Feline Leukemia

[dshank1]

Good Evening All,

Been a while since I have posted on the forums but I have a concerning question. My boyfriend and I are combining households which means welcoming his male cat into my house of 3 females (all spayed & neutered). Oakley (he’s 3yrs old ) has been an indoor/outdoor kitty at his house but here he will be strictly be indoors only. Before combining households I wanted to make sure Oakley went to the vet to get a clean bill of health before introducing him in with the ladies. Oakley went to the vet in June due to a small injury to his leg and at that time the doctors ran all the test and all test came back negative. Fast forward 5 months, we took him to my vet last week for a full check up. All came back negative except she stated he tested positive for Feline Leukemia. We explained that he tested negative in June but she said he could have been exposed after that test. She called it transient leukemia and said he could just be a carrier, to keep him inside and isolated for 4 weeks and then retest. He shows no signs of illness and has a healthy appetite. So now we wait until December 20th to retest. I’m staying positive in my thinking believing it’s just a false positive. My concern is what if he does test positive again? What does that mean for the combined household? Shared litter boxes, watering fountains ? I know that with proper diet (if tested positive) he can live a long life but I worry about exposure to my ladies (they have been vaccinated).

 

[Shar371]

I got the low-down with Midnight... If he tests positive again, you might ask them to do an IFA/blood test and send it to a lab. Supposedly, the lab where the test originated/was invented is the most accurate and the other labs have had false positives, but the IFA will only show positive if the disease is active. If Oakley "sheds" the disease before the 20th, the test (presumably an ELISA/SNAP?) will show up negative.

I've heard conflicting things about the vaccine... First that it works, then that it's only partially effective and you'd need boosters, so I'd check with your vet on that. The other thing I saw, while I was looking for a magic pill for Midnight, was something called T-Cyte, or LTCI, in the US to treat FeLV/FIV. There's a thread on it somewhere on the forums. It has had no independent studies done on it (read; can claim whatever it wants and hasn't been verified by outside sources), and might cost a pretty penny (I never got a cost quote on it), but it might be worth a try to treat Oakley. Because it isn't proven, I'd bet that your vet would insist on monitoring your three, at the very least.

 

[kittyluv387]

We have a similar situation. Except this new cat is our neighbors cat that we adopted. If she tests positive again we are going to take her to the felv sanctuary. I just refuse to expose my cats to that even with vaccinations. The vaccinations are not 100%. Theyre not even 90% and its a fatal virus so i cant risk it. Our retest is next Saturday. Goodluck with your retest.

 

[kittyluv387]

Sorry for the double post but i hope your retest is at least 6 weeks after the initial testing. And the method of testing is important. Some cats will consistently test positive on those snap tests because they will continue to produce antigens long after they clear the virus. So it's important to follow up with an IFA test. A snap positive cat with negative IFA should be treated as FELV negative. And furthermore regressive felv cats can test negative on both elisa and ifa. Meaning the virus is laying dormant and the cat isn't spreading the virus. However the virus can activate and take over if the cat becomes compromised through illness or stress. It is thought that PCR screening for FELV will catch these types of regressive FELV cats. Our plan is to do the IFA at the retest. If she tests negative she will be allowed to enter our cat household after my resident cats have been vaccinated. Some months later we will run a PCR screening to be sure as currently possible that she doesnt have any form of this virus.

 

[dshank1]

Thank you for the responses, I’m thankful for the feedback. I know that stress can be a trigger for the virus and with all the activity at the house (potential buyers, packing & moving) I’m sure that has been a stressor. Right now he’ll be isolated in the guest room with plenty to keep him entertained, new kitty mansion will be here Saturday. Hope all works out for everyone and I’ll update soon.

 

[dshank1]

Well we just got back from the vet and the second SNAP test came back positive for Oakley. I’m about in tears because it’s breaking my heart on what to do. While my other 3 have been vaccinated they still risk exposure to the virus. Halo, my youngest just turn 1 year old in October and she would have the highest risk, my other 2 are 3/4 years old. Do we bring him in to general population or try to find him a new home with no other cats or another positive cat?

 

[kittyluv387]

If you research you'll see it's strongly recommended that you do NOT rely soley on the SNAP test. You need to confirm with an IFA test. That's what I'm doing myself. Exepcting to hear back today or Friday.

 

[Shar371]

If I'm reading this right, Oakley was first tested positive at the end of November, and they said to give it 4 weeks before a re-test. If he just tested positive again, I don't think it's been enough time. My vet told me 6-8 weeks for it to be shed.

To be on the safe side, I'd still keep him isolated for a little bit. Is he showing any symptoms of illness? Midnight's first sign was uneven pupils (in even lighting, so not because one was in the dark and one was in the light)... she had those for nearly two years before she was ever SNAP tested. The typical sign is "a cold that doesn't go away with treatment".

 

[kittyluv387]

I just wanted to give you an update. The IFA for my semi-positive SNAP test came back negative!! We were advised to treat her as FELV negative! We had her blood sent to the original IFA lab in new jersey. Natvetlab.com. Please investigate further before removing your cat. The lab stated that about half of these snap test results actually come out negative.

 

[dshank1]

If you research you'll see it's strongly recommended that you do NOT rely soley on the SNAP test. You need to confirm with an IFA test. That's what I'm doing myself. Exepcting to hear back today or Friday.

I spoke to my vet about the IFA test and she said that it wouldn’t make a difference. I’m so confused with this topic & it’s really bothering me. We waited 4 weeks before we retested but now I’m wondering if we should have waited longer and maybe get a second opinion.

 

[dshank1]

If I'm reading this right, Oakley was first tested positive at the end of November, and they said to give it 4 weeks before a re-test. If he just tested positive again, I don't think it's been enough time. My vet told me 6-8 weeks for it to be shed.

To be on the safe side, I'd still keep him isolated for a little bit. Is he showing any symptoms of illness? Midnight's first sign was uneven pupils (in even lighting, so not because one was in the dark and one was in the light)... she had those for nearly two years before she was ever SNAP tested. The typical sign is "a cold that doesn't go away with treatment".

Thank you for the information. It was 4 weeks between the two test, I think we are going to get a second opinion. He is showing no signs of illness & has gained weight during this time. The weight gain could be due to inactivity but he’s eating all his food and is very active in the guest room.

 

[kittyluv387]

I spoke to my vet about the IFA test and she said that it wouldn’t make a difference. I’m so confused with this topic & it’s really bothering me. We waited 4 weeks before we retested but now I’m wondering if we should have waited longer and maybe get a second opinion.

Please get a 2nd opinion and search online. This is simply not true! My cat is evidence of that. We tested her SNAP again and her IFA at the same time. Her snap is still slightly positive! But her IFA is negative. When we initially did the snap test 7 weeks ago we also got the PCR done for FELV. That also came put to be negative!!

 

[lavishsqualor]

I spoke to my vet about the IFA test and she said that it wouldn’t make a difference.

Either you misheard your vet or she's an idiot.

What she said is patently untrue. Wait the appropriate amount of time and then do an IFA test.

 

[dshank1]

Please get a 2nd opinion and search online. This is simply not true! My cat is evidence of that. We tested her SNAP again and her IFA at the same time. Her snap is still slightly positive! But her IFA is negative. When we initially did the snap test 7 weeks ago we also got the PCR done for FELV. That also came put to be negative!!

Yes, I’m researching new vets now so that we can get a second opinion.I plan on calling a few Cat Only Vets in the morning and scheduling an appointment for some time in January. I appreciate your comments, thank you!

 

[dshank1]

Either you misheard your vet or she's an idiot.

What she said is patently untrue. Wait the appropriate amount of time and then do an IFA test.

I heard her correctly and that is why I’m looking to get a second opinion. I’ll be calling a few vets in the morning and hopefully scheduling an appointment for January.

 

[Shar371]

Kittyluv, that's fantastic news!!

Dshank, good on you for seeking a second opinion! I'd still encourage reading up on the different tests, just so you can know if what your vet suggests seems reasonable. This is true even for cat-only vets and specialists...sometimes, they can have info that's out of date, or just plain wrong! If I'd found some information sooner on FeLV, I feel like I could have improved Midnight's quality of life a great deal, in spite of her vets.

 

[dshank1]

Kittyluv, that's fantastic news!!

Dshank, good on you for seeking a second opinion! I'd still encourage reading up on the different tests, just so you can know if what your vet suggests seems reasonable. This is true even for cat-only vets and specialists...sometimes, they can have info that's out of date, or just plain wrong! If I'd found some information sooner on FeLV, I feel like I could have improved Midnight's quality of life a great deal, in spite of her vets.

I also just ordered this to try. Immune SURE for Feline Immune System Support - PetWellBeing.com

I’ll schedule his appointment for January & I’ll keep you posted

 

[dshank1]

Good Afternoon All
Update for Oakley .... Took him this morning for his second opinion. Found another all cat vet that has been in the area since 1986 and what a great visit it was. We chatted about his history and then they performed another FeLV & FIV Combination Test -IH and drew blood for the IFA test. It was the longest 10 minutes ever waiting on the results but then the doctor came in and let us know the results were negative! Now we wait 2-4 days for the results from the IFA test before he can come out of quarantine. The vet seemed pretty optimistic knowing that he will be 4 years f age and tested negative in June. She stated that adult cats fight off the virus better than kitten because their immune system is stronger.
I’ll update when the IFA results come back

 

[kittyluv387]

Congrats!! Cant wait to hear about the IFA results.

 

[Shar371]

DShank, that's fantastic news! I'm so happy for you all!