Could you help with your kitty ping list?
If you don’t who will? I say go for it and love and be prepared to let go. You will likely give the cat some quality years!
Absolutely not.
Sure, adopt the kitty then prepare to have your heart broken.
I had two cats that were diagnosed with Feline Leukemia, which back then was also known as Feline AIDS. They were two years old at diagnosis, and they lived until they were 17-18 years old.
I love animals, and I know nothing about feline illnesses. But sometimes doing the right thing is the most humane. My cat had kidney failure, and the vet said it could of lived on dialysis, but what kind of life is that for a cat? Would your cat be in pain, or need meds that would make it not really a cat? I don’t know, but those things do need to be considered.
I took stray from my brother and sister in law, Blondie was diagnosed with FIL. 2 months and almost a thousand dollars the vet put her down because she got a viral infection that moved into her brain. I state this not to tell you “don’t do it”, but rather to prepare you for a potential. Some survive for years, others...
One serious caution, feline leukemia is very contagious. We had to disinfect or home and the vet visits are very controlled.
Feline Leukemia is a death sentence for cats. If someone is allowing them to be adopted, they should be beaten.
There is no more fatal decease(sp unsure) than this for cats and they suffer horribly!
If this is an only cat, that’s one thing. You can’t bring a cat with leukemia home to one that has cat(s) that are healthy. Several of my cats contracted leukemia as outdoor pets from strays and they did not live long afterwards. Three that contracted it as kittens (or may have been born with it), one lived only to about 6 months, another about a year and a half (and she went blind) and the last one just short of two. Some cats can live longer with it than others, it just depends on the symptoms. The one that made it the longest for me didn’t present serious symptoms until the last month or so of its life, and he suffered from respiratory failure.
Ultimately, you have to be prepared for the prospect the cat could live a short time (or, it might live longer). Probably no different than adopting a senior cat.
Absolutely not. I had a kitten arrive at my house. Brought out the fancy feast and wouldn’t eat it. It looked starved and had matted eyes. I had called the vets to work on its ailment but had first called the animal shelter to pick up the cat but no answer. As it turned out (thankfully) they arrived before I had made the trip to vets and later called to say that they had to put it down because of feline leukemia. I am thankful my other cats (indoor/outdoor) had not made the scene. They were in the house.
No
Yes even it’s only 3 months or 12 years give him/her a good life. But be prepared for vet bills, and his/her departure. And adopt only if you have no other cats and promise to keep the cat in the house, feline leukemia is contagious among cats only.
I would think that since your niece is a vet, she would be the best source of answers for you.
We had a cat that needed two injections of insulin a day for 14 years.
A fine friend and a most missed member of the family.
Best of luck with your decision.
We dearly loved our f l cat and he was great fun playing too. I don’t know if the docs have found a cure yet?
And there you have it — answers all over the place.
IMHO, the thing that matters the most is that you’ll have a cat in quarantine for the rest of its life. No kitty sleepovers, etc.
Do you plan on a multi-cat household, or just this one kitty?
A cat showed up at our house that was less than a year and we all fell in love. Once we decided to keep him we took it to vet and was told he had FIV. They suggested euthanasia but we decided to keep him. He lived for 14 years with very little health complications. A few times he had some dental issues but nothing life threatening. He brought us much joy. So I would say yes but it would be best if he was an inside cat and the only one. Our cat had already lived around our other cats for a few months before we discovered the FIV so there was not much we could do.. Neither of the other cats got it and they all lived for over 12 years. For us, we are so happy we made the decision to keep him
There is a major difference between a cat having full blown Feline Leukemia, and a positive blood test for FeL markers, without manifesting other symptoms. So first, pin down which situation describes this cat.
FeLv tests often yield false positives. Young cats that test positive can go through long lives without FeL symptoms. Sometimes a retest after a year or two comes out negative.
An actual case of Feline Leukemia usually manifests as a long decline with wasting away due loss of appetite and battling secondary infections. The end stage is awful, and euthanasia becomes the merciful course. If the cat actually has Feline Leukemia, you should consider whether you can provide hospice care (the vet could estimate for how long), and you will need to watch carefully to decide when the cat is suffering.
I doubt the vet would ask you to adopt an actively dying animal, at least without making it clear that was what you were getting into. If it tested positive but has no symptoms, there’s a risk the cat will develop FeL later. It could be soon, it could be years. Wishing you all the best with this.
Put me in the no column. Have been through it. Expensive and heart wrenching.