Feline Leukemia Virus

[livingwith]

My neighborhood has a large colony of feral cats. When a new one shows up, I gather money together to get them their shots and get them spayed or neutered. The new male cat showed up recently, but he isn’t feral. He’s grey with darker grey stripes and a bit of white on his belly and chin. He is 1 - 2 years old, healthy looking (except for a few missing teeth), likes being pet and will try come in the house (I have done this long enough to know not to let a new cat around my house...Read the full article

[mpsanna]

I understand how you feel. My "once stray" cat, Joey, was diagnosed yesterday with FeLV. We live in farm territory and there are always cats that need homes and TLC. Joey has been with me for almost 3 years and was neutered. He is both an indoor-outdoor cat. I noticed a lump on his upper lip and it was diagnosed as a tumor. Now I need to decide which direction to go. We also have Steve, another stray. We took him in about 6 months after Joey. Tomorrow I am taking him in to the vet to see if he too has the virus. My daughter found a 4 week old kitten in a parking lot who was on Death's Door. We've only had him for 5 days now and she keeps him in her room. Luckily, we have not allowed our two older cats to go near "Yoda". I love Joey, but can't see myself confining him in a cage for the rest of his life. Due to the tumor, his prognosis is dismal. Unlike many people that allow their cats to breed freely, I consider Joey to be an important part of my life. I know that I can't allow him to roam and possibly infect other cats in our area, but how does one decide when it's time to "let go"? The vet said surgery to remove Joey's tumor would cost about $300 and there is no guarantee that his life will be improved. She also said his healing from the surgery might be prolonged due to the virus in him. What can I do? I'm so confused and upset.