Expert: Jessica - 3/31/2010

Question
In Jan 2007, we adopted a 6 yr old (approx) feral kitty who we have loved everyday since.  She was immediately diagnosed with Feline Leukemia and in spite of her healthy outlook, the vet advised that we euthanize her.  We found a new vet and she has been healthy and delightful until about 6 weeks ago.  She is now very lethargic, rarely eats (is losing weight), barely opens her eyes smells pretty bad, and doesn't clean herself well.  We have bathed her 3 times in the last 6 weeks after never bathing for 3 years.  We have 3 children who really love her and I am concerned that she may be near the end.  Her symptoms have become more pronounced in the last 10 days.  

I heard that Feline Leukemia can cycle with symptoms, but am wondering how long it usually takes at the end.  Does it typically progress fairly rapidly?  Should I prepare the children for her possibly not recovering from this illness?  

She doesn't seem to be in pain, but she is definitely not her happy self.  If she is not improving by Friday, 4/2, I will take her to the vet.

Answer
Hi Carli.  Thank you for taking in this kitty and giving her a wonderful life!  Most people wouldn't give a feral cat OR an FeLV+ cat a chance, let alone a feral, FeLV+ cat.  But we both know that these kitties have lots of joy to bring and lots of love to enjoy, though the time they have left is often short.

Although feline leukemia can cause chronic or cyclic illness in some cats, it is now found to do so quite rarely (this is found more often with feline AIDS).  Most leukemia patients tend to be just as healthy as their leukemia negative counterparts until the end stages of the disease.  Once we start seeing symptoms of illness in a leukemia cat, I’m afraid it’s usually cause for great concern.

That said, even healthy, leukemia negative cats can get sick, lethargic, lose appetite and neglect their grooming.  Sometimes all they need is a good antibiotic.  I would urge a vet visit to see if this may be something treatable, and the sooner, the better.

While there, I would also recommend some blood work.  You may want to invest in a full blood chemistry and complete blood count, which will tell you how her organs are functioning and whether her bone marrow seems to be functioning properly, as well as if she appears to have an infection or potentially even cancer.  When my leukemia kitties get sick, before I invest in all these tests, I ask the vets to start out with what’s called an in-house hematocrit, or packed cell volume.  This is a blood test that counts red blood cells, and I use it as an easy way to determine whether the kitty has already lost her battle to leukemia.  If her red blood cell count is very low, it usually means the bone marrow isn’t working properly.  It’s helpful to run this test first because a lot of vets can run it in-house in about 10 minutes, and it’s inexpensive.  A hematocrit might help you make a decision as to which other tests you may or may not want to run, whether to try any treatments, or whether to say goodbye to your kitty and put her to sleep at the visit.

We know that the average survival time of a cat with leukemia is only 2-3 years before the disease finally takes over.  It would make sense for your kitty to start struggling with the disease now, and the end is generally very quick.  In some cases, it causes liver or kidney failure, but in almost all of my cats, it has caused cancer – actual leukemia.  This may be suggested by a low packed cell volume (low is anything under 29).  I don’t think it would be a bad idea to have a gentle discussion with your children about your kitty’s condition and explain that she’s going to see the doctor to see if they can help her, but that she’s very sick and you’ll have to see if she gets better.

Thanks so much for touching this special cat’s life in such a positive way.  Best of luck to you all!  

Jessica