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feline leukemia questions
OK, so a few months ago we took our cat to the vet because he appeared to be loosing weight. When we got to the doctors we were shocked to find out that he also had a fever, was pale, and recently had diarehha. (he was a mostly white cat and I didn't see any diarehha in his litter box). The vet said he wanted to do a test and he tested positive for feline leukemia and said that he was pretty far along and there wasn't anything he could do. we had our cat put to sleep during the same visit because he said he could give it to our other cat (his brother), who he has lived with his entire life.
fast foward to now and I think I would like to get another cat to keep our cat company. him and his Brother had just turned 2 when we he developed the feline leukemia and started getting bad. When I was at the vet he said that he thought I should get our other cat (mostly black) tested for feline leukemia but when I asked if it would show up since he seemed to be doing fine and had no symptoms, the vet said it may not.
So, do I get our cat tested for feline leukemia and if it is negative, get another cat? Should I just assume he has it and not get any other cats for fear that he may some day develop the symptoms and give it to our other future cats? My wife says she does not want to get a cat that is already feline leukemia positive because she doesn't want to go through the pain of knowing she is going to lose them fairly soon.
Re: feline leukemia questions
You really need to get on the Best Friends website and the Cornell vet school website and research both diseases; it does not sound like your vet is very well informed on FeLv. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/felv.html
Were they tested when you adopted them? How old when you adopted them? Have they ever been allowed outdoors? Have they ever been vaccinated for FeLv to your knowledge?
I would definitely have your cat tested. FeLv should show up even in a cat who is asymptomatic. A cat does not have to be symptomatic to spread the virus to other cats. At the very least testing will allow you to better manage his condition if he is positive. The percentages vary but a lot of healthy cats are able to fight off infection just fine. Two of mine were exposed three years ago and tested negative after exposure. The kitten who tested positive has since shed the virus and now consistently tests negative. He and his siblings all tested negative when we first got them.
I probably wouldn't adopt a new cat into the household if he is positive, but you could look into getting the new cat vaccinated if you're dead set on getting a second kitty.
Is the cat you have now indoor only? Have they ever been exposed to any other cats? If not I'd guess they were exposed to FeLv as kittens. I'd go ahead and test him because you can use preventative measures to stay as healthy as possible if he has FeLv. If he doesn't have it then you should be ok to adopt a cat who is not FeLv. Please do not declaw, I'll find the link for you, but it is connected with long term health issues aside from being medically unnecessary and causing life long pain (it is an amputation at the knuckle). Most rescues and shelters will not adopt to people who declaw.
I also really think you need a new vet. i hope your old cat was actually euthanized because he was too sick to survive and not because of fear of exposure....cats can live together with FeLv and never spread it; the risk of transmission could have been greatly reduced by a vaccination for the cat who wasnt positive. I just can't fathom a vet telling you not to test a cat because it didn't show symptoms? Exposed is exposed is exposed. If the only way they've been exposed to it was as kittens more than enough time had passed to get a reliable reading on the blood test.
Our cat is strictly an indoor cat currently. The only time he was an outside cat was before we took him and his brother in. We had our cat put down because the vet said it could be transferred to our other cat and that he was already going downhill quickly. We were worried that if we took him home it would only put our other cat at more risk and prolong the sick cats pain. As far as we knew he was not actually in any physical pain yet, but he had been acting strange and was losing weight. The vet told us he also had a fever and was pale.