my cats went to the vet for a check up today....and i found out that they test positive for FeLV. they are a little over a yr old and they seem perfectly healthy right now....is it possible for them to still live a long realitively healthy life with FeLV?
2007-03-01 17:12:14 · 9 answers · asked by little missy 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
ive had my cats now since they were both babies, and according to the vet, they are both really healthy minus that detail....the vet also said that they were born with the virus and got it from their mom
2007-03-01 17:26:37 · update #1
right now my babies are about a year and four months old and they have had it since birth and not showed any signs of illness...except one of them has a messed up knee where my ex crushed it by stepping on her, but it healed rather quickly and now doesnt give her any trouble
2007-03-02 14:34:34 · update #2
a felv + cat can live anywhere from 2-11 years! there is no saying, it depends on your cats and their bodies! The most important thing to remember is to keep them indoors (away from other animals), and not to bring anymore cats into your house until 6 months after they are gone!! then don't use the same litter box or food dishes! Enjoy them while you have them!!
2007-03-01 17:23:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They all need to be kept indoors from here on out to prevent spreading the disease to other cats. They can live very long otherwise healthy lives with regular vet care. We had a cat live to be 15 with it. When I had that cat I'd never heard of FeLV or FIV. This was only 10 years ago. My vet said he was a carrier and he infected 4 of my other cats (all have passed since), the rest of the cats I had at the time are healthy and still living. One cat is now 12, one is 11, most are now 8-10 in age and were not here when I had the carrier. I bought a test kit in a catalog and if there was any positive tests, they were retested by the vets for verification. For any other cats, don't get any more until these have passed (if you were to get more) and then wait at least 6 months before introducing more into your home. We always said no more when one passed, but one (or 2) would always find their way to my home and our hearts at the right time. I had one put down with feline lupus (terminal) rare version, she had lesions inside her body and not on the outside. Her insides were being rotted away little by little (antibiotics helped the outbreaks most of the time until the end). Her life expectancy was 1 month from onset, she lived for 5 years with treatments and determination from me. When you have a pet with any disease, you must give them 150% of your best and they will thrive from your determination. Mine did.
2007-03-01 17:37:05 · answer #2 · answered by wolfinator25840 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It breaks my heart to read this. You are going through something I have been through twice before. I lost two cats within 6 months of finding out they had this nasty illness. Just make sure they are very happy. They won't live a long life and it is a very sad thing to watch. They have their way of letting you know...when they are ready and you make up your mind what you want to do.
If you do loose the kittens....wait at least 6 months before you get another cat. this is passed through saliva. So if they ever fight with another cat...share food or a litter box with another cat...that other cat with get it It is a horrid thing for a cat to have. You have to get shots for this every single year. After I lost my two cats I waited teh 6 months and throw all my cat stuff away. I am lucky enough now to have a very healthy happy 15 year old cat...who gets her shot for FELV every single year
I wish you and your kitty's happiness for as long as you have them.
2007-03-01 18:55:05 · answer #3 · answered by Kathi T 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not a death sentence any longer. It is a disease that affects their immune systems so you want to keep them healthy. make sure you keep them indoors and have regular vet check ups, feed them well and take notice if they show any signs of getting sick, you want to nip it in the bud quickly. They can live long lives as healthy as any cat, just keep them safe and happy.
2007-03-01 18:08:27 · answer #4 · answered by katie d 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've been told that is is similar to AIDS, (humans don't catch AIDS from cats). The length of life depends on the relative health and weight. However, Feline leukemia is extremely contagious to cats, and your cats can spread it merely by touching noses with other cats. If you can keep them away from all other cats for their entire lives, they can live a happy lifetime, If you can't they will kill other cats that they meet.
2007-03-01 17:23:30 · answer #5 · answered by Big Bruce 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we had a cat with fiv who had it since he was about 1 and he lived till he was 17 .... it helps if you keep them indoors, and keep them up on their shots and such, the fiv issue is still relatively new for vets i think . even now you can get three different answers on how easy it is to spread ( we did...) depending on who you ask. i can tell you that we had three cats ( including 2 fiv pos) and 1 clean and she never got it! they all shared water bowls food bowls and litter boxes....
2007-03-01 18:07:45 · answer #6 · answered by sfdawg666 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
according to the books i have read, cats can live about 10-22 years
2007-03-01 21:34:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
depends on how serious the disease is,,maybe 3 -14 years
2007-03-05 09:46:17 · answer #8 · answered by jerry 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it depends on how serious the disease is....i think that they can actually kill the disease themeselves in like 6 months.....but idk for sure
2007-03-01 17:20:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋