# I Don’t Want To Be A Pet Murderer… **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269 "2014-04-16T16:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/21 "2014-04-17T03:29:34Z")
Could you look for a rescue organization in your area that takes in cats, no matter what their circumstances? Last summer/fall, we had a cat in our apt courtyard. As it got colder, we became more concerned for him. We worked with another tenant to get him picked up by a rescue organization. They soon found out he has feline leukemia. Right now he is in a home, but they have him separated from the other cats. Their goal is to put him in a home as an only cat to avoid any possibility of infection. You could do a search for rescue organizations in your area, see if anything comes up. If nothing works out, euthanasia may be your best option. Do not feel ashamed if it comes to this. You need to protect your healthy cat. What to tell your son? Well, the kitty is sick. He doesn’t look sick, but he is sick. And sometime he is going to get REALLY sick and be in a lot of pain. You can’t explain to a pet why they are hurting. He will either die on his own, or you will have to put him down anyway. So sad. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I wish you the best of luck. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/22 "2014-04-17T03:39:38Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > 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](http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node/43) > Source: UC-Davis Vet School Shelter Medicine Program > > _FeLV doesn’t survive long outside a cat’s body—probably less than a few hours under normal household conditions._ > [http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health\_resources/brochure\_felv.cfm](http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/brochure_felv.cfm) > Source: Cornell University Vet School Thanks for the correction. My experience with feline leukemia was several decades ago. I suppose it’s possible that my vet’s information was the common view at the time and that more has been learned since. Or, as you said, he was simply mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/23 "2014-04-17T22:50:22Z")
Go and rent the movie “Unbearable Lightness of Being”. See how you feel after seeing a relevant scene in that picture. (The film is worth seeing anyway, so it won’t be a waste of time.) ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/24 "2014-04-17T23:06:34Z")
If you have the sick and contagious cat put down you’re afraid one of your sons may never speak to you again? Simple solution, give the cat to the son and have him decide what to do. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/25 "2014-04-18T03:53:35Z")
Have your older cat put to sleep. It’s not murder – but it IS cruel to allow an animal to die a slow and painful death. It’s simply letting them go quickly and peacefully. To do otherwise, in my mind, is WORSE than murdering a pet. Get the kitten vaccinated, ASAP. And finally, I’m very sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2014, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/26 "2014-04-18T10:27:46Z")
Moving from MPSIMS to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/27 "2014-04-19T05:46:08Z")
When did FeLV vaccine cease being automatic? It is one of the rarest of things - a vaccine for a retrovirus. Get the kitten inoculated _ **last week** _. If the adult is going to have a life - hard discussion with vet (or two) about quality v. quantity - get it inoculated as well (if it will reduce his ability to spread it). Take kid and sick cat to Vet for the prognosis discussion. If euthanasia is indicated, have the Doc explain in gross detail (pics help) what his best buddy is looking at - then tell him that you don’t care if he thinks is sucks, but you are the grown up, and this is one of the things grown ups have to do. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/28 "2014-04-19T06:13:06Z")
The FeLV vaccine has never been automatic. The only core vaccines for felines are FVRCP (rhinotracheitis, calici, panleukopenia) and Rabies. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/29 "2014-04-19T09:59:22Z")
Feline leukemia vaccine is recommended only for cats that are not strictly indoors. So if a lot of the cats in an area are indoor/outdoor or outdoor only cats, then that vaccine is going to be recommended and considered “core” in that case. In places were the cats are strictly indoors, the vaccine is not recommended and is not core. Like **SeaDragonTattoo** said, the core ones are the FVRCP and rabies (and the last one may even be by law). [My usual plug for a good, veterinarian created and maintained, general information website.](http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx) ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/30 "2014-04-19T20:36:13Z")
**Count** , I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you. No worries on asking for a cite. Here’s what I found at [the ASPCA website](http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/feline-leukemia-virus): > [@](#): > > My Cat is FeLV-Positive But Symptom-Free. Can I Get Another Cat? > > During the early stages of infection, a cat may not show any clinical signs, but he can still pass the virus to other cats. It’s not advisable to introduce a new uninfected cat into the household, even one who has been properly vaccinated against FeLV. Those living in close quarters with affected cats are most at risk for infection, and should be tested for the virus and, if negative, be housed separately. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/31 "2014-04-19T21:21:00Z")
Good lord! I sympathize with your situation but your coping mechanism sucks. Are you calling everyone who has put their pets down to avoid needless suffering a murderer? ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/32 "2014-04-19T21:53:44Z")
Your older cat is pretty much already dead. That’s sad. You can’t help it. What you can help is by making sure the disease doesn’t spread to other cats and kill them too. It wouldn’t make you a pet murderer. If your son doesn’t understand now, he eventually will. It sucks but it sucks less than the alternatives. You started this thread because you’re having difficulty doing the hard but necessary thing. That’s understandable. You’ll find that the vast majority of people will agree with what you know you need to do. Now you have to do it. And have the kitten vaccinated in case. Also look into how that disease is transmitted, perhaps some secretions or other disease vectors will be left over after the sick cat is gone and you’ll have to clean those up. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/33 "2014-04-20T04:31:02Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I sympathize with your situation but your coping mechanism sucks. I guess. Glad I could help you exercise sympathy skills. > [@Shakes](#): > > Are you calling everyone who has put their pets down to avoid needless suffering a murderer? [NotInAVeryGoodMoodOnTheSubjectRightNow] You might want to Google my opinions on putting pets down on this Board on other threads before coming to that conclusion, friend. Its all there… many threads, many paragraphs… every last word. Thank you. [/NotInAVeryGoodMoodOnTheSubjectRightNow] **Phouka** , Thank You! Turns out that shot was part of the $200 we paid the shelter when we got her (its a good cause). Still, we’ve isolated both to different floors of the house & behind locked doors. I’ve had to agree to waiting until the first visible symptom from the infected cat and to re-testing the kitten in 60 days. ( I know, but if you believe in Democracy… then you have to support it. Even when you lose. ) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/34 "2014-04-20T10:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > **Phouka** , Thank You! Turns out that shot was part of the $200 we paid the shelter when we got her (its a good cause). Still, we’ve isolated both to different floors of the house & behind locked doors. > I’ve had to agree to waiting until the first visible symptom from the infected cat and to re-testing the kitten in 60 days. > > ( I know, but if you believe in Democracy… then you have to support it. Even when you lose. ) So, if you paid it for the kitten, does that mean the older cat got the vaccine as well? Was he ever re-boostered or completed the course? In any case, since he was vaccinated, then make sure to get the confirmatory test before dooming the cat, as it is possible the positive result in the quick snap ELISA test was a result of vaccination. Same question for the kitten, usually kitten shots are in a series, was there a booster or are you responsible for the booster? If the records indicate only one vaccine, not two, it is possible that the kitten may need a booster (of all the vaccines, not just that one). Please do so in the meantime. Also in the meantime, look for other possible houses that may welcome your older cat and give it some comfort until he gets hit hard with the disease. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269/35 "2014-04-20T14:02:55Z")
I wish the older one had; he was an exception. My best guess on his origins are that he was an apartment-cat whose owner moved and dumped by a small colony of feral cats near my M-I-L’s house. I don’t know what shots he had. When I saw him one Thanksgiving (after I’d had a big meal) he was starving… running with the other cats but with no clue how to survive. I tricked him into our car, closed the door, ad kidnapped him to a better life as an indoor cat. Sadly, as one or two cats out of every hundred are, he was born with stupidity. He’d try to run outside every time we brought in groceries. If he made it, he’d chew a blade of grass, look up, blink his eyes a few moments, and then skitter back inside. He has gained some weight back. Besides an enlarged liver, he is not showing signs of suffering yet. I’ll post more when I have more to share. Sorry I was sensitive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-pet-murderer/686269.md?page=1)