Feline Leukemia Virus

[livingwith]

Several years ago, I lost my companion soon after my house burned to the ground. When I woke up one morning in my temporary apartment, she was completely lethargic and would not eat or drink anything. I took her to the animal hospital, and the vet gave her a heart worm shot. The following morning, she was dead. I thought I would never find another cat like her, but God answered my prayers, and I just happened to find a stray kitten who looked and acted just like her. We were in seventh heav...Read the full article

[Midnight11]

It is so sad to read these posts. I have lost a number of cats to FelV - to cut a long story short, a newly adopted cat turned out to be FelV positive (and also pregnant), and over the course of a few months we lost her, four of her five kittens, and my existing two cats who I had adopted earlier. By some miracle the one remaining kitten is still around (5 years later), but I have not adopted any other cats because of the danger of her passing on the virus to them.

But I would like to offer some words of hope and comfort if I can. The first thing is that it helps to take one day at a time and not be intimidated by the FelV label. So many animals are destroyed when diagnosed with FelV even when they are still outwardly healthy, because owners are not aware that they can manage the disease. My understanding is that FelV acts in a similar way to the HIV virus in humans, breaking down the immune system. In other words, health will deteriorate over time. But that is common with so many diseases, and the best thing you can do is treat the symptoms as best you can under guidance from your vet, whilst maintaining the best quality of life you can for your cat. There is a good chance that you will enjoy your cat's company for several months and even years to come, so try not to dwell on the inevitable but make the best of the time that you have. None of us can predict what tomorrow may bring, all that we really have is here and now.

I understand the agony of having to make the decision to let your cat go. When my cats were first diagnosed I enlisted the help of an animal communicator, and she was able to communicate with my cats remotely and relay to me, which was an enormous comfort. She also told me that cats and animals in general don't think about death in the same way that humans do. Two of my cats in particular were great old spirits who I feel have been around for a very long time, and came into my life when I needed them most. They are still a source of comfort to me even though they have passed, and although they have no physical form I know that they are still there for me when I need them. I am not a particularly spiritual person, but I am convinced of this.

For anyone who has lost their pet recently, you may find some comfort in reading the poem "rainbow bridge" - just type it into your search engine. If you can, try and turn your loss into something positive by making sure that your friends and colleagues know the importance of immunization for their animals, and that it is quite possible for an FelV positive cat to have a good quality of life for months and even years after the diagnosis.