Re: Hi Im new to the list

Nancy A. Schmall ( (no email) )
Mon, 1 Feb 1999 14:30:38 -0600 (CST)

Hi Marcia,
At present I have an FIV cat but not an FELV one. However, I have had
three with FELV in the past. The way I understand it, is cats who have
been vaccinated have a 70%--85% rate of being protected. In the past (and
now theoretically) I would not separate my cats. They have know each
other for years, have made friends amongst themselves, and my trailer
would not be big enough to separate them and my schedule not flexible
enough to where I could spend equal time with them. My own feeling is to
keep them together because getting FELV (as bad as it is) I think would be
less harmful than the stress of their separation.

There are some things you can do (which I did): rotate food bowls,
keeping original
food on a counter or something for 8-12 hours and then rotating again.
The virus can't live for very long outside the body. Rotate water bowls
using a fresh bowl and fresh water every 8-12 hours, and clean litter
boxes
frequently with bleach and water. For years I would wash food and water
bowl with a bleach mixture. Also, add vitamins and echinacea to your
pets' diet to increase immune function. It's a hard decision, but one
only you can decide--what is right for your household and yourself. Good
luck. Nancy P.S. Welcome to the list!

> Im new to this list and hope it can be of some help to me:) My name is Marcia
> and I live in NY. In october I found a kitten and shes tested positive for
> FELV. I kept her seperate from my other 6 cats and had them all updated for
> the vacc. My vet said my cats would be 98% protected from the virus so i let
> the kitten out. Now Im hearing all kinds of different opionions. I cant put
> her down and Im going to try to do the best I can for her and my other cats.
> What have you all been trying in terms of treatment to fight this disease?
> Thanx.
> Marcia:)
>