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! :)

Test Results: January 2, 2024: Progressive: Increase

Update

Just after the New Year 2024, we had Chiana tested again for FeLV. In addition to checking her viral load, our vet drew blood to assess whether raltegravir was affecting her liver or kidneys. The results were mixed.

The good news: the 25 mg dose of raltegravir, given once daily, is not affecting her organs, which is a big relief. However, her FeLV viral load has increased for the first time since starting the drug.

Test Results

Date	Status	Viral Load
9/28/23	REGRESSIVE	0.59 x 10⁶ = 590,000
1/2/24	Progressive	6.32 x 10⁶ = 6,320,000

Analysis

Her viral load increased from regressive at 0.59 x 10⁶ (590,000) to progressive at 6.32 x 10⁶ (6,320,000). The cutoff between regressive and progressive is 1 million (1,000,000).

While we’re not thrilled about the increase, it’s somewhat reassuring that it wasn’t drastic, especially considering she started at 90.98 x 10⁶ (90,980,000).

This result challenges the original theory that her viral load would consistently decrease. Why the sudden increase? We’re not certain, but her significant weight gain might be a factor. When Chiana started on this drug in March 2023, she weighed just 6 lbs (as of 2/18/23). As of 1/2/24, she’s a robust Maine Coon weighing nearly 14 lbs!

Next Steps

• Increase her raltegravir dosage from 25 mg once daily to 50 mg (25 mgs twice a day.) This adjustment started on 1/4/24.
• Schedule her next test at the beginning of April 2024 to monitor her viral load.