Dallas Cat Rescue

FELVIE basics

Being adopted into a loving home is the best care for a FELVIE. There is less change and less stress than in a foster home situation. Stress is one of the worst things to bring on disease in a FELVIE or any other cat (or human for that matter). With a healthy diet, love, consistency and low stress, a FELVIE can live a relatively long life. There are many different accounts on how long that can be. Cat Matchers has a few adopters who can speak to that personally. (https://catmatchers.org/adoptions/our-adoptable-pets/special-needs-cats-and-kittens/felv-testimonials/)

• Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), is a virus that attacks and weakens the immune system of a cat. It isn’t a form of cancer.  FeLV is contagious to other cats. For this reason, all FeLV+ cats must be kept indoors always. They can only cohabitate with other FeLV+ cats as it is spread from cat to cat via saliva (sharing food bowls, grooming each other, etc.), urine, blood, and from mother cat to kittens during pregnancy. Feline leukemia is species specific so other animals such as dogs cannot contract the virus. The virus itself is not airborne and dies rapidly in the environment so you won’t have to worry about carrying the virus on clothes when you leave the house or have friends over.
• The FELVIES available for adoption are not sickly. They do, however, have an increased risk of getting sick. This makes protecting them from stress, feeding a high quality diet, taking them to the vet regularly, and addressing health problems as soon as they arise absolutely critical. You wouldn’t know a cat had FeLV by just looking at it, and many people have FeLV+ cats in their home and don’t even know it because they never got them tested.
• FELVIES don’t generally need special medication or care while they are healthy. When and if they do eventually get sick they will usually get very sick quickly and may need more care than a normal cat since their immune system doesn’t work as well. Some vet clinics recommend keeping FeLV+ cats on anti-viral drugs to help keep the virus from replicating, though the efficacy of these drugs is debatable. Cat Matchers can provide care for illnesses related to the virus free of charge (at our affiliated veterinary clinics) for our FeLV+ cats.
• A vaccination for FeLV exists, but it is not 100 percent effective. Owners should consult their veterinarians and determine their cat’s risk factors for FeLV when deciding whether to vaccinate.
• More info about FeLV
  • https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-health-9-things-feline-leukemia-felv
  • https://www.cat-health-guide.org/feline-leukemia.html
  • https://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-Cat-with-Feline-Leukemia

I am ready to adopt a FELVIE, now what?
If you’re interested in adopting a FELVIE, know that their adoption fee is waived and that Cat Matchers will provide treatment for illnesses related to their FeLV+ status and Palliative care.  This type of treatment can range from weeks or months to years and is utilized for FeLV+ cats.

• Palliative care is the care of patients with a life-limiting illness that is not responsive to curative treatment or where curative treatment is not available or not applicable due to concurrent medical conditions, age, or other risk factors.
• The control of pain and other symptoms and frequent measuring of quality of life (appetite, activity, interaction with family members, pain assessment, hygiene) is paramount to optimal care. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for individual patients.
• In the categories of palliative care, heroic measures such as hospitalization, advanced imaging, specialist referrals, and invasive surgery would not be pursued.
• Minimal laboratory or other diagnostic tests may be warranted.
• Pain medication and other available supplements, prescription diets, or other medications to treat chronic conditions would be utilized. The focus for these patients is on quality of life.
• Emergency care facilities will not be covered by Cat Matchers

Moving into a new home can be stressful for cats since they thrive on familiarity and consistency.  Be aware that cats are generally very skilled at hiding their pain and discomfort. Prolonged stress can, in turn, lead to illness. If you adopt a FeLV+ cat, it’s important to be aware of the symptoms of common stress-related illnesses that can appear post-adoption.

• Not eating – if you suspect your cat has not eaten in 24 hours offer different kinds of wet food (start with the smelliest), chicken or turkey baby food (without onions or garlic), or even scrambled eggs. Contact Cat Matchers! if your cat is still not eating after 48 hours as it can be dangerous for their health. Three or more days is too long.
• Fever
• Sneezing
• Yellow or green nasal discharge
• Congestion
• Labored breathing
• Lethargy – your new cat should be inquisitive yet shy. If he/she is unwilling to play that could be a sign that they are getting sick.
• Red or Swollen gums

The contact information and process for care will be given to you at adoptions.

For routine care such as skin issues, diarrhea, dental/extractions, etc., see your regular
veterinarian.

Support groups for FELVIE owners

End of life services