Coping With Feline Leukemia Virus

Marvin, our gray and white tux cat, was diagnosed with feline leukemia a little over two weeks ago. He has always been an active cat and loved to eat, so when my husband and I noticed that he stopped eating and was lying listlessly in the bathroom, we knew that something was wrong.

Marvin adopted us about a year ago; he was one of our neighbor’s cats who said she could never get him to eat. We never had that problem! We were told that he was around 2 years old and had had all of his shots; when I took him to our vet to have him neutered, I never thought to have him tested for feline leukemia. That’s why our vet didn’t catch it the first time I brought him in. He gave him an antibiotic and some fluids to rehydrate him, but by the end of the week, he still wasn’t eating.

I took him back a second time, and that’s when we found out he had feline leukemia. We were hopeful at first that he would make it through the viremia stage, but we were never able to get his fever down enough. My husband and I took him in again to see our vet this past Friday, and we left without him. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

We have 3 more cats in our home and thankfully, they have always been indoors. They have all been vaccinated and tested for feline leukemia, and it was even recommended that I bring them in for boosters. So far, everyone seems to be doing well, with the exception of missing our Marvin cat.

If you know of anyone who’s adopted a cat, thinking about adopting a cat, or even just feeding a stray, I can’t stress how important it is to have them tested and vaccinated against this disease. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t cost that much (maybe $60 - $70), and it can save you a world of hurt later on.

I miss “my buddy” terribly, but I will never forget how much joy, spunk, and happiness he brought into our lives.