Coping With Feline Leukemia Virus

On Feb. 23, 2010 Miss Abby Tabby was laid to rest in our back yard under the big pine tree. She was “put to sleep: because of FeLV. She was rescued on two weeks after Easter last year. She was happy to live in our garage because she could not live inside because I have a multi-cat household. Abby Tabby was content in the garage as long as I spend plenty of time playing with her. That all changed when my vet called right before Thanksgiving asking me to take in another FeLv cat that his owners didn’t want to deal with. Thinking Miss Abbey Tabby needed company I agreed to take “Dr. Bucky Kitty”. I kept him in a pet kennel at first to introduce to Miss Abby Tabby. She seemed not to like him and I felt as always give them time, I just thought it was working out, but as weeks went by Miss Abbey Tabby just wasn’t her playful self. Then I noticed about three weeks ago she wasn’t eating well. At that point I took her to live in the den area of our home. She was too far gone by then. As the three weeks past she never got better. In my heart I knew when I took her to my vet that he would give us the bad news. Apparently, she was so stressed by Dr. Bucky Kitty coming into our home that the FeLV came to the surface.

I feel so terrible that I put Abby Tabby at risk for stress by taking Dr. Bucky Kitty to save his life. I hope I have learned a lesson in this. I pray that some day soon there can be a cure for leaukemia in people and pets.

We miss Miss Abby Tabby greatly. I believe FeLV kittys know they may not have long to live. They are the sweetest kittys and make the most of their lives by loving so freely. They deserve a chance to live and have good forever homes just like all pets should.God bless those that care for God’s creatures great and small and my heart goes out to you that have lost a beloved kitty(s).