Start of blood testing next week!

[calismum]

Hurrah! Are you almost able to breath easy now?

[farthing]

Originally Posted by calismum

Hurrah! Are you almost able to breath easy now?

Yes, I was really worried about Mustard to be honest. Candy is next, although i suspect she will need to be sedated. As I said, Pumpkin will be done at the start of September when he is in for his op, he is Mustard's brother but has been inside since his op last year, so I think he 'should' be fine. Candy was tested 18 months ago, and is a house cat so she 'should' be ok as well.
It looks like we have a new cat coming, Mike is home and he agreed, the owner has tried to rehome her, but no luck. Her thyroid levels are still be stabilised, she was over 300 mg when she was diagnosed , and I have said I want her FIV tested just so I know the status of the cats now.

[farthing]

Candy was tested today, and as predicted she had to be sedated, not before biting through a fingernail of mine and leaving a few scratches on me. She came back negative, and while we had the chance we did a general blood test and a T4 is being sent off as the vet thought he could feel a goitre. I am now fairly sure Pumpkin will be negative as well, he is booked in for his op on the 10/9.
Kizzy, the rabbit is home from her op and is recovering, she's just a bit sleepy.
Now I am left with a difficult decision and wonder if anybody can help. The cat I was asked to take is infact positve for FIV, a sample has been sent off for western blotting but I it is only a slim chance the snapp test is wrong. The vets are now recommending that I don't take her, knowing all my cats are clear they are worried about my knowingly introducing a positive cat, problem is I met her today and she is a lovely girl and can't just walk away.
What do I do, she's an FIV positive, 14 year old , hyperthyroid cat, whose going to take her?
We do have the option of moving Smudge and Misty out of the study (they live in here although the door is open and the other cats visit) and move Tabatha in , keeping the door closed. I would think about a rescue, but it will be so hard to rehome her and she will need extra care. Smudge does get a bit stressed by the other cats, but we could open up the spare bedroom for her and Misty to spread to if they wanted, only thing is they would have to move out when we have non- animally visitors (once a year) or a sick animal who needs to come into the house for nursing- we have had rabbits, guinea pigs and goat and a pig in for intensive care!
Any input would be very helpful.

[farthing]

Any advice or experiences would be gratefully appereciated.
Finding it hard to make a decision.

[Grete]

Coming late to this - fantastic news they all turned out to be negative!

I don't envy you the decision It's so hard to walk away from an animal in need but I think ultimately you have to do what is right for your current kitties and now that they have all tested negative, would it be fair on them to introduce that risk?

Having said that, Triger lived with them and they were OK

Sorry I'm not much help

[calismum]

Difficult one. Need to get the balance between responding to the need of one cat or safeguarding all of the ones you currently look out for.

Not very up on how easily transferred it is but if you consider the odds and then multiply that into your current cat household, are you putting them at risk.

I don't envy you the decision.

CM

[farthing]

From what I've read the virus is very short lived out of the body and really needs to 'injected' into the blood stream by a bite. From some of the research I've read, there is only a 1% risk of a FIV negative cat catching it from a FIV postive cat in a household- as long as they don't fight. If we do take Tabitha, she will be isolated in the study, although we are in here quite a lot as the computer is in here and Mike regularly works from home, so she won't spend her whole time alone. I suppose, do I give up the whole house to the animals, I've tried to keep the spare bedroom an animal free zone for visitors and post-op/ill animals. I suspect Smudge and Misty would take up residence in there, but is it fair to shut them out when we have a poorly rabbit, for example. They do interact with the other cats, as at the moment the study door remains open, but will they adapt to the changes.

[angieh]

It is a difficult decision to make farthing. What does Mike think? I think you said that your vet has advised against taking her, but as you say - who else will? The risk does seem to be minimal but will involve rethinking your room arrangements which will probably stress your existing feline friends.

I do not envy you trying to make a measured decision about this.

[dandysmom]

I don'[t envy you having to make that decision, TBH, I'm afraid much as it would hurt to abandon the poor old girl, I'd think of the welfare of my present cats first...but I honestly wouldn't feel good about it...

[farthing]

Originally Posted by angieh

It is a difficult decision to make farthing. What does Mike think? I think you said that your vet has advised against taking her, but as you say - who else will? The risk does seem to be minimal but will involve rethinking your room arrangements which will probably stress your existing feline friends.

I do not envy you trying to make a measured decision about this.

Like me, Mike is torn although we are leaning towards taking her. Her owner is away for a week, and it will be a few days til the western blotting results come through, so we have a bit of time. We are thinking of having a trial run with the new room arrangements and if Smudge and Misty aren't too upset, we will take her- if the vets let us.
How can we let her be PTS, as I think that is what will happen to her,just because it is an inconvenience to us. In reality, Misty only came here 1 year ago and has adapted, Smudge has been with us for 15 years and coped with all the changes, surely it isn't going to be too much of an upheaval.