Kitty with feline leukemia. =(
By IsThatLatin
@IsThatLatin (19)
United States
July 19, 2009 12:21pm CST
I have an awesome cat named Moggy whom we pulled out of a pipe about a year and a half ago when he was a tony little kitten. We didn't intend to keep him, but we took him to the vet and got him all fixed up--unfortunately, the tests came back positive for feline leukemia. They said he was likely born with it. A year and a half later, he's a monstrosity--a great big, black cat. His check-up a number of months ago surprised the vet, as she was expecting him to be rather sickly, underweight, etc. But, nope! He's huge, healthy, and, in fact, we've had to put him on a diet as the vet said he could stand to lose a pound. They said that he now actually stands a good chance of actually working the virus out of his system. And since that check up (about 6 months ago), there's been no change in him--he's still happy and sturdy and crazy, as usual.
Here is my dilemma: I'm about to move and when I do, I'll be moving in with a roommate who has a cat ("Peanut," no leukemia). We are moving into a relatively small two bedroom apartment for grad school. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how these two kitties could live together and not transfer the virus? I was sort of hoping that since he's doing so well, as the vet as posited that the virus might be getting weaker in his system, that the chances of transferal might be lower than anticipated.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@mrakobesie (1246)
• United States
20 Jul 09
from what i understand, virus is usually transfered through secretions, saliva, biting, close contact. so there really is no way to guaranty that the other cat will not get infected. it survives only 2 hours in dry environment and 48 hours in damp. You can minimize the chances of them getting cancer though by switching them to all raw diet. get them organic meat and wild fish, wheat grass and so on... there was a study done on cat's diet that showed that cats who eat only raw food are much healthier then those who eat cooked. cats who eat cooked food, especially generations of cats, get all sorts of diseases, including cancer. this diet should also help the immune system fight the virus. feed both cats only raw food and they will have better chances of not getting infected and fighting back the virus.
@IsThatLatin (19)
• United States
20 Jul 09
We've tried to feed Moggy raw foods (which is a little icky for us, as we're both vegetarians), but he won't touch the stuff. He's actually really picky--he doesn't eat soft food. The vet told us to give him a quarter cup of crunchies twice a day, which we've been doing (but he still seems to be gaining weight!), but even with the crunchies--he'll eat something for a while, but then suddenly he decides he doesn't want it any more. So, we switch and try new things, then try to trick him into eating something he used to eat but as since given up. =)
@mrakobesie (1246)
• United States
21 Jul 09
try wysong brand, it's the best dry food i found... my cats love it, and it's mostly raw...
i know what you are talking about though, i'm vegan mylelf and mixing meat with carrots doesn't feel too good... did you try giving him fish by chance? i thought my cats were going to bite my hands off when i gave them bluefish yesterday, they loved the smell and taste... also, did you try giving him grass? wheat grass goes a long way for my cats, they eat it all the time... i just have a small amount growing next to their dishes so they can have it any time they want...
there is also dry vegan food for cats that proved to be very healthy, it's supplemented with everything cats need from meat, so they have all the nutrients and it's meat free. for some cats vegan food is actually the only way to survive... some cats can't digest meat for some reason... they sell both dry and canned vegan food on line... Another thing you might want to try is drying food, i have a dehydrator, so i sometimes experiment with foods like that. i mix meat and different veggies and greens and dry it for them... they seemed to like it... If you dry food yourself, you can also change it around every now and then so he will keep on eating something new...
@savypat (20216)
• United States
19 Jul 09
Check with your Vet, but I think if the other cat has had it's shot there should be not problem. You cat may also be past the stage of having a virus that can be transmitted. The best thing to do is ask the Vet, don't take any chances.
