It's the F to the E to the L to the I to the V

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It's all about viruses it seems to be the theme this year. It's not the covid virus I want to mention it's the feline viruses that has existed for years. 

• Feline Leukemia Virus FeLv
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus FIV
• Feline Herpesvirus FHV

What's the difference between all these viruses? Two are contagious and One isn't, doesn't mean we should condemn the feline for having these viruses. They are treatable and preventable. 

• How are they preventable?
• There are vaccines available when does early. How early? If the feline is from a rescue/shelter ASPCA recommends vaccinating the feline at the age of 6 weeks or 1lb 08oz and three weeks later administer the second dosage and then the third dosage another three weeks later to keep it contained. From a veterinary standpoint their recommendation is 8 weeks of age or 2lbs. At a rescue/shelter setting things are not stable environment wise. Things come in and things come out on a daily basis, in a foster home basis it is slightly controlled and less stressful environment, the vaccines would be administered by 4 weeks apart. 
• How many booster vaccines should a young feline have? At minimal 3 dosages of the FVRCP by the age of 5 months. In a shelter setting 4 vaccinations. What is not administered depending where adopted is the Feline Leukemia Vaccine. This would be purchased at a veterinary office. Depending on where you live and how impact environment wise say you live in an apartment complex. It's highly recommended to get the FeLV Vaccine. If you live in a community that is not affected by strays constantly then you are okay with just the FVRCP. If you are fostering either in apartment or a house please get the FeLV vaccine. A fully grown adult feline should have one FVRCP, their immune system should be fully developed by the age of 5 months as a kitten. 
• What does FVRCP stand for?
• Feline
• Viral
• Rhinotracheitis  (upper respiratory aka Herpes Virus)
• Calicivirus (deadly, upper respiratory and mouth disease)
• Panleukopenia   (distemper similar to canine parvovirus can be deadly)
• Not Included in the booster
• Leukemia (autoimmune virus causing blood cells to go white)
• Is there a cure for any one of these viruses?
• No
• They are all treatable depending which strain the feline has. 
• If a cat has feline calicivirus when catched early and I do mean early medications are able to help and keep it at bay. Which is why the vaccine itself is important, it is deadly think of it as a really bad cold with mouth sores. Depending on the age of the cat the virus can spread to the point where medical aid is not able to fix it. Not only that since it is a virus your home would have to be disinfected, this includes your clothing, furniture, everything. And if you have other cats in the home they need to be fully vaccinated to reduce the spread. 
• Rhinotracheitis aka Herpes it means inflammation of the nose, throat and lungs. 
• It's a upper respiratory infection that has gone out of control. If you have ever seen a video of a cat sneezing not just from allergies. It can be deadly when its not managed or addressed early. How is it managed? Other than vaccine that is needed it also depends on the diet. A high protein diet and lysine. Lysine can be in a paste, liquid (vet's office), powder or chewables. Can that cat have a long life? Yes they absolutely can. Can they be mixed with other cats? It's a yes and no. It all depends on the adopter/owner. If they are comfortable managing that cat's diet and the other cat is up to date on their vaccination and the environment is not stressful yes they can. And it all depends on the type of chemical you use in your home to reduce the virus from spreading. 
• FIV as other people like to call it Feline Aids. 
• Which is not the correct term for it. It's a virus not a disease. How is this treated or even introduced to other cat? It depends on where the cat came from and where it's going. Normally it's through an untreated cat colony that is not fixed with an ear tip meaning the environment is not controlled to stop the mating process and feral cat fighting by scratch or bite. Can this cat live with others that are not FIV+? Absolutely they can. As long as they are fixed, vaccinated and the environment is not completely hostile to where bites and scratches are exposed for saliva and blood exchange. Long term care: over time they will need specific medication to keep them alive, it all depends when the cat was given to a rescue or if you found that cat and wanted to keep it. Diet same as FHV a high quality protein diet with lysine. It does not spread through litter boxes, or food/water dishes, and no it doesn't spread from grooming. FIV is not a death sentence, some vets will recommend putting that feline down without educating the person who has that cat in their care, because they don't want to spend more time making sure that feline lives. Stop euthanizing them for failing to learn. 
• Feline Leukemia FeLV
• This one is the most controversial topic in medical, because it is not understood. For myself and in my home I am not open to allowing a FeLV positive feline in my home. This virus is spreadable and those who foster can not foster for two years to make sure it disappears. Imagine not being able to foster for two years when it's a passion. Now do I think these felines should live? Yes absolutely. For those that are in open arms that has a non stressful home, that has their animals well behaved, vaccinated and living a functional home yes they can live the rest of their lives. Again not everyone wants to take the time to get educated and "accidentally" euthanizes that feline for a false positive. 

• The feline SNAP Test
• This is a simple test that is done a veterinary office that needs a blood sample for FeLV/FIV and Heartworms. 
• When a feline tests positive for FIV it is a six week comparison depending on which vet does it. The 2nd snap test can either confirm a positive or a negative, that test is the confirmed blood sample. If they test positive again it goes for 6 months later if you decide with veterinary guidance and depending on the condition of that cat, it's for the medication not only it helps them it depends on the brand ($$$). 
• When a feline tests positive for FeLV it can be a false positive depending on the age of that cat and the environment it came from. For testing again vets have different guidelines some may say 8 weeks or 6 months. Some pet owners have euthanized their feline over a false positive when it's already exposed to the other cat. If you really want to understand FeLV there is one organization called Austin Pets Alive! They have a program for FeLV felines and hopefully they still do, when performing a google search their website is down on my end. Before the pandemic that I can recall they allowed free adoptions for FeLV so they can find homes and in agreement with the adopter they come back to perform a blood sample to continue studying FeLV from a shelter vs a home. 

Some may argue that those cases of felines should be put down over a test and others say just stop the snap testing and let the cat enjoy their life.  If you foster having a snap test is critical because we want to make sure that foster goes to a good home with an open mind. 

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