Help needed: Kitty tested FeLV positive; double-cat household

[UnoMama]

TL; DR: 8-9 month kitty FeLV positive but currently healthy; lives with bonded playmate currently FeLV negative. Need advice on managing the situation.

Let me begin with a disclaimer that I may not be entirely coherent - I’m trying to wrap my head around my cat being FeLV positive

The cat in question is Uno - my first cat, rescued off the streets in January this year. He’s currently 8-9 months, vaccinated and neutered, and in (surprisingly?) good health. Bringing Uno in was my first ever experience with cats of any kind, so I had literally no idea about FeLV or …well… anything. All I could do for him the first month was get him treated for the infections he had from living on the street, clean him up and fatten him up. He was (still is) a very active kitty and responded well to food and medication and grew well. It was only in February (immediately after his first vaccination) that he had his first bout of feline flu. It took quite a long course of antibiotics to control it, and the vets (I visited 2) all put it down to a generally weak kitten immune system, and no one mentioned FeLV. Eventually Uno’s health seemed to improve with age and good food and lysine supplements, and I thought we were over the ‘weak immune system’ phase. Again, through the vaccination and neutering appointments, none of the vets ever mentioned testing for FeLV, and it did not occur to me that this was a ‘thing’ one had to do. As long as the cat was happy and healthy, we seemed fine.

In June, I moved homes and adopted Bandit, another rescue. His foster mom had visited a different (and clearly more thorough!) vet for vaccinations and neutering, and bandit was FeLV/ FIV negative as per his records. I’m kicking myself for this - but I STILL did not think of getting Uno tested for this even as foster mom passed me Bandit’s medical records.

Over the last 3 months - Uno had another bout of feline flu, got treated again, and life continued as normal. Uno and Bandit bonded, to the extent thshare food water and litter. Recently - bandit seemed to come down with feline flu, and I took him to the vet, who again prescribed the usual antibiotics. However, he also had a hacking cough that the vet wasn’t sure what to do about. All this was even more unfathomable as they’re strictly indoor (apartment) cats.

At this point - feeling uncomfortable with the recurring issues of cat health in the house, I decided to visit Bandit’s old vet, and get both cats screened for allergies at least. We went in today and Uno is FeLV positive. Bandit is still negative, much to everyone’s surprise. And ironically enough - Uno is in near perfect health at the moment.

I’ve been told to separate food, water, litter as much as possible, and Bandit will be vaccinated against FeLV as soon as he’s recovered from his cough. Uno will be tested again for FeLV 3-6 months from now, to see if he has fought it off. He’s been prescribed more supplements in the meantime.

I’m …. devastated. Uno is literally like my baby - I brought him up from when he weighed like a pound and was neglected and alone. I didn’t even think I was a cat person till he walked out of some bushes and into my life. But on a more practical front … I’m also struggling to figure out how to separate things for cats who are really bonded. They’re used to eating together and playing together ALL THE TIME. Uno grooms bandit every day (I know, this is a terrible idea right now). I hate the thought of locking either of them away in the spare room, they’ll cry and the other cat will sit waiting at the door for their playmate to be let out. I was so thrilled at how well they had bonded, and now … it’s a bad thing.

I’m trying to read up on FeLV but other than the grave prognoses, and consensus on isolating cats, I’m not really grasping much. Do I find a foster for bandit for a while to protect him? Do I prepare for only a few years at best with Uno? Should I consider rehoming bandit? each of these questions devastates me, and I hate to even think of separating them, but if it means a better life for bandit ... maybe I should? I'm already guilty of exposing him to the virus when he was perfectly healthy.

Not sure what to do or how to handle any of this. Any thoughts or advice would be great!

 

[ilos28]

I'm sorry for the diagnosis of your kitty, it's quite hard separate two cats after they spend so much time together.

I remember that my vet told me that FeLV is a bit complicated to get transmited, even if they share everything, the virus itself lives very little in environment, and, if I remember well, some cats can overcoming the illness (I think it's only in the beginning, not your case) or becoming a carrier and not suffer from the disease, but since your Uno has bad health, it doesn't seem the case. Vaccine is a good option, unfortunately it has about a 80% of protection (I think), and it is highly recommended, if not mandatory, that you have to keep them away from each other.

I know a couple of people who has cats with FeLV and/or FIV and healthy cats too, and they deal with the situation the best they can, but If you think you could not stand the situation, I mean, keeping them away, it's a tough decision, but you should think about giving Bandit up for adoption, since he is young he will adapt better to his new family.

 

[di and bob]

I have been living with FeLV-positive cats for years now and know how devastating this diagnosis can be......But I pray I can give you a little hope. Some cats can fight off the disease. There have been studies done that show grooming, sharing litterboxes, eating together, etc., does not spread the disease, although my vet even said it does. It comes more from deep bites, and my cats were outside cats for the first year of their lives. My Yammy has been so sick he lost most of his body weight and couldn't even stand. He had gotten sick several times before, but not quite this bad. The vet said he had days to live, this is when I first got the diagnosis. I keep Hartz Delectable Lickables (lickable treats in the stew flavors, not the bisque which he doesn't like) around because it is the ONLY thing I can get him to take a few licks of when he is sick. He would take two or three licks a couple of times a day. He was so sick for a little over a week. That was two years ago and he is lying beside me right now, fat and sassy! I did some research and started him, and the others, on DMG, an immune builder supplement. Also LifeGold, a supplement for cats with cancer. I give it every morning with a little bit of Delectable Lickables and they lap it right up. You can get it online on Amazon, Walmart, and pet med sites. It lasts a long time. I gave it twice a day for a month, then once a day. I really think building up the immune system helps.
I was so lucky, he didn't get sick for twenty months, they are strictly indoors now, and I carefully wash my hands after handling any cat dishes from outside. About a month ago he suddenly became sick again, refusing to eat, but not as bad, he didn't hide and he ate a little more, again for a week, and then he came around. I didn't bring him in to the vet, the stress he went under was awful.
So I guess what I am trying to say is just enjoy him as long as you can, I'll pray that he is one of them that can fight the disease. I have never separated my cats, two are positive and one is negative. That is up to you to decide. All I know is it is not near as contagious as distemper, you might do some more research. I quit looking on the internet, it was too depressing.

 

[UnoMama]

I have been living with FeLV-positive cats for years now and know how devastating this diagnosis can be......But I pray I can give you a little hope. Some cats can fight off the disease. There have been studies done that show grooming, sharing litterboxes, eating together, etc., does not spread the disease, although my vet even said it does. It comes more from deep bites, and my cats were outside cats for the first year of their lives.

Thank you so much, and yes, i'm praying that he can fight it off, or at least be healthy enough to live for many years yet. The good news is that he doesn't have any disease/health issues at this moment - he's healthy and eating and playing. I'll take that for now.

Some questions:
1. Do you separate food and water bowls for your positive/ negative cats? I'm struggling with that since mine are used to sharing, and while they do have feeding times, they are also used to not finishing the food at one go and coming back to it later. Specially Uno (FeLV +). Today i've given their food in separate rooms and I'm keeping the cats separated till they finish eating.
2. Water bowl and fountain - they've had a common water bowl and fountain so far, and they really like using it. I'm at a loss as to how to separate this... since water ought to be available through the day and in prominent places.
3. Litter boxes .... there are two, but I think they each use both (I haven't exactly monitored super closely.) Is it important and even possible to separate these?

Would love to know your experience!

 

[Chiliwillow]

Interesting. My cat had became ill after his vaccinations (fever, lethargic, and not eating). After several trips to vet they tested for FeLV and FIV with a SNAP test and it was positive for FeLV. They treated him with antibiotics and anti-inflamatories all to no avail. He was near death and I was considering having him put down but decided to take him to a cat specialist. She did a SNAP which came back positive for FIV but negative for FeLV. She sent blood to lab for a PCR confirmation and low and behold it was negative for both. It was a long 2 months of cold packs, hand feeding, and giving him Prednisolone. He is now weaned off of all medications and healthy.

 

[di and bob]

No, I don't separate mine at all from anything. They are a mother and two sons and have been together their whole lives. 7 and 8 years old now. I do feed them separately with little foam plates, but that is because I have a fatty who would hog all the food to himself.

 

[UnoMama]

No, I don't separate mine at all from anything. They are a mother and two sons and have been together their whole lives. 7 and 8 years old now. I do feed them separately with little foam plates, but that is because I have a fatty who would hog all the food to himself.

Oh that's interesting - are all of them FeLV? I made an assumption given the parent child relationship (the sons might have got it from their mother?)

 

[UnoMama]

Interesting. My cat had became ill after his vaccinations (fever, lethargic, and not eating). After several trips to vet they tested for FeLV and FIV with a SNAP test and it was positive for FeLV. They treated him with antibiotics and anti-inflamatories all to no avail. He was near death and I was considering having him put down but decided to take him to a cat specialist. She did a SNAP which came back positive for FIV but negative for FeLV. She sent blood to lab for a PCR confirmation and low and behold it was negative for both. It was a long 2 months of cold packs, hand feeding, and giving him Prednisolone. He is now weaned off of all medications and healthy.

So happy for your kitty ... TBH i'm hoping for some kind of recovery myself, there's only been one test and I do plan on asking for a PCR test when he's tested again in a few months

 

[di and bob]

Only the 'middle child' tested positive. The vet said his white blood cell count was "almost nonexistent" he didn't know how he wasn't having a heart attack. Dutch, the youngest, has been sick off and on too, so I suspect he is positive too. His are mostly lung-related, the vet said his lungs are scarred. The mother, who had them at 6 months and a year old, has never acted sick. I never had them tested, because really, it wouldn't change anything, and my vet told me to assume they had it too. But it's been two years and so far, so good! Other than that one time when Yammy became sick, but not near as bad as two years ago, they have been good. I really attribute it to the DMG and the LifeGold. Of course, keeping them indoors and away from illness carriers is a lot of it too. Both boys were getting pretty sick about every six months.

 

[UnoMama]

Only the 'middle child' tested positive. The vet said his white blood cell count was "almost nonexistent" he didn't know how he wasn't having a heart attack. Dutch, the youngest, has been sick off and on too, so I suspect he is positive too. His are mostly lung-related, the vet said his lungs are scarred. The mother, who had them at 6 months and a year old, has never acted sick. I never had them tested, because really, it wouldn't change anything, and my vet told me to assume they had it too. But it's been two years and so far, so good! Other than that one time when Yammy became sick, but not near as bad as two years ago, they have been good. I really attribute it to the DMG and the LifeGold. Of course, keeping them indoors and away from illness carriers is a lot of it too. Both boys were getting pretty sick about every six months.

this is amazing !!

at the moment my 1st - uno - is positive but surprisingly, the second - bandit - is still negative, despite sharing everything. I don’t want to fully separate them because they’re so bonded. I’m trying to feed them in separate rooms as much as possible just to minimise bandits exposure till he can be vaccinated. But long term I doubt that separation is a good idea as it will only make them unhappy

 

[di and bob]

I totally agree. I think as long as there aren't any real bites, deep ones, they should be OK. Of course, I can't know this for certain, but I cling to those studies that just living together and sharing does not spread the disease. I think it would be a LOT more widespread, like distemper, if it was......

 

[Chiliwillow]

The vet told me that FeLV was the fighters disease and FIV was the lovers disease.

 

[UnoMama]

I totally agree. I think as long as there aren't any real bites, deep ones, they should be OK. Of course, I can't know this for certain, but I cling to those studies that just living together and sharing does not spread the disease. I think it would be a LOT more widespread, like distemper, if it was......

I'm reading a lot these days and I'm holding on to every anecdote about mixed households as well. because if I can't have them together, the more humane option would be to put up bandit for adoption and let him have a full life elsewhere, which I DO NOT want for any of us. Bandit is settled in with us and loves us both (and we love him back). I can't and don't want to give him up. I'm willing to do anything it takes in terms of vaccines, supplements, diet and so on. I just want them both to have happy lives, and well, as long as is possible.

I've started the DMG and I'm going to ask the vet about LifeGold and maybe probiotics when I go in for bandit's vaccination. I just hope all of this works. In a surprising twist - i realized that a different vet had prescribed DMG for Uno during one of his flu bouts, so I have more than half a bottle left.

Oh - minor question - you said you mix the DMG with their lickables? (i'm assuming this is a wet treat - i don't seem to see this brand in malaysia). The vets here seemed to insist on feeding DMG directly via the dropper which I found strange even at the time, but I did my best to follow. If it can be given on wet food that'll save me some trouble each morning!

 

[UnoMama]

The vet told me that FeLV was the fighters disease and FIV was the lovers disease.

I'm holding on to all the evidence that seems to point this way, but like most things on the internet , it feels like there's multiple and confusing opinions about this!

I can only hope that with the vaccine, Bandit continues to remain negative and we can co-exist as we do. The cats are genuinely bonded and even hate eating in different rooms ... bandit waits by the door till I let uno out, and eats very little even if I bring him his bowl while he waits.

 

[di and bob]

I believe it is the fighters disease too. Not little scratches, etc.but deep bites into muscle.
I contacted the company and asked if it could be mixed with the LifeGold and if both could be put in a lickable treat. They said yes. One packet of Lickables is divided in threes for my three , so it isn't much and I'm sure they eat it all. It can really be anything they really like. I've put meds in beaten egg yolk and tuna too. The Hartz Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors is definitely their favorite.it is online at Dollar stores, Amazon, Wal-Mart's, and Targets. I don't know if you have any of those though where you are at. I just want you to have some hope, I have gotten two more years with them and am eternally grateful!

 

[Kflowers]

If you give Bandit up for a 'better' home, it may not work out that way. All life has risks. He could lose his new family or rush the door in an attempt to return to his real family and be run over. There are actually fewer risks staying with the ones he loves now than second guessing chance.

 

[UnoMama]

I believe it is the fighters disease too. Not little scratches, etc.but deep bites into muscle.
I contacted the company and asked if it could be mixed with the LifeGold and if both could be put in a lickable treat. They said yes. One packet of Lickables is divided in threes for my three , so it isn't much and I'm sure they eat it all. It can really be anything they really like. I've put meds in beaten egg yolk and tuna too. The Hartz Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors is definitely their favorite.it is online at Dollar stores, Amazon, Wal-Mart's, and Targets. I don't know if you have any of those though where you are at. I just want you to have some hope, I have gotten two more years with them and am eternally grateful!

Ok this is great to know. I've started putting the DMG into their morning wet food which they each finish (separately!) so I know they're getting the meds.

Thank you so much for being there these last few days - I needed to hear more from someone who's actually in the same boat and this has all helped. I don't suppose I'll ever feel 'carefree' about their health ever again, but I feel like I can at least face things calmly right now. I can only get bandit vaccinated and hope that he continues to remain in good health, and with Uno, I can only hope that he either kicks it or that the supplements help the virus remain regressive and we keep extending his lifespan as much as is possible.

It feels horribly unfair when I see other cats in perfect health and wonder why it had to happen to Uno ... but well, that's life I guess.

 

[UnoMama]

If you give Bandit up for a 'better' home, it may not work out that way. All life has risks. He could lose his new family or rush the door in an attempt to return to his real family and be run over. There are actually fewer risks staying with the ones he loves now than second guessing chance.

Yes, after much thought I've come to the same conclusion. Much as I feel guilty for exposing him to a deadly disease - upending his life once again may not be the best solution. He's changed homes twice (Street-Foster-Me) and he's a sweet, shy cat who might not adjust well to yet another change. And it'll leave both him and uno stressed and lonely.

Praying that he remains negative for another 10 days till he can be vaccinated, and that the vaccine protects him the best it can afterwards.

 

[Chiliwillow]

I'm holding on to all the evidence that seems to point this way, but like most things on the internet , it feels like there's multiple and confusing opinions about this!

I can only hope that with the vaccine, Bandit continues to remain negative and we can co-exist as we do. The cats are genuinely bonded and even hate eating in different rooms ... bandit waits by the door till I let uno out, and eats very little even if I bring him his bowl while he waits.

When Eddie was sick I was throwing the kitchen sink at him trying to get him well. Even though he was negative for both FIV and FeLV with the PCR test he had something going on with his immune system. After he was weaned off of the Prednisolone he developed pillow paw and could hardly walk. I found something called Immune Harmony and Power Probiotic for pets with FIV and FeLV and about a week later he paws were back to normal. Both vets I took him to finally concluded it was a reaction to having multiple vaccinations at once which made his immune system go haywire.