 Purred: Sat Aug 12, '06 6:23pm PST |
 | |  | | I know that I'm late in responding to this post, but I don't think I was a member when it was started, and I haven't really checked the group page..... Plus I wasn't having any symptoms prior to two days ago...
How old are you or are you ATB (at the bridge)?
12, almost 13 (October 3 is my b-day)
How old were you when you were diagnosed?
12 (in the middle of April I was diagnosed)
Do you have any symtoms of the disease?
Up until three-four days ago, no. I started having symptoms of my other disease, FIP, in April. That's when Grandpaw took me to the vet and I was diagnosed with FIP and FeLV. I was having seizures from FIP (vet thinks possible brain tumor) but I stopped having them with the help of my two medications that I take daily: prednisone and phenobarbital. A few days ago, (after I stayed at the vet's being boarded for 5 days which is why we don't know if I have a cold or symptoms of FeLV), Mom noticed that I was sneezing a lot. Then two days ago, I woke up with a stuffy nose, severe sneezing, and a severely watery eye. After speaking with the vet over the phone, Mom went to Walmart and came back with this icky medicine I have to take twice a day now (1/2 tsp Children's Benedryl). It has helped with the eye but not too much with the sneezing.... yet! And because it's an antihistamine, I've been feeling even more weak and drowsy than before!
How long after you were diagnosed did you begin to develop symptoms and what kind of symptoms did you develop? It's been four months since I was diagnosed, but we think I've had FeLV for the past nine or ten months because I was exposed to it by my step-fursibling Maximo, who went to the Bridge from FeLV last November. The only symptoms that have (possibly) appeared are the sneezing/watery eye, but again, we do not know if this is possibly a cold or a URI that I got while being boarded at the vet.
What advice did your vet give you about the disease? He said to keep me separated from my fursiblings, especially the litter pans/food/water dishes.
Any advice for newly diagnosed kitties? Don't give up just because you are diagnosed! We read that one cat who was diagnosed at the age of two years lived to be eleven!!!!!
Did your vet tell you the vaccine for FeLv was "optional"? No. And this is an important point I need to make: I was always up to date with all my vaccinations, including FeLV vaccination, which is 90-95% effective. We did not find out the vaccine was not 100% until after I was diagnosed with FeLV. When Maximo showed up at our house, last April, we did not know he was sick with FeLV. We knew he was sick, but thought it was because of a cold and waited three or four weeks to take him to the vet. By that time, he had an abscess and tested + for FeLV but we had him operated on and he lived for nine months! Mom didn't see a reason for concern since all us cats have our shots. The vets didn't stress that Maximo's FeLV could be transmitted to any of us! They said to keep him indoors to protect other neighborhood cats, and they assumed that Mom knew to keep us separated too. Maximo and I were best friends and spent all our time together, which is why I got the disease out of all 5 other cats. Please beware: it can be contagious even when other cats are (and always have been) vaccinated!! |  |  | |  |
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Ask a Cat Lady: Why Does My Cat Love Knocking Things Down?
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