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Published on December 8, 2007

Each is infected with a virus, the white kaomanee lady I wrote about some weeks ago with the feline Aids virus (FIV), and a beautiful male kitten, with feline leukemia (FeLV).

Great strides have been made in feline medicine. No longer are cats treated like small dogs. They have their own medicines, their own foods, and even their psychological studies. Progress has also been made in testing for disease.

Today, any good vet can test for FIV and FeLV, two separate tests requiring only a drop of blood for each test and a few minutes for the results to show whether the cat carries antibodies to the virus. With antibodies, the result is positive.

A cat infected by either virus comes down with cancers, tooth and gum infections, as well as other illnesses. Either virus leaves the cat unable to cope with infections that a healthy cat could handle easily.

Neither one of these viruses is transmissible to humans. We can live with cats infected with these viruses (and they can live with us). Unfortunately, the viruses are highly communicable to other cats. A cat with either one of these infections must be separated from other cats forever.

FIV is transmitted through cat bites. Researchers have found that, unlike in humans, the cat virus doesn't seem to be transmitted sexually. It only takes one bite, though, the best reason I can think of for keeping your cat indoors, away from infected cats.

FeLV is transmitted through saliva. Thus, sharing water bowls and food dishes, grooming, any sort of contact with an infected cat can transfer the virus to another cat.

The blood tests, however, are not always 100 per cent accurate. A kitten may show a positive result simply because it has ingested antibodies from its infected mother's milk. The kitten at my vet's has tested positive for FeLV, but he's only two months old. My vet will keep him for a few more months and then test him again.

The FIV lady is another story. She's already over a year old. Any antibodies from her mother's milk have long been eliminated. We've tested her several times, and she is indeed positive.

Whenever I drop by to see her, my vet grows nervous. This white lady has a sweet and loving nature, and my vet, who knows me too well, has long realised that I'd love to take the cat home.

Alas, I cannot, not if I want to keep my other cats safe. So we're looking for a permanent home for her, a family willing to make the commitment that she will never go outside the home, that she will be the only cat in the household for as long as she lives.

We have no idea how long she'll live. Right now, she's healthy, except for that virus. In a loving home, away from stress, she may - who knows? - live a long and healthy life. 

 Laurie rosenthal 

The Nation