|
|
“How do I know if my cat has feline leukemia?” This is one of the most common questions cat owners ask me in my veterinary practice. And the simple answer to that question is: You don’t know whether your cat has feline leukemia unless you have a blood test for feline leukemia performed.
What is Feline Leukemia?
Feline leukemia, also known as FeLV, is caused by a virus known as the feline leukemia virus. It is a contagious disease which is passed from cat to cat, usually through close contact with one another. The feline leukemia virus is present in bodily fluids, including saliva, urine, tears, feces, blood and discharges from the nose. Therefore, the FeLV virus can be spread when cats groom one another, share food or water bowls, share litter boxes or fight with one another. The virus can also be passed to newborn kittens from their mother even before the kittens are born.
The feline leukemia virus is not passed readily without direct contact. There is little risk of a cat owner carrying the virus home to their on clothing, skin or other inanimate objects. Therefore, cats which live exclusively indoors and have no contact with other cats have very little risk of exposure to feline leukemia. However, those cats that live outdoors and frequently socialize with or fight with other cats are at risk.
What Symptoms does Feline Leukemia Cause in Cats?
Many cats which test positive for the feline leukemia virus are perfectly healthy cats with no evidence of disease at all. In fact, many cat owners are completely unaware of the fact that their cat is infected with the feline leukemia virus prior to having their cat’s blood tested for the feline leukemia virus. However, feline leukemia can mimic many other diseases when it does become symptomatic.
When we think of leukemia in people, we tend to think of a cancer which involves the bone marrow or the lymphatic system. These types of cancers can occur in cats infected with the feline leukemia virus but are actually relatively rare.
More commonly, cats infected with the feline leukemia virus experience suppression of their immune system due to the virus. This immunosuppression can cause an infected cat to become more susceptible to secondary infections. These secondary infections may be viral, bacterial or fungal and can affect any body system. Therefore, the symptoms associated with them can be quite variable depending on what type of infection occurs and where it exerts its effects. Basically, any time a cat becomes ill, feline leukemia needs to be considered as a potential cause and needs to be ruled out in the diagnosis. In fact, the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) recommends testing any sick cat for feline leukemia virus infection, regardless of previous test results, in their Feline Retrovirus Management guidelines. (These guidelines provide what most veterinarians consider the “gold standard” when dealing with the feline leukemia virus and the feline AIDs virus, the two common retroviruses seen in cats.)
What About Cats Which Test Positive for the Feline Leukemia Virus but do not have Symptoms?
There was a time in the past when healthy cats which tested positive for the feline leukemia virus were euthanized (put to sleep) almost automatically. Fortunately, that is no longer the case. We now realize that cats testing positive for feline leukemia but showing no symptoms of disease can live long, healthy lives. These cats should lives should:
- live indoors
- be spayed or neutered
- not be fed a raw diet
- be examined by a veterinarian regularly, at least twice yearly, and have routine blood screens (including a complete blood count and blood chemistry profile) and urinalysis (urine testing) done at least yearly. Hematological (blood) disorders are common in cats with feline leukemia, so some veterinarians may advise blood testing, particularly the complete blood count, twice yearly.
In the event that a previously healthy feline leukemia positive cat becomes ill, a thorough diagnostic plan and aggressive treatment should be instituted as soon as possible.
Treatment for Cats Which are Showing Symptoms of Feline Leukemia
Cats which are ill as a result of infection with the feline leukemia virus pose a challenge in treatment. Symptomatic treatment is a must with these cats and may include fluid therapy to combat dehydration, antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections and other treatments depending on your cat’s symptoms.
A number of antiviral drugs are available as well as several drugs which help to modulate the immune system. However, none of these drugs has been adequately evaluated in cats as a treatment for feline leukemia. Testing in this area is ongoing and more testing is needed. However, these drugs may be used in the treatment of feline leukemia and include:
- Zidovudine (AZT)
- Feline interferon omega
- Acemannon
- Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG)
- Didanosine
- Diethylcarbamazine (DEC)
- Levamisole
- Lymphocyte T-cell immunomodulator
- Propionibacterium acnes
- Serratia marcescens
- Staphylococcus protein A
- Suramin
Of these drugs, AZT and feline interferon omega show the most promise in treating feline leukemia symptoms at this time.
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to grab our RSS feed or subscribe by email to receive notifications when new content is added.
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
Cats persistently infected with FeLV serve as sources of infection. Virus is shed in very high quantities in saliva and nasal secretions, but also in urine, feces, and milk from infected cats.
That’s true. Thanks for stopping by.
This did not help me at all, I am looking for symptoms for FeLV. I understand to be sure the cat needs to be tested. She is an indoor cat, on the older side. 15 years to be exact and has lost weight, still eats, drinks and poops. Sometimes she acts like she has a hairball that she is coughing up, then it ends up being a yellow liquid thickish type mess on the floor. This happens on an average of once a week.
my cat has the same issues and is the same age any information learned?
L Stout (and Mark),
We had a dog with similar symptoms, which turned out to be renal failure. Not sure if cats can get it too, but you might want to check with your vet.
The kitten we rescued last summer presumably just turned a year ago. He used to be extremely playful and active, but no longer. I took him to a clinic to get his shots and the tech advised me he was 2 pounds underweight. He only weighs 6 lbs. She said he could have feline luekemia. He has not been eating well. He acts like he has an upper
respiratory infection, sneezing alot and making nasal and throaty sounds when he tries to eat. He is eating very little as well as drinking very little. He acts like he has arthritis. He jumps very gingerly out of his laundry basket and cannot jump up or off our bed. He walks very gingerly down the steps to his litter box. I am taking him in to my vet for testing ASAP. We love him so much and are extremely worried.
Debbie, I’m so sorry to about your kitten’s illness. Please keep us advised and I hope his FeLV test comes back negative.
We have a rescue cat that made his home here. He is around 4/5 yrs. of age. Great personality. He has started to lose his hair on his legs, and is showing signs of runny eyes, sneezing, and losing weight.Doesn’t want to walk far. Can cats get allergies also? His eyes look sore, and puffy. He does leave once in awhile and is gone for 3 days, but comes back. Figured weight lose from traveling. Worried about Feline Leukemia! Hoping the vet can help him.
He definitely sounds like he needs to see a vet. Good luck, Theresa. Hopefully, he doesn’t have feline leukemia. Keep us posted once you get him to the vet.
i just had to put my 8 month old rescue kitten down yesterday due to FeLV…she stopped eatting…not playing losing weight and than she stopped drinking…a couple days before i took her…her nose started running…my vet said its a bad death for them…so i let them put her down…i miss her like crazy but i know she’s in a better place…RIP dopey
I’m so sorry, Tina. Poor Dopey. At least she had someone like you to care enough about her to make her end painless.
My husband brought home 4 months ago 2 loveable kittens from he had found. and 2 more that my kids rescued from a rural property outside city limits about 1 month ago. It started with the first 2. 1 had a bad cold in her eyes. It didn’t seem to keep her down though. She lasted until about 5 days ago. then the second of the 4 she was doing well then within 2 days, she was dead too. Then of the last 2 were fine. within 1 day the 3rd was dead and now i’m left with 1. Of all of them, only the first (sofa) had any kind of cold/sickness. the rest were running around frolicking and have fun. How can I clean my house so if anyone else comes to visit doesn’t bring the virus home to their pets? And is there anything I can do to keep the last one alive….or is it too late?
Vicky, I’m so sorry to hear about your kittens.
It’s difficult to know how to advise you about the fourth and remaining kitten. I’m not sure what killed the other three kittens without having seen or examined them. It could have been feline leukemia but it could have been many other things as well. My best advice is to get the living kitten in to see your veterinarian. After a physical examination, it may be possible for your vet to advise your further and to take steps to help save the kitten.
Good luck. I hope you’re able to pull the last kitten through.
I found a young cat, probably 6 or 7 mo. old on the edge of a freeway yesterday. She was thin and dehydrated. She is doing fine today but both her eyes are permentedly dialted. What could it be. i have other cats and don’t want them to catch anything. she also seems to be restless.help
This could be so many things, Pat. Your new friend needs to be examined by a veterinarian to figure out why her eyes are dilated and whether there are any other health issues for her.
I have a cat that I rescued as a kitten. She was very ill when I got her, sneezing, runny nose, underweight for her age of about 8 weeks. A friend gave me some ampicillin with benadyrl for her, and she pulled through. I had her at the vets a couple of yrs later and found she tests positive for feluc. She is now 6 yrs old. She has a variable appetite, and her pupils are sometimes uneven. Otherwise, she is healthy, active, and very playful. She does best on a high protein diet and brewer’s yeast with vitmins. My other 2 cats were immune.
MY MOM HAD THIS CAT THAT HAD BEEN HANGING AROUND THE HOUSE SO SHE STARTED FEEDING IT REAL NICE CAT ALL THE PEOPLE AROUND WERE FEEDING IT SHE SAID THE GUY DOWN THE ROAD TOLD HER THE CAT GOT ANOTHER CAT PREGNANT SO MY MOM TOOK THE CAT TO THE VET SHE NOTICED IT WAS SNEEZING ALOT AND HAD MATTER COMING OUT OF ITS EYE IF EVERTHING WAS OK SHE WAS GOING TO PAY TO HAVE HIM NUETERED WELL HE ENDED UP HAVING LEUKEMIA SHE ENDED UP HAVING HIM PUT TO SLEEP THAT WAS VERY SAD AND IM MORE OF A DOG PERSON BUT I REALLY DID LIKE THAT CAT EVEN THO IM VERY ALERGIC TO THEM
I’m sorry, Steve. It’s always sad when we have to put an animal to sleep
There’s a cat in my neighborhood who I feel sorry for, becuase he is very skinny, he is losing fur from neck and back, has mucus coming from his eyes and is very lethargic. It seem like he could have feline leukemia or feline aids. His appetite is still good, but seems to be getting worse by the day. I’d like to bring him to the vet, but don’t have a reliable way to transport him. He appears to be suffering, and I’d like to cure him or put him out of his misery.
Very interesting article. I just had my cat two and half years old to sleep. The past three days, she was not herself. Refusing to eat , very little drinking and keeping to herself. Took her to the vet, hey eyes were all white, her mouth was all white on the too. Doctor did all the tests and the results came back positive for leukemia. Told she was suffering and I havd to have her put to sleep. This was a very difficult decision for I LOVED this cat. She was my shadow, Every night she came and slept under my bed. I miss her so much.
I’m so sorry, Paul. There’s nothing more difficult than saying goodbye to a loved one.
I am sorry for your loss !!
Very similar situation as Paula mention. My cat age 15, an indoor cat came down with similar symptons, i.e. refusing to eat, very little drinking, keeping to herself. Also found that my cat when I was home, stuck like glue to me. Her favorite meal was Starkist Tuna Fish which she would get once a week in his diet. When feeding her favorite meal, she only would eat a few bites. Her water intake has dropped. Today she went to the vet, examined, had a temperature, one eye was running, lost 4 lbs since January visit for the runny eye. Most of the weight loss was in the past 2-3 weeks.
She went from 18 lbs down to 14 lbs. She started having accidents in the past couple days of urinating on carpet and pooping. The vet will be doing more in-depth blood workup, re-hydrating and testing BUN. Will know her results in a couple days and what decisions to be made.
Hi, my cat HAS been diagnosed with FeLV, He is sneezing, has runny eyes, seems to be loosing fur and although eats and dinks fine…. some days he just looks like he’s in pain….. when will i know to put him down…..?? is what i listed above enough to start thinking about doing it?? or will i notice other things??
I’m so sorry to hear about your kittie’s diagnosis, Jess. Knowing when to say goodbye is the most difficult part of owning pets, I think. There is no right or wrong answer. Consider whether he is able to enjoy life, whether he has more “bad days” than “good days”. Your veterinarian cannot make the choice for you but she may be able to advice you on what to expect and how much your cat is suffering. It might be worth a call or visit to discuss the situation with her. Whatever you decide, please know that my thoughts and prayers are with both of you.
we took in a cat who lived outside for her first few years of life I’m guessing.We took her to get her shots, etc. She never got along with our cats,so when we moved to NC,after a while, she kept trying to go outside, so I started letting her hang out there and come in when she wanted. My other cats are strictly indoor. Well,there are strays outside that I feed cuz noone else will and there have been many nites that my cat spent the nite outside. It’s getting cooler so shes been coming in more often now BUT,now a couple of my kitties seem to be hanging around sleeping alot and not getting around much. I noticed one’s eyes don’t look bright. I had my hubby take him to the vet today but he forgot to mention the other cat being outside and coming in again. He has a pretty high fever but otherwise looks and feels fine according to the vet.He got antibiotics and a shot of some. If hes not ok in a few days he has to go back for blood tests. Is there a chance of FLV?? I hate myself for being so VERY STUPID and careless with my kitties. I have 9 adopted kitties and am afraid of it going thru all of them.Please pray for my kitties and any info would be very welcome and appreciated. thanks!
I’m sorry, Connie. We’ll all say a prayer for your kitties.
As for FeLV, it is a possibility but it would be unusual for so many of your cats to showing symptoms all at the same time.
Please let us know how they fare!
I rescued a mamma and her 4 newborn babies a coiple of months ago. U got mamma spayed when the babies were very tiny. She tested negative for Fiv L and aides. There was no red flag that her kittens might be positive. Recently I took the kittens to be spayed and neutered, 1 female and 3 males. The female tested negative but all 3 of the males tested positive. They clearly appear healthy and strong. I’ve been adding Lysine and pro biotics to their food and they get a high quality kitten food. Since the test I’ve separated the mamma and female kitten from the male (positive) kittens. My concern is now for the positive kittens. I was told that it’s possible that they could fight off the virus as the mamma and their sister has done. Can you add anything to this? What do you recommend if someone turns up symptomatic. I thought that one of the kittens was walking a bit funny in the hind end today. Am I imagining, or maybe it was temporary, funny movement because I don’t want to think the worst. I didn’t observe long. What are the most likely symptoms that I would notice?
That’s a really unfortunate situation, Susan. I’m so sorry you and your cat family have to go through this. I would retest the kittens in a few months and see if they still test positive. In the meantime, any signs of illness should be taken seriously and acted on (i.e. treated) as quickly as possible. Good luck to all of you!
My daughter loves cats (as do I) and she has been rescuing them for several years. Over the last few weeks, 5 of the rescues have died and she is just heartbroken. The cats that have died range in age from 5 months to 1 year old. We are wondering if one of the older cats might be a carrier of feline leukemia although he shows no symptoms. The cats that died showed no symptoms – one day eating and playing and the next day they’re dead. What do think might be happening. We appreciate any information you can give us. Thank you!!
I truly wish I could help explain what has happened to your cats. But without seeing and examining them, it’s really impossible to know. It might be time for you to check in with your own veterinarian. Schedule an appointment to have your cats examined and consider testing for feline leukemia as well. Good luck. I’m sorry about the kitties you’ve lost. That’s always a hard thing
I adopted Mick on September 17th, and found out on October 1st that he is FeLV positive. He had an upper respiratory infection from the day I brought him home, and despite treatment, it never went away. He’s still sneezing and still has a runny nose. He has persistent diarrhea and urinates 3-4x what he actually drinks; he only eats dry food but has a hard time with it. He also throws up pretty frequently. Yesterday, he threw up 5x, and screamed bloody murder each time he did it. He seems to breathe very rapidly sometimes when he’s asleep. And he meows almost constantly. I gave him some Metronidazole to help with the vomiting and the diarrhea, but even though it was dosed perfectly, now he just won’t go to the bathroom at all.
I have spoken with my vet, who told me that he can’t tell me whether or not to euthanize. That that is up to me. Mick seems sweet and happy, but these symptoms are all persistent. I feel as though he is simply hiding his pain from me.
I am furious at the shelter where I adopted him for not testing, separating, and vaccinating cats. They’re responsible for pain and suffering in hundreds, if not thousands of cats by needlessly exposing them in kennels and packed foster homes.
But even my anger is blocking my ability to know what to do for Mick. Do I euthanize him? Or do I let it continue, knowing that he is probably in pain?
I also have another kitten, who was previously vaccinated, that is living at my mother’s house for the time being…and who already had abandonment issues from his story of the hard knocks.
I just don’t know what to do. It’s breaking my heart.
I’m so sorry, Amy. These are some of the hardest decisions that pet owners and rescuers ever have to make. The only advice I can give you is to trust your heart to help you do the best thing for Mick.
We just had our kitten die on us, she was burn on mothers day our best kitten ever (HAWKER) it started about 5 days again we first noticed that she was pucking up white foamy looking stuff witha little hair in it, thought maybe tring to get a fur ball up, came home today 11-4-11 and found her lying on our bed she had died while we were gone for two days. all ways in our hearts HAWKER we love and miss you all ready.
I’m so sorry, Ronnie. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
My cat is 2 1/2 years old and he was diagnosed with feline leukemia. We brought our cat to the Vet today because my cat was lethargic, very little appetite. They did a red blood cell count test today and told us that his red blood count level is 10% and it should be 29% or higher and he now has a fast heart rate. Then they told us the news stating that it is time to put our cat down as he is now suffering. Is there anything we can do to prolong our cats life, any type of treatment? We are completely heartbroken over our Boo Boo.
Joanne and Caesar C.
I’m so sorry to hear about you cat. It does sound like he is very ill and probably suffering. I know how difficult it is to contemplate saying goodbye but sometimes it is the kindest thing we can do for our pets. That being said, perhaps it would be worthwhile to seek a second opinion. It’s possible, even probable, that the answer will be the same but it never hurts to get a second opinion, especially before making such a final decision. Whatever you decide, I know you won’t let your cat suffer needlessly. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your kitty.
I just took in a stray cat I’ve been feeding for the past year or so…he’s about 2 years old, and seems very healthy. I took him to the vet, had him neutered and tested for everything before I brought him in (he was negative for feline leukemia and FIV). But, I have 2 other cats (who are negative)…what are the chances that was a false negative on the new stray cat? I don’t want him to spread anything to the other kitties.
“Shadow adopted me about 4 months ago. I had hin fixed, teeth cleaned and rabies shot. He turned into a senior citizen cat and ate,slept, but walked with @ night. He slept in bed [outsidepatio chair] and I would bring in the garage at night with his food bed and night light[ kitty litterbox] I put him down 12=9=11. My vet was out of town, and a sub.l vet told me the cats eys[ reason I took him him] was like a red fire ball and the other better eye had an ulcer in it. this eye was tearing but seemed to clear up[only had this about 4 days of tearing.. However, in am on Fri.his eye looked likd he had no vision and very raw and painful. The cat was about 5- 6 and had a hard life.I had her run blood work and feline leuk. test was positve. “vet” suggested the cat be put down beacuse I have my own 11 yr. old cat and said it was hightly contagious and my cat might be contaminated. I am grieving thinking shoudl i have waited for my own vet, did I do the right thing. My cat will be tested on Mon. I miss that little guy so so much.Your help is appreciated! thanks, Robyn
Robyn, what a tough situation to have to deal with! I think you did the right thing. It sounds like Shadow was suffering and you were kind to end that for him. I hope your 11 year old cat tests negative. Please keep us posted when you get the results. I’ll be thinking about you and your kitty.
thank you. My 11 yr. old cat test negative. He, of course, has had all of his shots. I just pray we get to see these friends of ours in he next life!! they are unconditional lovers!!
robyn capelli
I hear you, Robyn. I hope so too! I’m so happy to hear that your older cat tested negative. That’s good news.
Last year my husband & I adopted a little girl (7 weeks old when we got her) & named her Precious. She was the only girl out of 4. We had her for a few months b4 we could take her to the vet for her check up & shots due to losing my job right after we got her and husband is disabled. The week before Christmas we took our other cat Moe (he will be 10 yrs old in July) to the vet bcs he started vomiting every time he ate. After several xrays, urinalysis, & blood work, we found out he has Feline Leukemia. The vet gave us some kitty anacid pills to try to help with his upset tummy but he coughs them back up, the next time at the vet she gave us the liquid form but he does the same with it. So I changed their food to a digestive care food and he stopped vomiting but now Precious is vomiting. We took Precious to the vet Christmas eve and her results came back positive as well. Vet said Moe most likely got it from Precious bcs she was born with it. Anyway; now Precious is vomiting the same way Moe was in December. She cries so loud and hard right b4 she vomits an it just breaks my heart. It sounds like she is crying “Momma” when she cries and of course I go to her and rub her back so she knows I’m here for her. She can’t eat at all without it coming back up, she just started doing it 5 days ago. She has already lost a lot of weight and she is already a small kitty. They both sneeze all the time, cry a lot, have runny eyes, and Moe has bad hives on his ears, around eyes, & top of his head. Do you have any suggestions of what we can do for Precious & Moe to help settle their tummys, help Moe’s hives, & help make them both more comfortable? They are our babies along with our two puppies (now that our 2 legged babies are grown & moved out) and we can’t stand for them to be in pain but we don’t know if its time for them to go to God yet. These two sweet loving babies don deserve this horrible disease and want to do something for them but feel helpless. I hold them all the time and don’t sleep unless my husband is awake bcs I don’t want them to bne alone at all. I can’t think of any words that can describe how sweet they are. They both rub my face or neck woth their paw when they want to be rubbed. They are just so loving. PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME TO HELP MY BABIES!
I’m sorry, Cindy. I can only the imagine the pain you must feel at dealing with this disease in two beloved cats. And I certainly do share your pain. The best advice I can give you is to return to your veterinarian and ask what can be done to at least help control the vomiting and make your two cats more comfortable. I wish I could be of more help but over the internet and without being able to see and examine your cats, it’s very difficult to offer much useful advice.
My cat (who is 16 yrs old) was just diagnosed. He has always been an outdoor Tom cat even though he’s been neutered. He never lost the desire to be territorial. None the less throughout his 16 years he has made many trips to the hospital due to abscess on his face. His age has never slowed him down. Just recently he acquired a wound and was treated the usual way. Wound care and antibiotics. the abscess healed in a timely manner. On the other hand less then 2 months and the abscess was back and worse then the first round. I knew he had not acquired another battle wound, whereas he had not been outside. I took him back to his vet and requested abscess repair and a 24 hour hold with aggressive antibiotic therapy. The vet recommended we test for FeLv and to my surprise he tested positive. Now my curiosity has me wondering could this be a new issue or has he possible always had it. The cat is 16 with a medical history longer then most adult humans. (all caused by his desire to be top cat)
If he’s never been tested for FeLV before, there’s really no way to know whether this is a new infection or an existing one. Mature cats are less susceptible to infection than kittens but still it happens. I’m sorry to hear about your cat’s status though.
Hello, I have a kitten that I had taken into my house of several other cats as a foster kitten. She was so tiny when we took her she had to bottle feed her. She had been found abandoned at a storage facility. She, being hand raised is the sweetest kitten. We decided to keep her and took her to get spayed and her shots and were told she has feline lukemia. So we decided we would keep her anyway and make her a totally indoor cat and make her life as happy as possible (the shelter would have euthanised her). She a week later started having seizures, we took her in and got a product called pro-quiet to help control the seizures. That worked for about six weeks and now she is having them again every week or so. I hope I am not being selfish giving her a happy home in light of the seizures. I don’t know if she even remembers having them and is happy all of the other time.???
I have a cat that is now between 15-16 years of age. We have had him since he was a kitten. We did have him tested as a kitten and they also gave him the shot to prevent FeLV. About 3-4 years later, the vet said that he had developed FeLV. He has lived a good long life and he is still doing well except he has started losing weight. We were wondering if that is the FeLV or just old age. He is so much slower and sometimes just doesn’t want to move. Should we be doing anything different for him that could help his situation? How will I know when it gets to hard for him? Thank you, Kay
Weight loss can occur for many different reasons. Without more information, it’s impossible to know whether the weight loss is due to feline leukemia or to another cause. Old age is not, in itself a disease. However, there are many diseases and conditions that are more likely in older cats and some of these can cause weight loss. It sounds like you should schedule an examination for your cat with your veterinarian. He/she may need to perform some basic blood tests for your cat. Urine testing may also be in order. You should probably also bring a fecal sample for analysis.
My cat who is three and has Leukemia, got sick (for the fourth time this year) and had to be put down today. He couldnt even walk. Black coming from the eyes. Soo skinny and dehidrated. Sometimes you have to put down the Animal, due to suffering or how advanced the cancer is. Sometimes putting a cat down is the better option. It has NOTHING to do with the fact that they are afraid of them being sick or are bad pet owners. It means maybe that a family cant keep watching their family pet suffer. if I was as sick as my cat was today, I would want someone to pull the plug on me!
Yes, I agree, Angie. Quality of life always needs to be the first concern. If there is no way to maintain a good quality of life for the cat, then euthanasia is, indeed, the best option. I’m sorry to hear about your loss.
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I had to put my cat down he on 1/9/12, due to the feline leukemia and he also had anemia and his blood count dropped to 9.8%. The night before he could not even walk far and was drinking water lying down and falling asleep on his water bowl. He lost over a pound within 4 days. It was the hardest thing I had to do, but it was for the best. He was only 2 1/2 years old. We had to do what was best for him, miss him so much. Again, sorry to hear about your loss.
I have been feeding all the cats (supposed to just be 2, but what are you going to do? It’s stray cat city out here) in my apartment complex and i have my 2 babies who are only inside cats (9 years old, 10 in May). One of the Outside cats, his name is Jax, got very sick recently and it was about to snow, so my Dad came and got him on a Saturday – same day that Whitney Houston died, that’s the only way i can remember when it was.
Anyway, they thought he had a UTI, treated it and decided to adopt him! We were all so thrilled. Took (I am going to lose it this is so hard to type but i need so much help) him in for neutering and the doc advised doing HIV and Feline Leuk first. So our friend Jax has it. He has been eating with my sweet stray friends (Cici and Jims, who are half-siblings) and it will be $70 each to test them! I can’t even afford the food. I am panicked about my parents inside girls (2), my inside girls (2 -they are my children, my family, my heart), and the 2 strays who live on my patio. I don’t even know where to *start*. My cats are my #1 priority, but i *cannot* just stop feeding the 2 on the patio & let them starve! (but they probably have feline leuk and hiv as well, so i need to take them elsewhere i suppose?) One of my girls is defintely sick with something, huge weight loss and sneezing. I need to care for them and i don’t know what to do about the Outside Cats. I am so lost. If anyone can help me unravel this…. why life on earth has to be so sad and especially hard on the little ones, the innocent ones, i will never know. My heart is so heavy right now. In the middle of all of this, my health just took a big hit so i am just crumbling. If anyone can help me just step by step, i will be so grateful. Thank you all in advance.
Hello All,
I have been reading all of the comments that everyone has been writing and I am so scared. I have a kitty Ki Ki and she is 8 months old, she has been to the vet, she has been spayed, distemper and f/u distemper also other shots. My son and his ex-girlfriend got this kitten when she was about 3 months old, they of course could not take care of her so my husband and I took her in, she was the smallest one of the litter. She is so sweet, she plays with are other cat alot, but our other cat is alot more active than she is she requires more sleep. I take her outside, I never leave her side the whole time. I am just really concerned because I have been reading everyone’s comments and one of the symptoms is that the cat is not as active as it use to be, well with my little kitty she has never been as active as our other one. She has no other symptoms, she eats well, she drinks water, she plays and runs in and outside, but when she comes in after being outside for about 2 hours she lays down to sleep. There are really no other symptoms to report. What do you think, I am just so scared, we love both of our cats so much. Anything responses would help. Thank you all so much!
We found out about 3 weeks ago that our baby boy cat Gatto has leukemia… We’ve had him and his sister (from different litters) for about 3 years now, they’ve had all their Rabies injections, good food etc. We moved to another town about 7 months with many feral cats in the neighbourhood….him being him got into some fights…unfortunately the feral cats also came into the house, eating from their bowls. Luckily our girl Leia is negative….however today is the day that we have to put him to sleep.
He doesn’t eat or drink anything unless we force him with a syringe, and just lies around the whole time. We had him at the vet for the weekend on a drip, but unfortunately this didn’t help. I am extremely sad, and the fact that I am also 6 months pregnant makes it extremely difficult…
I’m so sorry, Sune. I can only imagine what you are going through now.
I got my cat from a shelter a few months ago. I think she’s about a year old now – htey told me she was 1-2 when I got her, but she’s grown so I think they were wrong. She was tested at the shelter for FeLV and seems perfectly healthy (but she did get a bladder infection or crystals and gets special food for that), and she’s coughs a wet cough a couple times a day, and sometimes she sounds a little congested when she breathes.
I’m taking her in to the vet to get re-tested, and also checked for heartworm and asthma. If she tested negative at the shelter and has been 100% indoor since I got her, could it be that the first test didn’t work?
We do sometimes see false negative tests for feline leukemia, although there are certainly many other things that can cause the types of symptoms you’re describing as well. It’s good that you’re getting her retested for feline leukemia. Feline heartworm and asthma are both seen in cats also and it can be hard to differentiate between the two of them since the symptoms are so similar. At any rate, seeing your veterinarian and having a thorough exam done for your cat is the first step in diagnosis. Good luck with her!
Hi Leah.
The risk is small but not totally absent that the test was a false negative. There is also some protection in the fact most adult cats do develop some immunity against feline leukemia and FIV with time. So, again this leads to a smaller risk of infection but not absolutely no risk, assuming your other cats are both healthy adults. Sorry, this is probably not the answer you were hoping for. Nobody can give you any guarantees. But still, I think you’re relatively safe given the fact that the stray cat tested negative and seems healthy.
{ 1 trackback }