Need help with my sick cat with feline leukemia?

Hi I have a 12 year old moggy who has lost half his body weight in the last 6 weeks. He is also loosing coat condition rapidly and has lost his spark. I took him to the vet who told me that he thought schmel had either feline leukemia or aids. The blood tests to find out wich one would cost $300.00 and there is no cure for either. He basically told me to take him home and wait for him to die. This is not an option for me as he is like my baby. We have decided to try and put the $300.00 into giving him the best possible life while he is still with us so have been researching natural cures and remedies. So far I have changed his diet to all natural and have added vitamen A, E and selenium wich is meant to boost his immune system. He is also having kelp extract raw meat and fish and vegies also raw mixed with brown rice and raw egg shell and all. I have been researching a product called transfer factor plus. Any thougths that anyone has would be greatly appreciated thanks

you are so right I hadent even thought that it might be something alse fixable I was just so devistated that I went straight to the attack mode of how can I fix it. I will be having the blood work done first thing monday morning and if it is one of the killers I will deal with in then thankyou

I agree with the others that it may be an illness besides FeLV or FIV. These illness are usually found in much younger kitties.

The symptoms you describe could be diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Does he drink excessive amounts of water and urinate excessively? Does he have a ravenous appetite, but is still loosing weight? You've already said his coat condition is poor and he's lost his spark. All these are classic signs and his age is usually when these illnesses appear. Another symptom with the hyperthyroid is a very foul breath. I know all these signs. I have a diabetic kitty and now treating my second hyperthyroid kitty.

The other illness that his symptoms are similar to is kidney failure. He will drink and urinate excessively, but they don't usually have a good appetite, usually will refuse food. From your information that sounds like he has a good appetite, I don't think it will be this.

The bloodwork you should have done will check all the major functions..thyroid, kidneys, liver and blood glucose. I hope you get a good report and it is something treatable.

Purrs to you and kitty.

I think perhaps you better get a 2nd opinion from another vet.
Don't know how without blood work, a vet can tell or suspect it's those 2 fatal conditions.

Renal failure, diabetes, thyroind condition,.. lots others could have the same affect if in an acute stage.
Pls. consider having your kitt y re-evaluated properly. ASAP

Gd. luck.

Expensive vet! I paid $57 for a leukemia test. Unfortunately, it's always fatal. It can only be diagnosed with a blood test.My kitty had to be euthanized within a week of first showing symptoms & she was only 4 years old. I'm afraid you're wasting your time with the natural remedies. I'm so sorry for your sweet kitty but he's going to have trouble breathing soon when his lungs fill with fluid. The kindest thing is to euthanize him before he's in pain. Sorry again.

Damn! That's expensive. How much is a combo test there (checks for feline leukemia and aids)?
I hope he feels less crummy, he's lived a long life. It's a difficult decision but if he starts getting very bad you may think about euthanasia. I'm surprised the Dr. didn't mention this, and just told you to take him home to die. Hope everything looks relatively o.k on the labwork.

At 12 your kitty could be having other problems besides leukemia or aids. Am glad to see that you plan on having blood work done. Like the other poster I am surprised that the vet told you to take him home and just wait for him to die. On that alone I would change vets. The switch in diet can't hurt either way. If you can get it try L-Lysine. It boosts the immune system. My vet gave it to us when we had a kitten with an upper respiratory infection. For the lost weight you might want to get a product called Nutrical (or it's generic equivalent) , it's a high caloric supplement that is meant for pets that are off their feed or have lost weight due to health issues. I have used it successfully many times.
I hope your kitty isn't terminal and gets better quick! Good luck and best wishes!

$300 is INSANE for a blood test for Feline Leukemia. Yes, a full blood workup might cause a bit more but the FeLv test is very simple and even over there should be well under $100. I paid I think $40 for my cat not long ago.

Is this cat an indoor cat or outdoor cat? And was he even innoculated for Feline Leukemia? If he's indoor then I find it highly unlikely he would have either FIV or FeLv. Call around to other vets and get some tests done. But why did you wait six weeks to get him to the vet in the first place? That drastic a weight loss (50%????) can SERIOUSLY impact his vital organs and you may be too late to do anything for this poor cat.