeLV will be forthcoming with answers. I have found this to be particularly true with those who accept alternative medicine even though they do not practice it themselves. Once we, not they, make the decisions the vets I know and go to are very supportive. I can really understand why they would not want the responsibility. On Mar 1, 2008, at 4:44 AM, Pat Kachur wrote: My vet says the vaccine is 90+% effective. My 6 negatives were vaccinated and all are over 5 years old. My vet and I agreed that mixing my one positve with the others had very little risk. - Original Message - *From:* catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] *To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org *Sent:* Saturday, March 01, 2008 1:12 AM *Subject:* Re: FeLV Vaccination I would vaccinate my negatives, wait the 2-3 weeks necessary and booster them, wait 2-3 weeks more and let them mix. All this IF the other cats are over a year old. That has always been my protocol and I've never had a negative cat 'catch' the leukemia from my positive. tonya *Sue Frank Koren [EMAIL PROTECTED]* wrote: Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected? -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
Re: FeLV Vaccination
I would vaccinate my negatives, wait the 2-3 weeks necessary and booster them, wait 2-3 weeks more and let them mix. All this IF the other cats are over a year old. That has always been my protocol and I've never had a negative cat 'catch' the leukemia from my positive. tonya Sue Frank Koren [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected?
RE: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie
Laurie, Can I add your story to the good story list? I can relate---I kept all mine together when one of my 6, Momcat, tested negative while all the others tested positive. It would have been much too stressful for her to separate her from her buddies. She remained negative, and one of the other 5, Mickey, later re-tested negative also. (The other 4 eventually succumbed to the leukemia.) I hope your friend's Sass settled into his new environment without too much separation angst? Kerry From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of laurieskatz Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:40 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination Interacting can also be a problem for the immune compromised feline leukemia positive cat. That kitty can pick up things from the other cats and not be able to fight them off. If I hadopted or rescued a FeLV positive cat, I would not comingle but I might try to find him a friend as long as the friend didn't stress him/her. I know others here do comingle. If I found out one of my existing cats was positive, I wouldn't change things and they would all continue to live together. In the past, whenever I have brought a new cat in, I have made certain our feleuk vaccinations were current. I am not a fan of those vaccinations because of VAS so I don't think I would vaccinate for that again...plus my vet thinks the first series of feleuk vaccinations is enough protection for life. This is just my opinion and experience. Others who have co mingled are a better source of advice and information. My friend had Sass, a negative, in with a group of positives. Sass was not vaccinated for FeLV because she thought he was positive. They all lived together and after 5 years my friend wondered why Sass never got sick when the others did. She (re?)tested him and found out he was negative. That was over 5 years ago. He was removed from the room at the time and is still alive and well! L - Original Message - From: Lynne mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:19 AM Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination Sue, I am the least qualified to answer this, but I would think that if Buzz has his own litter box and his own food dish the risk would be small. Of course you wouldn't want them fighting either. I too have read that the vaccine is not totally effective but I think 60 to 80% effectiveness is better than 0. He may not even want to be involved with the other cats. My two want nothing to do with each other. Why not at least have supervised interaction while you're home with them. Yeah I know about the minor full time job and family details. I feel like a neglective mother to my sick child at times. Lynne - Original Message - From: Sue Frank Koren mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: fe lv mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:49 AM Subject: FeLV Vaccination Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected? _ Effective September 1, 2007, we have changed our name to Mayer Brown LLP. IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any advice expressed above as to tax matters was neither written nor intended by the sender or Mayer Brown LLP to be used and cannot be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed under U.S. tax law. If any person uses or refers to any such tax advice in promoting, marketing or recommending a partnership or other entity, investment plan or arrangement to any taxpayer, then (i) the advice was written to support the promotion or marketing (by a person other than Mayer Brown LLP
Re: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie
This is an amazing story and certainly gives one hope. Lynne - Original Message - From: laurieskatz To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 12:55 PM Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie Sass went to live in her house with her. He adjusted well to the group of kitties there. The feline leukemia positive kitties are in a room in another house on her property (heated, AC, access to screened porch and lots of visitors). I would be honored to have my story shared. Here are more details: I adopted Squeaky (age 8) and Stripes (age 9) from a woman whose step daughter was allergic to cats. She was going to euthanize them if she could not find a home. She loved them but didn't know what to do other than run an ad. I was a graduate student looking in the paper for a pair of older, neutered cats to adopt. They were great cats and beautiful. Squeaky would play with Stripes' tail. Stripes loved to lay on my chest with his front paws pressed against my chin. Squeaky loved our nightly combing. They chased aluminum foil balls down the stairs, claimed any blue jeans left laying around, chattered at the birds and licked the fingers of any visitors who smoked. They also slept on their mom's husband's jeans, which he laid on the bed when he got home from work. And, he smoked. Nancy and I stayed in touch during the boys' lives. Nancy had adopted both as kittens. Stripes was adopted from someone whose cat had a litter and Squeaky was adopted from a shelter a year later. After I adopted them, Stripes was sick on and off. One time I came home and his mouth was hanging open. The vet thought Squeaky bit him (no way) and gave him a shot that paralyzed his rear legs. I rushed him to another vet who told me he would not recover. We put the mattress on the floor so he could crawl into bed. He miraculously recovered. I found a new vet the next time Stripes got sick. He tested both of them and they were positive for feline leukemia! Since Squeaky had never been sick, the vet said he was likely a carrier , carrying the virus in his bone marrow. Stripes lived to age 16. He was sick on and off his entire 7 years with me. Squeaky lived to age 22! He was sick only his last 3 weeks of life (oral cancer). Except: he was sick for 3 days each time he had a feline leukemia vaccination (no vet could ever explain this to me). Of course, they stopped getting FeLV vaccinations after their positive test results. Both boys were big. They weighed 15 lbs. Stripes was a brown tabby and Squeaky was a gray tabby. Squeaky died October 30, 1996. He was my soul mate. We spent many years together ~ just the two of us. May 2007 my 13 year old niece rescued a smoke black tortie. She tested positive for FeLV. The vet literally stopped examing her when the tech told him this. I told him we were not going to euthanize her. We scheduled her for a spay. We scheduled her 3 times and each time we took her to be spayed, her temp was higher than the time before. It topped at 107. She was anemic and had this unexplained temp. We took her to an internal medicine specialist. We discovered she had enlarged spleen but all the other news was good (nothing else evident on ultrasound). Isabella was sick for 3 months. A couple times we thought she was dead when we went to feed her. She had unexplained pain and would have tremors or seizures. We even considered euthanizing her because of her pain. But, instead we found a wonderful vet. She prescribed antibiotics, prednisilone and tramadal (for pain). Isabella thrived. We also use interferon ~ 7 days on and 7 days off. Bellaboo, as her foster and now adoptive mom calls her, never lost her appetite which helped her get better. She has almost doubled her weight. We've had her tested 2 more times and she has been positive each time. Her white blood count is still a little low but she is otherwise happy and healthy and loved! The vet saw her 2 weeks ago. Here is what she said Hey Laurie! Little Isabella looks GORGEOUS!!! What a beautiful kitty she has turned into! I believe the love of her foster mommy, a low stress living environment ~ just Bella and her mommy ~ and great vet care are what saved Bellaboo. I believe in miracles! Laurie Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Re: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie
Sass went to live in her house with her. He adjusted well to the group of kitties there. The feline leukemia positive kitties are in a room in another house on her property (heated, AC, access to screened porch and lots of visitors). I would be honored to have my story shared. Here are more details: I adopted Squeaky (age 8) and Stripes (age 9) from a woman whose step daughter was allergic to cats. She was going to euthanize them if she could not find a home. She loved them but didn't know what to do other than run an ad. I was a graduate student looking in the paper for a pair of older, neutered cats to adopt. They were great cats and beautiful. Squeaky would play with Stripes' tail. Stripes loved to lay on my chest with his front paws pressed against my chin. Squeaky loved our nightly combing. They chased aluminum foil balls down the stairs, claimed any blue jeans left laying around, chattered at the birds and licked the fingers of any visitors who smoked. They also slept on their mom's husband's jeans, which he laid on the bed when he got home from work. And, he smoked. Nancy and I stayed in touch during the boys' lives. Nancy had adopted both as kittens. Stripes was adopted from someone whose cat had a litter and Squeaky was adopted from a shelter a year later. After I adopted them, Stripes was sick on and off. One time I came home and his mouth was hanging open. The vet thought Squeaky bit him (no way) and gave him a shot that paralyzed his rear legs. I rushed him to another vet who told me he would not recover. We put the mattress on the floor so he could crawl into bed. He miraculously recovered. I found a new vet the next time Stripes got sick. He tested both of them and they were positive for feline leukemia! Since Squeaky had never been sick, the vet said he was likely a carrier , carrying the virus in his bone marrow. Stripes lived to age 16. He was sick on and off his entire 7 years with me. Squeaky lived to age 22! He was sick only his last 3 weeks of life (oral cancer). Except: he was sick for 3 days each time he had a feline leukemia vaccination (no vet could ever explain this to me). Of course, they stopped getting FeLV vaccinations after their positive test results. Both boys were big. They weighed 15 lbs. Stripes was a brown tabby and Squeaky was a gray tabby. Squeaky died October 30, 1996. He was my soul mate. We spent many years together ~ just the two of us. May 2007 my 13 year old niece rescued a smoke black tortie. She tested positive for FeLV. The vet literally stopped examing her when the tech told him this. I told him we were not going to euthanize her. We scheduled her for a spay. We scheduled her 3 times and each time we took her to be spayed, her temp was higher than the time before. It topped at 107. She was anemic and had this unexplained temp. We took her to an internal medicine specialist. We discovered she had enlarged spleen but all the other news was good (nothing else evident on ultrasound). Isabella was sick for 3 months. A couple times we thought she was dead when we went to feed her. She had unexplained pain and would have tremors or seizures. We even considered euthanizing her because of her pain. But, instead we found a wonderful vet. She prescribed antibiotics, prednisilone and tramadal (for pain). Isabella thrived. We also use interferon ~ 7 days on and 7 days off. Bellaboo, as her foster and now adoptive mom calls her, never lost her appetite which helped her get better. She has almost doubled her weight. We've had her tested 2 more times and she has been positive each time. Her white blood count is still a little low but she is otherwise happy and healthy and loved! The vet saw her 2 weeks ago. Here is what she said Hey Laurie! Little Isabella looks GORGEOUS!!! What a beautiful kitty she has turned into! I believe the love of her foster mommy, a low stress living environment ~ just Bella and her mommy ~ and great vet care are what saved Bellaboo. I believe in miracles! Laurie Cedar Rapids, Iowa
RE: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your stories for the good story list Laurie---boy, they are so inspiring. Squeaky, Stripes and Bellaboo were so very lucky to find you. What a great age Squeaky and Stripes lived to, as well! And kudos to you for having more sense and compassion than all those vets put together. Bellaboo's story is hugely encouraging-she really is a walking miracle! I'm SO glad you found a great vet in the endI know what a difference that makes. hugs, Kerry From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of laurieskatz Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:55 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie Sass went to live in her house with her. He adjusted well to the group of kitties there. The feline leukemia positive kitties are in a room in another house on her property (heated, AC, access to screened porch and lots of visitors). I would be honored to have my story shared. Here are more details: I adopted Squeaky (age 8) and Stripes (age 9) from a woman whose step daughter was allergic to cats. She was going to euthanize them if she could not find a home. She loved them but didn't know what to do other than run an ad. I was a graduate student looking in the paper for a pair of older, neutered cats to adopt. They were great cats and beautiful. Squeaky would play with Stripes' tail. Stripes loved to lay on my chest with his front paws pressed against my chin. Squeaky loved our nightly combing. They chased aluminum foil balls down the stairs, claimed any blue jeans left laying around, chattered at the birds and licked the fingers of any visitors who smoked. They also slept on their mom's husband's jeans, which he laid on the bed when he got home from work. And, he smoked. Nancy and I stayed in touch during the boys' lives. Nancy had adopted both as kittens. Stripes was adopted from someone whose cat had a litter and Squeaky was adopted from a shelter a year later. After I adopted them, Stripes was sick on and off. One time I came home and his mouth was hanging open. The vet thought Squeaky bit him (no way) and gave him a shot that paralyzed his rear legs. I rushed him to another vet who told me he would not recover. We put the mattress on the floor so he could crawl into bed. He miraculously recovered. I found a new vet the next time Stripes got sick. He tested both of them and they were positive for feline leukemia! Since Squeaky had never been sick, the vet said he was likely a carrier , carrying the virus in his bone marrow. Stripes lived to age 16. He was sick on and off his entire 7 years with me. Squeaky lived to age 22! He was sick only his last 3 weeks of life (oral cancer). Except: he was sick for 3 days each time he had a feline leukemia vaccination (no vet could ever explain this to me). Of course, they stopped getting FeLV vaccinations after their positive test results. Both boys were big. They weighed 15 lbs. Stripes was a brown tabby and Squeaky was a gray tabby. Squeaky died October 30, 1996. He was my soul mate. We spent many years together ~ just the two of us. May 2007 my 13 year old niece rescued a smoke black tortie. She tested positive for FeLV. The vet literally stopped examing her when the tech told him this. I told him we were not going to euthanize her. We scheduled her for a spay. We scheduled her 3 times and each time we took her to be spayed, her temp was higher than the time before. It topped at 107. She was anemic and had this unexplained temp. We took her to an internal medicine specialist. We discovered she had enlarged spleen but all the other news was good (nothing else evident on ultrasound). Isabella was sick for 3 months. A couple times we thought she was dead when we went to feed her. She had unexplained pain and would have tremors or seizures. We even considered euthanizing her because of her pain. But, instead we found a wonderful vet. She prescribed antibiotics, prednisilone and tramadal (for pain). Isabella thrived. We also use interferon ~ 7 days on and 7 days off. Bellaboo, as her foster and now adoptive mom calls her, never lost her appetite which helped her get better. She has almost doubled her weight. We've had her tested 2 more times and she has been positive each time. Her white blood count is still a little low but she is otherwise happy and healthy and loved! The vet saw her 2 weeks ago. Here is what she said Hey Laurie! Little Isabella looks GORGEOUS!!! What a beautiful kitty she has turned into! I believe the love of her foster mommy, a low stress living environment ~ just Bella and her mommy ~ and great vet care are what saved Bellaboo. I believe in miracles! Laurie Cedar Rapids, Iowa _ Effective September 1, 2007, we have changed our name to Mayer Brown LLP. IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any advice expressed above as to tax matters was neither
Re: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie
thanks Kerry! Hugs back, Laurie - Original Message - From: MacKenzie, Kerry N. To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 3:15 PM Subject: RE: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie Thanks so much for taking the time to share your stories for the good story list Laurie---boy, they are so inspiring. Squeaky, Stripes and Bellaboo were so very lucky to find you. What a great age Squeaky and Stripes lived to, as well! And kudos to you for having more sense and compassion than all those vets put together. Bellaboo's story is hugely encouraging-she really is a walking miracle! I'm SO glad you found a great vet in the endI know what a difference that makes. hugs, Kerry -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of laurieskatz Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:55 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination--Laurie Sass went to live in her house with her. He adjusted well to the group of kitties there. The feline leukemia positive kitties are in a room in another house on her property (heated, AC, access to screened porch and lots of visitors). I would be honored to have my story shared. Here are more details: I adopted Squeaky (age 8) and Stripes (age 9) from a woman whose step daughter was allergic to cats. She was going to euthanize them if she could not find a home. She loved them but didn't know what to do other than run an ad. I was a graduate student looking in the paper for a pair of older, neutered cats to adopt. They were great cats and beautiful. Squeaky would play with Stripes' tail. Stripes loved to lay on my chest with his front paws pressed against my chin. Squeaky loved our nightly combing. They chased aluminum foil balls down the stairs, claimed any blue jeans left laying around, chattered at the birds and licked the fingers of any visitors who smoked. They also slept on their mom's husband's jeans, which he laid on the bed when he got home from work. And, he smoked. Nancy and I stayed in touch during the boys' lives. Nancy had adopted both as kittens. Stripes was adopted from someone whose cat had a litter and Squeaky was adopted from a shelter a year later. After I adopted them, Stripes was sick on and off. One time I came home and his mouth was hanging open. The vet thought Squeaky bit him (no way) and gave him a shot that paralyzed his rear legs. I rushed him to another vet who told me he would not recover. We put the mattress on the floor so he could crawl into bed. He miraculously recovered. I found a new vet the next time Stripes got sick. He tested both of them and they were positive for feline leukemia! Since Squeaky had never been sick, the vet said he was likely a carrier , carrying the virus in his bone marrow. Stripes lived to age 16. He was sick on and off his entire 7 years with me. Squeaky lived to age 22! He was sick only his last 3 weeks of life (oral cancer). Except: he was sick for 3 days each time he had a feline leukemia vaccination (no vet could ever explain this to me). Of course, they stopped getting FeLV vaccinations after their positive test results. Both boys were big. They weighed 15 lbs. Stripes was a brown tabby and Squeaky was a gray tabby. Squeaky died October 30, 1996. He was my soul mate. We spent many years together ~ just the two of us. May 2007 my 13 year old niece rescued a smoke black tortie. She tested positive for FeLV. The vet literally stopped examing her when the tech told him this. I told him we were not going to euthanize her. We scheduled her for a spay. We scheduled her 3 times and each time we took her to be spayed, her temp was higher than the time before. It topped at 107. She was anemic and had this unexplained temp. We took her to an internal medicine specialist. We discovered she had enlarged spleen but all the other news was good (nothing else evident on ultrasound). Isabella was sick for 3 months. A couple times we thought she was dead when we went to feed her. She had unexplained pain and would have tremors or seizures. We even considered euthanizing her because of her pain. But, instead we found a wonderful vet. She prescribed antibiotics, prednisilone and tramadal (for pain). Isabella thrived. We also use interferon ~ 7 days on and 7 days off. Bellaboo, as her foster and now adoptive mom calls her, never lost her appetite which helped her get better. She has almost doubled her weight. We've had her tested 2 more times and she has been positive each time. Her white blood count is still a little low but she is otherwise happy and healthy and loved! The vet saw her 2 weeks ago. Here is what she said Hey Laurie! Little Isabella looks GORGEOUS!!! What a beautiful kitty she has turned into! I believe the love of her foster mommy, a low stress living environment ~ just Bella and her
Re: FeLV Vaccination
Sue, I am the least qualified to answer this, but I would think that if Buzz has his own litter box and his own food dish the risk would be small. Of course you wouldn't want them fighting either. I too have read that the vaccine is not totally effective but I think 60 to 80% effectiveness is better than 0. He may not even want to be involved with the other cats. My two want nothing to do with each other. Why not at least have supervised interaction while you're home with them. Yeah I know about the minor full time job and family details. I feel like a neglective mother to my sick child at times. Lynne - Original Message - From: Sue Frank Koren To: fe lv Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:49 AM Subject: FeLV Vaccination Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected?
Re: FeLV Vaccination
Interacting can also be a problem for the immune compromised feline leukemia positive cat. That kitty can pick up things from the other cats and not be able to fight them off. If I hadopted or rescued a FeLV positive cat, I would not comingle but I might try to find him a friend as long as the friend didn't stress him/her. I know others here do comingle. If I found out one of my existing cats was positive, I wouldn't change things and they would all continue to live together. In the past, whenever I have brought a new cat in, I have made certain our feleuk vaccinations were current. I am not a fan of those vaccinations because of VAS so I don't think I would vaccinate for that again...plus my vet thinks the first series of feleuk vaccinations is enough protection for life. This is just my opinion and experience. Others who have co mingled are a better source of advice and information. My friend had Sass, a negative, in with a group of positives. Sass was not vaccinated for FeLV because she thought he was positive. They all lived together and after 5 years my friend wondered why Sass never got sick when the others did. She (re?)tested him and found out he was negative. That was over 5 years ago. He was removed from the room at the time and is still alive and well! L - Original Message - From: Lynne To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:19 AM Subject: Re: FeLV Vaccination Sue, I am the least qualified to answer this, but I would think that if Buzz has his own litter box and his own food dish the risk would be small. Of course you wouldn't want them fighting either. I too have read that the vaccine is not totally effective but I think 60 to 80% effectiveness is better than 0. He may not even want to be involved with the other cats. My two want nothing to do with each other. Why not at least have supervised interaction while you're home with them. Yeah I know about the minor full time job and family details. I feel like a neglective mother to my sick child at times. Lynne - Original Message - From: Sue Frank Koren To: fe lv Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:49 AM Subject: FeLV Vaccination Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected?
RE: FeLV Vaccination
3 of my cats lived with one of my FELV+ for 5 years until I found out the 4th whad been positive all along. They shared the same food bowls, litter, toys; groomed each other, etc. All 3 were tested when I found the 4th was pos and all 3 were neg. I did vaccinate them at that point. While kittens may be a bit more vulnerable, I've come to believe that transmission among adult cats is a lot harder than many people think. My vet never once considered any option but mixing and he's got some good experience with FELV. He left the decision to me but there really wasn't any decision. To separate them at that point would just have been a nightmare worse than any risk of FELV. No vaccine is 100% but between the vaccine, the cats' ages, the fact that they were all in reasonable, though not perfect, health-mixing was not a problem for me. Christiane Biagi 914-632-4672 Cell: 914-720-6888 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Katrina Animal Reunion Team (KART) http://www.findkpets.org www.findkpets.org Join Us Help Reunite Katrina-displaced Families with their Animals From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sue Frank Koren Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:50 AM To: fe lv Subject: FeLV Vaccination Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected?
Re: FeLV Vaccination
Here is my take on it for what it is worth. I had 11 cats at the time of the outbreak. 4 cats wound up positive and I had two cats PTS as they were very ill. One of my positives died of something else. The others cats had high exposure to the virus and did not get sick. Which meant natural immunity. They were vacinated and mixed with the positives after the vaccine had time to take effect. I think about 70% of cats have some natural immunity. The vaccine is about 80% effective. There is a risk of mixing. I really think it is less stressful on the cats to mix. Stress is the big enemy. Everyone has to make there own decision. A vet will recommend against mixing for obvoius reasons. I have since added cats never my intension to do so. I had themvaccinated and I hope for the best. It is hard to keep 11 cats apart in a small house. Believe me I tried. I hope Junior will live as long as some folks here have had theie kitties survive. He always has some sort of sickness. His URI is worse now. Sally On Feb 17, 2008 9:49 AM, Sue Frank Koren [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Several people here have said that they have their FeLV + kitties living in with FeLV - cats, and the negative cats are not getting infected. I am trying to decide if I should vaccinate my others and let Buzz out of his room. My vet is against it and says the vaccinations are only 60 - 80% effective. The vet does not seem to be up on all that is going on with FeLV, though, and I am considering switching vets. Buzz really doesn't,t mind his room, but he is a social boy and cries when he doesn't want to be alone. I visit him as often as I can and spend at least an hour or so in the evenings in with him, but such minor details as a full time job and the rest of my human and cat family keep me away from being with him as much as he and I would like. It seems as if vaccinating the others and freeing Buzz from his prison room is the best solution, but not if any of the others end up being infected. Their ages range from 2 to 8 years. Two of them, Charlie and Tucker have other health problems and I don't know if that would put them more at risk. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of a vaccinated cat being infected? -- Sally, Eric (not a cat),Junior, Speedy, Grey and White, Ittle Bitty, Little Black, Lily, Daisy, Pewter, Junior Junior (newest) , Silver, and Spike Please Visit my Message board for some pictures. You are welcome to sign up. http://www.k6az.com/ki4spk/index.php?sid=c57c00cf5804ef13853ed6e77a68eed3
Re: FeLV vaccination of recovered cat?
Jen, It is common for kittens to test positive if infected by the mother and then test negative later. But why is she due for an FELV vaccination? FELV vaccinations aren't routine. Is she going to be kept with positive kitties or is she going to be an outdoor cat? Bonnie http://grants.library.wisc.edu/organizations/animals.html http://savingspaldingpets.blogspot.com/ http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/walkforanimals.pdf - Original Message - From: Jen Reinke [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Friday, July 7, 2006 2:04 pm Subject: FeLV vaccination of recovered cat? To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Hello, My parent's cat tested positive for FeLV as a young kitten- she was a stray and we assume that she was infected by her mother. Six months later she was tested again and was negative. We were told that it was possible that she either fought it off, or that the antibodies in her system were actually her mother's and that she never really contracted the disease. She is now due to have a vaccination for FeLV, but we are concerned that this will have negative effects, given her history, or that she does not need it as she should have antibodies already in her system. Is there any information about how such a situation should be handled? Thanks for any info or leads on the subject! Jen
RE: FeLV vaccination of recovered cat?
I personally strongly recommend that you DO not vaccinate your kitties with feLK vaccinations. My holistic vet tells me, and I agree, the vaccination will suppress their immune system significantly (even if temporarily) and sometimes, when they get vaccinations, it cause the very illness that they are trying to prevent due to the stressed caused by vaccinations. Since she was already exposed to the virus, she had built immune to the virus in the body.. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jen Reinke Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 11:38 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: FeLV vaccination of recovered cat? Hello, My parent's cat tested positive for FeLV as a young kitten- she was a stray and we assume that she was infected by her mother. Six months later she was tested again and was negative. We were told that it was possible that she either fought it off, or that the antibodies in her system were actually her mother's and that she never really contracted the disease. She is now due to have a vaccination for FeLV, but we are concerned that this will have negative effects, given her history, or that she does not need it as she should have antibodies already in her system. Is there any information about how such a situation should be handled? Thanks for any info or leads on the subject! Jen
Re: FeLV vaccination of recovered cat?
I am interested inn following this thread.thank you for your insight. Sheila Nebraska [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~~ Subject: FeLV vaccination of recovered cat? Hello, My parent's cat tested positive for FeLV as a young kitten- she was a stray and we assume that she was infected by her mother. Six months later she was tested again and was negative.
