…but, to be a responsible pet owner, I might have to be.
We have 2 cats; one 9 and one less than a year old. About a month ago, the elder cat got out and ran away from home. We looked, asked around, called around… nothing.
I fully expected that he was dead.
On Saturday, he showed up all skin-and-bones in our back yard. He ate 2 full cans of food and drank some water and my wife took him to the vet. The vet tested him and found that he has feline leukemia.
It is incurable and is extremely contagious to other cats. When the symptoms start to show, the cat dies pretty quickly afterwards.
She then took him home, isolated him, and brought the kitten to the vet to be tested. She is negative.
So.
If I do nothing, the kitten will become infected and won’t live even close to her normal lifespan.
If I have the adult cat put down, I’m a murderer. One of my sons may stop speaking to me also.
If I give away the elder cat to my mother in law, her cats will get sick and die, so the whole “you can visit him when we visit” thing is right out.
If I give away the kitten she won’t have the life we promised the shelter when we took her in (we only adopt shelter or abandoned cats).
The elder cat keeps trying to escape from the room he is being kept in and the kitten is miserable being kept in a different room (two closed doors ensures no contact, like an air-lock)
So, who am I to be? A responsible pet owner or pet murderer?
Your elder cat has a disease which will kill him, and it will not be a pleasant death. You are not “murdering” him by sparing him the experience of dying from Feline Leukemia (FeLV).
When you took the cat to the vet, did the vet feel that the cat’s current skin-and-bones condition is related his FeLV, or did the vet feel that his poor condition is just a consequence of his being on his own for so long? That is, does the vet feel that the cat can have a good quality of life once he gains back the lost weight?
I’d also look into a vaccination for the kitten, although it’s not always 100% effective.
About how much time does the elder cat have left to live? And how much pain will the leukemia cause him? I don’t think that having your cat put down makes you a “murderer” - especially if he would be in pain. Is there any cat-less relative that would take in the older cat?
Having watched several of my cats die from feline leukemia when I was a boy, I can testify that it is an evil disease that causes our furry buddies a slow, miserable death. My parents almost never put our cats down, and let the disease run it’s course, which was a mistake. They finally wised up and began vaccinating any new cats that entered the household, but not before one final cat – my little furry pain in the ass best friend – contracted the disease. My parents did the sensible thing that time had him put down. I still remember standing in the vet’s office, holding him as he quit breathing. Goddamit.
I don’t know how old your kids are, but watching their friend slowly bleed to death from their anus and mouth is likely not something you want them to experience. Finding a way to end kitty’s suffering would be my suggestion. Maybe why they are at school, maybe simply being truthful and telling them what will happen if you don’t… I can’t really suggest anything. But as someone who has been there… don’t let the cat suffer.
And I strongly, strongly encourage you to get the kitten vaccinated. Around here, at least 15 years ago, feline leukemia vaccines were available at the local farm and ranch store, much cheaper than a vet’s office. Naturally you need to be comfortable giving kitty the injection, but it is (or was) an option.
How old is your son? If he’s out on his own, he can take the cat (I doubt this is the case). If he’s old enough to be told the problem, then he’s old enough to understand that we are often called on to do difficult, painful things that also happen to be the right thing.
The ASPCA advises against housing FeLV negative cats with FeLV positive cats, even with vaccination. So, you just can’t put the two of them together.
If your older cat’s condition is because of the FeLV, then it’s time to put the cat down and grieve for it. If your cat is simply half-starved and stressed, it’s a harder decision. Can you find someone to take him? It would have to be someone with no other cats, willing to keep the cat indoors forever and foot the necessary medical bills. I don’t know. Maybe you can contact the shelter/rescue you originally got him at and see if they have any suggestions? I expect that they have had to face issues like this before.
If there is no one to take him, then you need to put him down. There really isn’t any other option, because you shouldn’t risk your kitten’s health. Please, go get the kitten vaccinated, no matter what else you decide.
80% if FeLV+ cats die within 3 years of diagnosis, mostly of cancers and infectious diseases that strike because the disease causes immunosuppresiion. TLDR; They are a danger to other cats, and will die a most unpleasant death.
If your son thinks you will be a murderer for humanely euthanizing a cat with an untreatable disease that will soon suffer various painful conditions, and also possibly kill your other cat, he needs to educate himself about FeLV. Or possibly come to grips with the fact that having pets means protecting them from suffering, and there comes a day when that means a quiet death. That day may come sooner or later but it always comes.
Vaccinate the kitten. The FeLV vaccine is not considered “core”, but considering your kitten, she needs it.
Like someone above said, does the vet think the current condition of the adult cat is due to wandering and stray living or is that directly caused by the disease?
a. If the former, then could you keep the cat for a while, as long as it improves, and then if it declines or get sick again, think about putting him down at that time? Then all of you get some time again with it, and at the same time prepare for its eventual death. And it can help perhaps your son to see that the cat is back to not improving, and it would be better to let him go now than later.
b. If it is due to the disease, then perhaps talk to your son about how you have the option to not let the cat suffer more, and that this is better than the alternative.
Is there a reason why you couldn’t give the kitten away? Can you contact the shelter and perhaps they can help arrange for someone to take the older cat (they may know people who adopt FeLV-positive cats) or for another group to re-adopt the kitten? Be clear that either putting the older cat down or giving the kitten to another loving person/family are equally valid and equally responsible choices.
The kindest thing that we can do for our animal friends is let them go when it’s time. Think of their life, not your life without them. They need us to make the tough calls for them. It never gets easier, but you always manage to get through it.
You need to be a responsible pet owner*. As for your son, I recall my parents keeping our family dog alive long after he should have been put down - it makes me feel terrible to this day, that they let the poor dog suffer. Do the right thing and keep your faith that your son will understand some day.
*ETA: Forgot to make it clear that that means you do what’s right for the cat - that’s not murder.
IF the cat’s current condition is die to his wandering off and not the FeLV, you might call local rescue groups and shelters. Ours has a network of unbelievably compassionate foster parents that take in only FeLV or FIV cats to give them a good life for however long or short it may be.
Unless you can find a home where his disease isn’t a threat to other cats, it’s a pretty tough situation. Be sure to get your other cat vaccinated regardless-if he gets out, you may be faced with the same situation again.
IMHO you should vaccinate the kitten ASAP. FIV is VERY contagious, and my vet told me that it can linger in the environment for a long time. After we had two cats die from it (by the time one cat was diagnosed, the other one was already positive for it although not showing symptoms), we waited two full years before getting any more cats. We discarded all used food dishes, litter boxes, toys, etc.
FIV and FeLV are two different diseases. FeLV usually cannot live in the environment more than 48 hours at room temperature. It is passed animal to animal, usually through bites.
Hello Again I did mean FeLV, Feline Leukemia, and that’s the one my vet said is very contagious. I later had another cat who developed FIV, the immune deficiency one. He most likely caught it when he was bitten by a feral cat. No other cat in the house got it.
We no longer permit our cats to go outdoors. They are deprived of free roaming independence and must settle for living longer.
Both diseases now have vaccines available, but our vet said if the cats are kept strictly indoors, the vaccine is not necessary.
He was mistaken – or this happened several years ago before the virus was as well understood as it is today. It is very contagious - among cats in direct contact with each other. I don’t blame you, it is agonizing losing a cat like that. But on a purely factual basis, your precaution of waiting two years to have a cat in your home was not necessary. Keeping cats indoors, is.
Airborne spread is not a concern. FeLV is not very durable in the environment. It is inactivated by most commonly used disinfectants. It can survive for up to 48 hours in a moist environment at room temperature. http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node/43
Source: UC-Davis Vet School Shelter Medicine Program
Also, there is a secondary test that your vet should have sent out. Did your vet send a second confirmatory test out? If not you need to request it. If yes, then all of the below may be superfluous.
The in-house (SNAP) that you get results from in a few minutes is called an ELISA, and this one tests for a specific antigen in the blood. Vaccinated cats can show positive on this test, and some (very few, but possible) cats can fight off the infection naturally, also showing antigens in the blood, but not contagious, and positive on the ELISA. When a positive result is found on the ELISA, then the vet needs to send out another test (Usually to Antech or Idexx) called an IFA. The IFA can tell you whether the virus is there to stay, the cat will remain contagious, and will get sick one day.
Cats with the vaccine, and cats that have fought off the infection naturally or are in the very early stage of infection, will have a negative IFA. Cats that have a new diagnosis might have a positive ELISA and a negative IFA, when this happens and the diagnosis is new, the IFA needs to be repeated in another 30 days to be sure - if the cat is able to fight off the primary infection, then the IFA will still be negative at that point. If the first IFA comes back positive, then it’s a done deal for sure.
Personally, and at the feline rescue where I work, we would never euthanize a cat unless the IFA was positive. That does mean keeping them isolated for 30 days until we get the second IFA (and repeat SNAP ELISA) results. The only time we might skip the IFA is if the cat is obviously already very sick.
From the Cornell website:
So,
positive ELISA and positive IFA = contagious and will get sick
positive ELISA and negative IFA = contracted antibodies but not “all the way” sick yet, need to retest in 30 days
positive ELISA and negative IFA after 30 days = contracted antibodies but isn’t sick or contagious.
I can only echo what others have said- being a responsible pet owner means doing what’s right for the pet, and sometimes that includes euthanization. I had to have my 18 year old cat, Natasha, euthanized about 6 months ago. Sometimes I still “see” her out of the corner of my eye- sitting on the recliner when I get home from work, waiting for me to provide a comfortable lap to curl up on, or expectantly waiting by the food dish. Or lounging in the sun by the patio door (dammit, I got something in my eye).
It’s never easy- in fact, it sucks. But sometimes it’s what you have to do.
How old is your son? Is he old enough to understand that the cat will not get better? If he’s not now, he will be some day.
I feel for you, Count. And have the kitten vaccinated right away.
This is the information which I am missing; if I had been there & not at shitty-hours-job I might know that.
The kitten is scheduled to go back in 30 days & I will make damn sure she is vaccinated prior. For right now, separate food dishes & litter boxes (I haven’t woken up with litter-dust in my nose since apartment days).
I need a cite for this, but I need you to know that its not for me. I’ll need to Ben Webster this course of action with every scrap of evidence I have. Its not because I’m a blood thirsty maniac; its not for any love of killing. Og only knows that this will be as hard for me as any cowboy drawing a six-gun when a beloved horse breaks a leg. they don’t use the crappiest bullet; they use the best they have. And they make damn sure its only one shot, so there is no more suffering.
This cat, the older one, is the one with the odd white blotch on his back. I posted it once & asked if it looked like Texas. Consensus was that it looked more like south america; go figure.
My kid thought it looked like a fish in a dentist’s office fish tank, so he called him “Angel”.
PS- For every poster who I didn’t get to thank… for every person who read this & wished us well… Thank You! I love this board & love posting here. You Are my family and sometimes its when I hear from you that I know I’m in the right place.
I Love Y’all back… the Whole Damn Lot of you! Thank You!!!
The kindest thing to do would be to put it down now.