Conference misery::feline_v1

    Feline Aids (used to be called FtLV ..and now FIV) is species specific.
    It can not be passed to people or other animals.   The most commonly
    suspected method of spreading FIV is through bite wounds ...particulary
    in stray toms (as would be expected).
    
    Most vets recommend a second test done by *a different method* before
    accepting the postive result. False positives are not uncommon.
    
    Good luck. I hope Nerina's second test will prove to be negative.
    
    Linda

Oh Carole, I was so sorry to read the sad news.  I know how much you care for
all those poor strays, this isn't fair to you or to them.

As far as all of the Dudley Road strays having Feline AIDS, it may be some help
to know that our dear Stripe tested *negative* for it.  Apparently they don't
all necessarily have the virus, I'm hoping they haven't spread it around too
much.  Now that I read this note I'm glad our vet suggested testing for it, she
felt it was important because of his feral history and we followed her advice.

Good luck with the rest,


Jan 

    
    OH, JAN
    
    I was so afraid for you and the others who have adopted.  I'm just not
    totally up on all the tests that are needed these days.  I guess it
    really took me by surprise to realilze that these poor animals have
    this disease too!!!!!
    
    Joe is going to have Nerina's sister tested and is going to do what he
    can for Nerina.  He does not want to put her to sleep.
    
    I can't afford to test all the males in our neighborhood now.  And
    there's plenty.  There is a new litter and one on the way.  I was just
    so worried that with mating, that it would spread.  I don't understand
    that it doesn't that way with them.  I have seen a male injured so I'll
    watch him.
    
    Glad Stripe is safe.............
    
    

    False positives are not uncommon with the FIV test.  I second the
    suggestion for a second test, done by a different type of test.
    Also, keep in mind that FIV is a disease of older cats, generally
    6 years plus.  Be sure to have that second test done.  The incidence
    of false positives in the general cat population are running around
    2%.
    
    Jo

    I know this feeling Carol.  We had Bob tested for FIV when we
    brought him in and I thank God that he was negative.  If poor
    little Nerina does have FIV you'd best advise any potential
    adoptive parents to have the cat tested for FIV before allowing
    it to have contact with the current feline residents.  
      FIV is nasty stuff.  I'll say my prayers for Nerina.
      Nancy DC

    .6
    
    Nancy
    
    Nerina is adopted (was back in Jan. with Silvia)  they use to be
    called:
    
    Blackest and Charlie by me.
    
    Joe Gobbine is their parent and he just set me a mail message from
    home, that Nerina will be put to sleep this afternoon.  I feel so sad. 
    Since I did so much to help her.  I believe she contracted this, now
    that I have some info on it, when she was accidentally let out in Feb.,
    by Joe's mom.  She came around and was injured, had a healing cut on
    her hin-quarters.  Unfortunately Joe didn't think a vet was needed and
    let her heal herself.  But if it was contracted this way, it probably
    would of been no use......
    
    She since then (he was on a long trip and had PET SITTERS and neighbor
    feeding her), has been sickly and thin.  She has a temperature and
    won't eat.  He tries to feed her himself, but his vet says she's too
    sick to stay.........
    
    I would like after today...........NERINA, A.K.A. BLACKEST put in the
    Silver Lining ---- sometime soon, will make a donation for all my
    former kitties.........
    
    Thank you for your support.
    
    Carol
    

    Carol,
    
    I am so sorry that this has happened.  I know you must be devastated. 
    You are doing such good work for all of these strays and I wish I could
    help you somehow.  Just take comfort in knowing that you are doing
    everything humanly possible and that is all that you can ask of
    yourself or of anyone else.  As much as we want to do more you just
    can't beat yourself up for what is not within your power to control. 
    You are a wonderful person and you should feel extreme pride at what
    you have been able to do.  
    
    If you ever want to call me I might be able to spend a day helping
    to do some things for you.  I live in NH so I don't think you are too
    far away.  If you are having some trouble catching the males to have
    them neutered I have some ideas that could help.  Call me if you wish.
    
    Nancy
    264-4843  

    Carol,
      I'am also very very sorry to hear what happened.  Nerina's name
    is the first name on the list for Q4.  She has lots of company
    where she is now.  Be happy that you were able to provide her with
    a good home for part of her short life.  At least she got to know
    love.
      Nancy DC

    I was feeding Joe G.'s cats while he was away on business, with a
    house-sitting service feeding them in the morning and me in the
    evening, but I only saw Nerina twice and Silvia just once - they were
    definitely one-human cats, and love only Joe (and his mother).  Joe had
    Silvia vaccinated for feline leukemia, and she tests negative for
    feline AIDS, so I expect she will stay OK.  Joe was very worried when
    Nerina got out and was missing for along time, but she did seem to be
    pretty much OK when he finally got her back.  Poor little critter.  I
    did notice that not as much cat food as usual was disappearing the last
    three days or so before Joe returned, but I didn;t worry about that too
    much since I never knew for sure when the house-sitter service came to
    feed them, and I usually could not locate either kitty anyhow - Joe's
    house is big, with many hiding places for timid cats (I know where my
    two hide, so I can usually locate them even when no one else can).
    
    Joe is very sad.  Not only does he truly love cats, but he has had
    several bad things happen to him lately (for example, someone totalled
    his car for him by sliding into it, right here in the parking lot of
    the building I work in - he was over here for a meeting - right before
    he left on the business trip; just what he needed!).  I even
    secretly fixed Joe's kitchen plumbing for him while he was gone (took
    ten minutes: he has a Delta faucet, real simple to rebuild).  Maybe he
    can get another kitty to keep little Silvia company - she is a very
    timid kitty.  Joe says he buried her sister in the back yard.
    
    /Charlotte                                        

    I am very sorry to hear about Nerina.  
    
    I have spent the last couple of weeks learning about FIV, and how
    it is transmitted, and how it affects the cat.  I have learned that
    there is a 2% incidence of false positives in the mixed breed type
    cats, but the incidence of false positives is much greater in purebred
    cats.  The current test for FIV measures antibodies to FIV in the
    blood.  Like human AIDS, and HIV, having antibodies doesn't necessarily
    mean that the disease will develop.  It can take years for  the
    disease to develop after the antibodies are discovered.  Dr. Nels
    Pedersen, DVM Phd. at UC Davis told me that he has never seen a
    true case of FIV in a cat that was under 6 years old.  He says that
    like Human AIDS, it can take 6-7 years for Feline AIDS to develop
    in the cat's body.
    
    What this means for cat owner's is that if your cat tests positive
    to FIV, have a second test performed.  If the first test was a IFA,
    have an ELISA test performed the second time.  Also, a cat can live
    with FIV, as long as supportive care is provided for any secondary
    infections that might pop up.  Any cat that tests positive for FIV
    in two separate tests, should not be allowed outdoors, to prevent
    that cat from spreading the disease to others.
    
    Jo

As I read more about Feline AIDS I have a new question -- people have mentioned
the possibility of false positives, now that my Stripe (formerly of Dudley
Road, thanks to Carole) has tested negative should I be worried about false
negatives?  Egad, he seems healthy but that's sure no guarantee!

Jan

    Yes, there can be false negatives as well as false positives.
    The percentages will vary with the type of test.  Feline Aids
    (FIV) is still "new", so we can expect that the actual rates
    are still being determined in both research cat colonies as well
    as in the regular household population.
    
    I am not sure, but I suspect that FIV would have the same diagnostic
    problems as any other viral infection...latency.  That is, there
    is likely to be some time delay between the time that an animal
    is infected and the test shows positive.  So one source of a false
    negative would be lack of sensitivity of the test.  Another source
    would be that the animal has not yet reacted to the viral challenge
    so that the test has nothing [yet] to detect.  How long can the
    latency be?   Who knows.  Scarey.
    
    With human AIDS, the latency kept getting adjusted upwards in the
    early part of the epidemic especially.  One obvious reason is that
    during a, say, 3 year study, you cannot detect a 4 year latency.
    But by year 5 or 6, you could begin to see it.
    
    I have started routine testing of all of my cats for FIV just like
    for FeLV, and also for any new cat entering the house (isolation
    until those test results come back...and then there is still the
    fear of false negatives, but I gotta draw the line somewhere, or
    all my cats would live in isolation all their lives!).
    
    	pennie

    After just spending the last two weeks surviving a FIV "scare",
    I have some information that might help you and others.  Throughout
    my ordeal, I was in close contact with Dr. Nels Pedersen at UC Davis,
    who isolated and identified this virus.  Dr. Pedersen is the current
    "expert" on this disease.
    
    Dr. Pedersen says that there is no chance of false negatives.  FIV
    is not a disease that will lie dormant in the bone marrow.  It may
    take time to develop, but the cat will test positive for the antibodies
    or antigen, so you will know that it is positive.  In this way,
    FIV differs from FeLV.  
    
    There are two things that they test for, antigen and antibodies.  Dr.
    Pedersen doesn't feel that the antigen test is worthwhile, but others
    do.  I did both tests on all my cats.  The antibody test checks
    for antibodies that the body has created for the disease, but, a
    positive antibody test does not mean that the cat will become ill
    immediately and die.  Like HIV, the presence of antibodies does
    not mean that a person will develop aids.  Feline Aids can take
    up to 6 years to develop.  The antigen test is supposed to test
    for the antigen of FIV in the blood.  Dr. Pedersen feels that the
    test is too unreliable, and that it shouldn't be offered.  Others
    disagree.  
    
    There is a much greater incidence of false positives in purebred
    cats than in the general cat population.  Dr. Pedersen estimated
    about 30% to me.  The reason given was that purebred cats have a
    higher rate of vaccinations than the general cat population and
    that they have a lower rate of exposure to different antigens. For
    some reason, this throws the tests off.  
    
    So, any of you breeders that get a positive on an FIV test.  Take
    a deep breath, try not to panic, and order a retest.  The incidence
    of false positives with our purebred cats is *much* greater than
    with the general cat population.
    
    Jo      
    

    Jo,
    
    Did you happen to talk to Dr. Pedersen about routine testing???  I
    haven't started doing routine FIV tests yet, and I'm not really sure
    whether I should or not.  
    
    Do you know what the general concensus is regarding routine (like FelV)
    screening of new cats, or yearly screening of "residents"???
    
    Glad to hear that everything is going better.
    
    cin
    

    Cin,
    
    Now that my cattery has been determined to be "clean", all newcomers,
    and anyone leaving the cattery and then returning will be retested.
    FIV is to be treated like Felv in a cattery, test and remove procedure.
    Also, from now on, any outside cats that are accepted for stud service
    (if I decide to allow any further outside stud service) will be
    required to have a negative FIV test too.  
    
    Dr. Pedersen has been very helpful throughout this ordeal.  He has
    given me alot of information, guidance, and support.  He does recommend
    routine testing since he has found this virus present in blood samples
    stored from 1960 on!  From now on, I will continue to routinely
    test for FIV.  
    
    Jo (who is finally able to enjoy life again)

    
    I'm glad I added this note, not just for Joe and Nerina, my poor
    Blackest, but to understand FIV and deal with it alot better.  I'm glad
    Joe has a neighbor to help him through this, we have talked.  When he
    is interested in another cat, he will let me know.
    
    Silvia, being very skiddish and always was, except with me, can now get
    to know Joe and him her better.  He is considering Nerina's and
    Silvia's brother, Blacky Boy.  He looks like Nerina.......  It was a
    shame that his mom let Nerina out, it was much too early for her to
    know where she lived, he knows that, and was very lucky she came back
    for a while.
    
    I'm glad we all have this support and Nerina will always be remembered.
    
    
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    				  0      paw prayers
    
    						Carol Weston
    						Dudley Road Mom