How to Deal with Your Cat's Feline Leukemia

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By moonlitcrystal
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Deal with Your Cat's Feline Leukemia

Nobody ever wants to hear that their cat has Feline Leukemia. Here are some ways to deal with your cat's declining health.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Love and compassion
A caring veterinarian
Willingness to make some hard decisions

Step 1

Choose a caring veterinarian. Your vet should be knowledgeable and kind. They should be compassionate towards delicate situations such as these. They should also be supportive of whatever decisions that you make regarding your pet.
Step 2

Decide what your course of action will be. This may sound harsh, but you will need to decide if you want to continue providing care for your cat or if you want to euthanize him right away. This is a very personal choice and should not be made with haste. Your veterinarian will be able to help you weigh each option and decide what is best in your situation. The following steps will assume that you have decided to continue caring for you cat.
Step 3

Realize that there is no cure for Feline Leukemia. Treatments such as antibiotics, chemotherapy, etc. may be able to help your cat feel better for short periods of time and they may prolong your cat's life, but unfortunately they are only a temporary fix to secondary problems. Also keep in mind that these treatments can become very costly.
Step 4

Watch your cat closely. Look for any changes in his health. The appearance of mouth sores or eye "goop," listlessness, sneezing, or coughing could be signs that your cat is not feeling well. If there in an infection present, your vet can give you a round of antibiotics. You may have to do this quite often as your cat's health deteriorates.
Step 5

Keep other cats protected. Your infected cat can spread Feline Leukemia to others, so try to keep him isolated. Do not let him outdoors, and keep him isolated from your other cats. Make sure that the infected cat does not breed. Also, make sure that your other cats are up to date with their Feline Leukemia vaccination.
Step 6

Give your cat love and attention. Humans can not catch Feline Leukemia from infected cats, so do not be afraid to love on your pet. Spending extra special time with your cat will not only make him feel good, but it will also create lasting memories that you can cherish long after your cat is gone.
Step 7

Do not feel guilty if you make the decision to euthanize. Whether you decide to do it right away or you wait until it is clear that your cat can no longer live a happy life, it is going to be a very tough decision. Just know that you are doing it out of love, compassion, and respect for your cat. You are the pet owner and you know what is best. Do not let anyone else tell you what decisions to make.
Step 8

Do not be afraid to grieve. A cat is a member of the family, so you will naturally be upset when your cat passes away. Crying and feeling angry are normal reactions. Talk to friends and family members who are compassionate. There are even web sites out there that give support to grieving pet owners. Do not let anyone tell you to "get over it" because "it was just a cat." Your feelings are valid.

Comments

tamalalynn01 said

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on 5/2/2009 5* Thank you for such a great article to help those of us in real need after the fact as opposed to before. Not only did I have a feline leukemia positive kittie but now have a small colony to take care of. Beautiful Minja was rescued after her mom was killed by a car and still needed to be bottle fed along with 3 other siblings. I have other cats of my own, kept them all separated. She was the runt and still nursing a bit when all others were adopted out, they had been tested and came up negative. Back than, vets would say if one is sick they are all sick and if it is negative, they are all negative. Not the case anymore. CHECK EVERY KITTEN is what I would leave. She gave us and all the rest so much love and joy but now it is also true that I have other exposed kitties to now make comfortable, keep as germ free as possible and love and care for with all that I have. Thanks ...