Manchego: Understanding FeLV (Feline Leukemia)
- Helen Morrison
When I first began volunteering at the Shelter, it was standard procedure for all of the shelters that, if they took in a cat that was FIV + or FeLV +, they would be euthanized, regardless of how healthy they were, how friendly, how engaging.
It was a harsh reality.
But over time, Kingdom Animal Shelter began to keep FIV+ cats who were friendly and whose health was not affected by the virus within. We started by taking them out of State to other Shelters that would find them homes. Then we began to keep them with us in foster homes and adopted them out from there. And now, we take them into the Shelter and care for them until they are adopted. It has been a wonderful evolution. Our present cat, Henri, is a wonderful example of an in-house FIV cat, looking for a home.
To date have probably found homes for more than 20 FIV+ cats.
But there is another virus that the cats can get ….Feline Leukemia or FeLV.
To my recollection, we have not had any FeLV positive cats. But they are certainly out there.
Recently, Tanya Sousa contacted us about a stray that had shown up at her barn. She took great care of him, got him neutered, his vaccinations, and of course, fell in love with him.
She also had him tested…and he was positive for FeLV. KAS helped with the cost of retesting, just to make sure that he hadn’t had a false positive. But he was, indeed, FeLV positive.
Tanya and family have kept him safe and sound in their home. They are working with him…and he is turning out to be a lovely cat…and seems quite healthy.
Because Tanya has other cats, she is eager to find a good home for this lovely boy, whom she has named Manchego.
And so…KAS is going to try to help….by helping people understand FeLV in cats…and maybe helping Manchego find his forever home.
Here is Tanya’s and Manchego’s story:
Manchego is VERY friendly and VERY intelligent. This is a cat who, once he learns you are a safe person, will bond beautifully. He is not aggressive at all, and will communicate with you gently if you are doing something that is making him uncomfortable, I can touch him on the tummy, on the tail, and on the legs and feet. He LOVES to be petted and will rub all over you. He is realizing that laps are not bad places and will allow me to lift him on my lap and have some pets and cuddles for a minute or two at this point. He quickly learned that combing is like patting and is loving being combed. I comb him every day as a way to touch and interact with him. He uses the litter box faithfully - he does pee a lot in there, but his basic blood panel didn't show anything wrong with kidney or liver function - he was basically a healthy boy according to that blood test. His coat is silky and shiny. He plays with toys now and is keen to have someone play with him. He has rapidly learned to enjoy being touched (everywhere on his body!) and even combed. You wouldn't know he has the disease he has.
When I had to take him to the vet, he went into the carrier with just the least direction, hardly meowed on the way there, and trusted me to keep him safe when he was on the table. Again, he was not aggressive at all, and the techs, vet and I could handle him with no issue. I was quite amazed!
We know this loving cat deserves his own home. But isn’t it frightening to adopt a cat with something like feline leukemia?
Cats with feline leukemia can live for several to many years with no outward symptoms, but need to remain indoor cats and as only the cats in a household (so they don’t spread the virus). They can live in a household with other feline leukemia-positive cats. The virus behaves differently depending on the individual. They do best in a low-stress environment, staying hydrated by encouraging the drinking of water and/or including wet food in their diet, and can benefit from certain dietary supplements (best to consult with your vet on the details of this).
We don’t want to risk the health of our other 3 cats or we would keep wonderful Manchego in a heartbeat. He may or may not live a long life, but we have found, over almost 60 years of life and sharing those years with many animals, that there is never a guarantee in any case. The quality of the time, and not the length of time, is the vital piece in our book – which is why we’ve often adopted middle-aged and senior animals. It’s not different, really, and nothing is more rewarding than offering another being love for however long s/he lives.
- Tanya Sousa