Good news has turned to bad news....

[charliebubs]

Wood Green have just called me regarding William (the stray that I took there today). Unfortunately he has tested positive for FELV and will be PTS.

I'm gutted :cry: firstly for William, who seemed such a lovely cat and secondly I'm now worried about my bunch, as they had had some scraps with him. Also I know that he was trying to mount Lily. I don't think she ever let him, but I'm petrified now that he could have passed something onto them.

I can't call my vets until Monday morning, so was wondering if anyone on here has any experience of FELV and what it could mean for my cats?

What a day. :(

[Fran]

I'm so sorry to hear this Charlie :( I think Smudgley wll be the best person to advise you here. I feel gutted that they are putting him to sleep :(

[dinahsmum]

Smudgley is probably your woman.
She's on line so i hope she won't be long
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_6_109v.gif
In the meantime - try not to worry

[smudgley]

Charlie that is the exact reason why I said this on your origional thread about him

Have you been feeding him? Or does he just come inside & help himself?

I wouldn't have an entire male stray in my house, even if it meant shutting off the catflap.

I would be concerned about my cats if I were you now. Sorry if that is not what you want to hear, but it's a very nasty virus

{{Hugs for you & your cats - hope all is well}}

[smudgley]

Did he have much contact with them?
Lick them?
Use their litter tray?
Spray in your house?
Eat from their bowls?
Bite them?

[Fran]

Is this the Leukaemia disease Smudgley? If so are your cats not vaccinated against Leukaemia Charlie?

[charliebubs]

I've just been reading up on it and it says on the FAB website that it can be spread via infected urine or saliva - so the fact that he has been spraying in my house and eating out of my cats bowls isn't a good sign.

Smudgley - I did try everything I could to keep him out in the beginning, as you know. I don't have a door on my catflap so shutting that wasn't an option. I have tried to do what was best for my cats and also for William.

I didn't think that it would come to this.

I will take mine for blood tests asap, but in the meantime would appreciate some support rather than "I told you so" posts.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm gutted. For all the cats.

[alexgirl73]

Charlie I am so sorry to hear this! I'll keep everything crossed for you and your cats. ((hugs)) xx

[charliebubs]

Is this the Leukaemia disease Smudgley? If so are your cats not vaccinated against Leukaemia Charlie?

Yes, mine are all vaccinated against it Fran. But are the vaccinations 100% effective? If so, I can stop worrying. :?

[Fran]

Yes, mine are all vaccinated against it Fran. But are the vaccinations 100% effective? If so, I can stop worrying. :?

I'm really not sure Charlie, have your vets got a surgery tomorrow at all so that you could at least enquire?

[alexgirl73]

Charlie have a look at this site

http://www.yorkcats.org.uk/felv.htm

[charliebubs]

I'm really not sure Charlie, have your vets got a surgery tomorrow at all so that you could at least enquire?

No, not until 8 o'clock Monday morning now. I'm going to call them first thing.

[charliebubs]

Charlie have a look at this site

http://www.yorkcats.org.uk/felv.htm

Thanks Alex.

That says that the vaccinations are not 100% which I thought would be the case.

It also says that the virus cannot be transmitted by using the same food bowls, but the FAB website says that it can. I guess it depends on the time that has passed between the infected cat and non-infected cat using the bowl?

Anyway, we'll all be off to the vets on Monday.

[alexgirl73]

Did you read the part that some cats can have false positives with in house tests? Make sure your vet tests are sent to Glasgow, and will be thinking of you over the next few days. xx

[Fran]

Fingers crossed for you Charlie x x x

[Mags]

So sorry to hear this Charlie ......... I hope and pray your all your cats will be alright:( (((hugs)))

[smudgley]

I've just been reading up on it and it says on the FAB website that it can be spread via infected urine or saliva - so the fact that he has been spraying in my house and eating out of my cats bowls isn't a good sign.

Smudgley - I did try everything I could to keep him out in the beginning, as you know. I don't have a door on my catflap so shutting that wasn't an option. I have tried to do what was best for my cats and also for William.

I didn't think that it would come to this.

I will take mine for blood tests asap, but in the meantime would appreciate some support rather than "I told you so" posts.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm gutted. For all the cats.

It wasn't an "I told you so post" Charlie, it was just explaining that the reason I said I wouldn't have an entire Tom in my house was because of the potential risk of FeLV & FIV. I know you tried to do what's best for him & I know it's very difficult for you & I know you need support right now & that you probably didn't like my reply, but I was just being honest in saying I would be worried now if my cats had been in contact with an FeLV positive cat. I do want to be supportive but I don't know what else to say other than what I said before.
Speak to your vet & they will advise you of the best action to take, be guided by them as to when to blood test etc, as they will be able to advise regarding incubation period etc.

[smudgley]

The in house ELIZA tests are not as accurate as sending them to Glasgow / Bristol. (As they will test for the virus as opposed to testing for the antibodies which is what the snap tests at the vets do)

[Fran]

The in house ELIZA tests are not as accurate as sending them to Glasgow / Bristol. (As they will test for the virus as opposed to testing for the antibodies which is what the snap tests at the vets do)

So in theory, if William has been innoculated against Leukaemia this could result in his positive 'in-house' test result??

[Fran]

Won't the majority of cats vaccinated test positive for this in house test then??

[smudgley]

http://www.catchat.org/leukaemia.html

[Fran]

Ok, this is way above my head. My worries are..
1..that William should have the test sent to Glasgow before being condemed to death.... and
2...what are the results for a leukaemia vaccinated cat likely to be??

[smudgley]

this may help Fran

http://www.gla.ac.uk/companion/ofelv.htm

[smudgley]

Ok, this is way above my head. My worries are..
1..that William should have the test sent to Glasgow before being condemed to death.... and
2...what are the results for a leukaemia vaccinated cat likely to be??

I can't answer your Q's fran.

But I think a false positive is more likely than a false negative. A false negative is unlikely IMO, but a false positive is more common.

[smudgley]

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=17653&highlight=FeLV

[Elaine]

http://thehovel.com/bb/viewtopic.php?highlight=felv+fiv&t=1222
So very sorry to read the news Charlie and I do hope that Woodgreen re-test poor William before deciding to end his life. Above is a link to an interesting article written by Cat Action Trust.

[Elaine]

http://thehovel.com/bb/viewtopic.php?highlight=felv+fiv&t=1223
Here is another one on blood testing.

[smudgley]

snap Elaine.;)
The hovel article is the same as the CC one from the link above.

[Elaine]

Oops sorry, didnt take the time to read it through properly LOL

[smudgley]

the CAT (Cat action trust) article on their policy is very interesting reading.

[dandysmom]

Very distressed to hear the news, Charlie! I do hope the Glasgow results will be negative, and that your cats will test OK also...please let is know. Thinking of you, (((hugs))) .......

[logoes]

I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but we had to have our big ginger tom pts with leukaemia, the Vet reckoned he had been bitten - BUT when we didn't know, and he lived with our little Melba sharing bowls etc, but she never developed it and hadn't had any innoculations of any sort for the previous 9 years. I hope this will give you some hope. Logoes

[yola]

Charlie - you must be going out of your mind with worry. And I do hope the shelter are certain about William's results before having him PTS.

All the best for Monday - I hope the vet is able to help and reassure you.

[dinahsmum]

Difficult time for you CB. Take heart from Logoes' post above and try not to look on the black side. I know it's natural but be positive. ...... and you'll have to learn to be patient too. I'm sorry this is happening to you.

[charliebubs]

Thank you so much for all your posts and the links. I feel like an expert of FeLV now!

I am still really upset about this and worried about my own cats, but am trying to think positive and see from Smudgleys CatChat link that it's actually very hard for adult cats to transmit the virus. Also, with what Logoes says above.........I think there's a chance that they'll be okay.

I'll def make sure that the vets do the tests to be sent to Glasgow or Bristol, rather than in-house.

As for William, unfortunately it's Wood Green's policy to only test once. He has been placed in an isolation unit pending being pts. They do all their own in-house tests and don't have the resources to send to Glasgow or to keep him for 12 weeks to wait and re-test. I'm really, really sad for William. At least he has had a night in the warm though with food and water and warm bedding and cuddles. :(

I'll put a post in the gone but not forgotten for him.

Fingers crossed for my five tomorrow. I'll ring the vets first thing and seek their advice.

Thanks again for all your support and Smudgley, I'm so sorry I snapped at you. Please don't take it personally. I was just so worried and anxious. Believe me that I never wanted to put my cats in this position and if I could do anything to change it I would.

Sorry and thanks. :)

[Sweet]

((((((hugs to you)))))) at this very hard time x

[alexgirl73]

So sorry for William Charlie, and thinking of your kitties too (((HUGS)))!!

[smudgley]

No offense taken.
I know this is difficult for you & I'm sure your cats will be fine.
I'm sad for William, but I do understand their reasons.

[Fran]

I'm gutted for William :( Having read what I have now read there is no way he should be put to sleep on one in- house test, it's disgraceful :mad:

[charliebubs]

I'm gutted for William :( Having read what I have now read there is no way he should be put to sleep on one in- house test, it's disgraceful :mad:

I agree Fran and spoke to Wood Green again this afternoon to see if there was anything else I could do for William. They have said that they are going to keep him for 7 days in their isolation unit, as he came in as a stray they have to allow this time to see if any owners come forward.

At the end of that 7 days they have agreed to re-test him. It will only be another in-house test, but it's better than nothing.

His fate will depend on that test and if it is another positive result he will unfortunatley be PTS.

A little glimmer for him............:D

[alexgirl73]

Lots of positive thoughts heading Williams way Charlie!

[Mags]

This is such a sad case......:(

[Elaine]

Charlie, are WG aware of the statistics of false possitives with in-house testing? Sorry I know its not down to you and that you have your own worries but I cannt help thinking that there is not much point in re-testing if they are going to put all their faith in the in-house tests.
Is it possible for you to print off some of the info to show them?
Poor William, I am not a religous person but I will be praying for this poor boy.

[Fran]

I agree with Elaine and think that Wood Green have just extended his life on Death Row :(

[dandysmom]

Chiming in here with Elaine and Fran also. Poor William.....

[Fran]

The best William can hope for IMO is that he does have owners that will come forward for him. I'm rooting for you William x

[charliebubs]

I'm rooting for William too, believe me.

I was planning on calling Wood Green this afternoon and chatting to my old boss, the manager of the cat section, about their FeLV policies. I don't know if it will do any good, but who knows!

I know that one of my good friends, Dionne, is working in the isolation section this week and she's making sure that William has lots of cuddles. I'll ask her to send extra from all of us too.

[Fran]

Have you spoken to your own vet about getting your cats tested Charlie?

[charliebubs]

Have you spoken to your own vet about getting your cats tested Charlie?

Yes, I have Fran. I rang them first thing this morning.

They were quite helpful but basically said that there is no point in testing my cats now as the incubation period can vary so much from cat to cat. She suggested that I leave it 2-4 weeks and then have them tested.

She said that even the tests that are sent to Glasgow can come back with false results (plus with the incubation period varying) so she suggested that I have a re-test done a few weeks after the initial test. I had thought of doing this anyway.

Basically, it's a waiting game. :cry:

Not great news, but kind of what I was expecting. It's harder because there won't be any symptoms and if one of them does have it, by the time they are tested they could all have it. :(:(:(

What a horrible month January has turned out to be, what with this, Bernard's op tomorrow and being dumped by my BF!! lol :(

[Fran]

{{{Hugs}}} Charlie x Keep your chin up x

[Mags]

Stay strong and be positive Charlie....... ((((hugs))))

[alexgirl73]

Oh Charlie ((((HUGS)))), so sorry that things are on a horrible streak for you at the moment. Lets hope that things are much better in february xx

[Elaine]

Stay possitive Charlie, thinking of you and the cats. As for poor William, you can only do your best but I cannt help feeling for the poor love.

[Soupie]

So sorry to read this.

If it's any help we took in a cat with the virus from the CPL some years ago before it was widely known about. That cat shared our cats' bowls and mutually groomed them for several years before one of our existing cats got ill and was diagnosed. The other cat we had at the time never contracted it in 4 years of close sharing of bowls and beds etc and was vaccinated and lived to 18 years old. Unfortunately we lost the two who had it in quite horrific ways and it was heartbreaking as I was a teen.

BUT George never contracted it and she was the one closest to the infected cat so take heart and try not to worry. Am sending goodvibes the tests on yours are negative!

[charliebubs]

So sorry to read this.

If it's any help we took in a cat with the virus from the CPL some years ago before it was widely known about. That cat shared our cats' bowls and mutually groomed them for several years before one of our existing cats got ill and was diagnosed. The other cat we had at the time never contracted it in 4 years of close sharing of bowls and beds etc and was vaccinated and lived to 18 years old. Unfortunately we lost the two who had it in quite horrific ways and it was heartbreaking as I was a teen.

BUT George never contracted it and she was the one closest to the infected cat so take heart and try not to worry. Am sending goodvibes the tests on yours are negative!


Thanks Soupie - there do seem to be some positive stories out there.

At the moment we're just waiting for William (the stray)'s second test results. If they are positive too - then i'll panic. I'm just trying to stay calm at the moment, until I have all the facts.

[alexgirl73]

any idea when Williams results will come back Charlie?

[charliebubs]

any idea when Williams results will come back Charlie?

They were sent off last Thurs or Fri, so should be by the end of this week.

I'll keep you all posted.

[Kay]

Keep your chin up Charlie.

[tilly]

Hope the test comes back negative and your lots are all OK

Sally

[smudgley]

Did you ever hear about Williams tests?

[charliebubs]

Did you ever hear about Williams tests?

I called Wood Green on Sunday and they said that the results weren't back from Glasgow. They said that they would chase this week and that one of the vet nurses would call me back...........but they haven't.

I might give them another call now actually.

[charliebubs]

I called Wood Green on Sunday and they said that the results weren't back from Glasgow. They said that they would chase this week and that one of the vet nurses would call me back...........but they haven't.

I might give them another call now actually.

I have to say that I'm quite disappointed with Wood Green now. :(

I have called them again regarding William and spoke to a girl in the cat section who I didn't know. She clearly didn't know anything about Wiliam or his story when I spoke to her, so she said she would call me back.

To give her credit, she did call me pretty much straight back, but she said that the notes on the system say that the test results from Glasgow are still not back and that it's diarised to be chased again on Monday. I told her that I was told last weekend that it was going to be chased LAST Monday, but she didn't have an answer to this.

She said that she would put a note on the system for me to be called as soon as there is any news.

In the meantime at least William is alive and well and living in the warm and dry and being given lots of love, cuddles and food. :D

[Fran]

Oh dear :( I really thought there would be some answers by now. Fingers crossed they get their act together soon and find out what William's future holds for him x

[Sweet]

((((((hugs))))))) William x

[dandysmom]

How annoying that they haven't pursued this with more vigor; after all, William's life is at stake not to mention your cats health and your peace of mind!! It's the not knowing that's so awful; (((hugs))) Charlie!