November 20, 2023: Mixed Household: Talyn's Illness and Recovery, Chiana Remained Healthy

We have a mixed household: one FeLV+ cat and one FeLV- cat (vaccinated yearly). In the first week of November 2023, we noticed that Talyn (our FeLV-negative, FeLV-vaccinated cat) was coughing but not throwing up. He also seemed to be breathing heavily every once in a while. The coughing had been going on for a few days, and I honestly (and incorrectly) thought he was just trying to cough up hairballs, since he's a medium-haired cat.

By November 15th, we decided to take him to the vet, who also treats our FeLV+ cat, Chiana. While at the vet, Talyn seemed fine, but later on, he started coughing in front of the vet tech. The vet gave him a shot of Convenia®. While we were there, just to be thorough, we had him tested for FeLV, and the result came back negative. Talyn got better over the weekend and is now back to his usual self (no more coughing).

...but here's the interesting part: Chiana (the FeLV+ cat, who’s being treated with raltegravir) never got sick! :)

As we understand it, it’s the secondary issues and infections that cause problems for FeLV cats. We're actively fighting the virus early (before symptoms appear), and so far, we’re seeing positive results. So far, so good! :)