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The purpose of this page is to remember Sage, our beloved companion who died as a result of anemia associated
with feline leukemia on January 11, 2004. I also want to share our story with others who may be going through a
similar situation and spread the word about feline leukemia.
Sage's Story
Sage was the first born in a litter of six on June 3, 1994.
Our oldest cat, Gracie, is her mother and we kept her sister, Runty. Sage led a pretty normal life for a cat until
she was about nine months old and came down with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). One day I noticed that she was
acting depressed and seemed a little pale so we went to the emergency vet and she was diagnosed. At the time there appeared
to be no reason for her to have gotten sick; she had been tested and vaccinated for all of the typical feline diseases when
she was about seven months old. After a blood transfusion and two months of drug treatments (prednisone, cytoxin, immuran)
and countless blood tests she was still very sick and our veterinarian at the time recommended euthanasia. I wasn't going
to give up that easy so Wes and I decided to wean her off the prednisone and see what happened. At the very least she would
live out the rest of her days without us sticking pills down her throat. Amazingly Sage made a full recovery once we took
her off the prednisone. We had also moved around that time and joked that she just didn't like where we were living.
For the next seven years or so Sage was pretty happy and healthy. About a year
after the anemia she came down with pancreatitis for no apparent reason but recovered from that pretty quickly. She continued
to test negative for feline diseases and received all the appropriate vaccinations. Then toward the end of December 2004
she began acting strange. She was licking rust from an old gas heater in our bathroom and eating kitty litter. Alarms
went off in my head so I kept a close eye on her. She began acting more or less normal again so I closed off the bathrooms
and we went ahead and went home to Ohio for a week around Christmas. When
we returned she was acting more depressed and our pet sitters had also noted her depressed behavior. Within the week I knew
something was very wrong.
We scheduled a vet appointment and, I might add, we did so with some hesitation
because, in the past, trips to the vet usually resulted in an even greater decline in her condition due to stress. The same
was true this time because once we got to the vet her condition declined rapidly. She went from walking around at home
to lying motionless and unresponsive on the vet's table. Later on that night her blood results indicated that she was indeed
anemic and, much to our surprise, positive for feline leukemia (FeLV). Feline leukemia? How could this be in a cat that had
never tested positive for the disease, had been vaccinated for the disease, and never went outside where she could have
been exposed to another cat with the disease?
We took her home and kept her warm and comfortable. I stayed up all night with
her that first night and did some internet research on the disease and its treatments. More than anything I wanted to know
how she could have had FeLV all these years (it was apparent now that her first bout of AIHA was exactly like this one and
clearly both related to FeLV). I discovered a few things online and in our vet records. First, I found that other
pet owners had had success with a few homeopathic treatments and some orthodox treatments. Since Sage was so sick I knew
the time had passed for homeopathic treatments since they often take a while to begin working. I came across some drugs that
had been used in the same way drug "cocktails" are used in treating AIDS patients. The drugs were Epogen, a synthetic
hormone (erythropoietin) that stimulates red blood cell production, and Interferon alpha, an antiviral drug. Second, I discovered
in our vet records that Sage was tested and vaccinated for FeLV in March 1995 and then developed AIHA just two months later
in May 1995. I began to suspect that Sage had contracted the disease from the vaccination and her first bout with AIHA was
the first manifestation of the disease; unfortunately I'll never know for sure.
The following morning I called vets until I found one with the drugs and we
took Sage there for treatment. Despite the treatment, the vet said Sage's prognosis was not good and that, since the
body takes 7-10 days to rebuild red blood cells, it might be too late for the Epogen to do anything. We took Sage home and
continued to keep her warm and comfortable but her body was too weak to fight anymore and she died at home early the
following morning.
Since Then...
Right after Sage died I was
pretty sad and depressed. I suppose I went through all the typical phases that people go through after they lose a loved
one. I don't know what those phases are, but I know I felt denial and guilt and sadness and, finally, a degree of acceptance.
I'm still doing my detective work though. I came across a few other bits of information while doing my internet research that
first night. Although FeLV can remain dormant inside the body for long periods of time, in fact it may never become active,
there are certain things that can trigger it. One of those things is stress and, although Sage was exhibiting what I now know
are symptoms of anemia before we left for Ohio (licking strange things for example), our trip to Ohio may have been
enough stress to bring on a relapse so to speak.
Another trigger that I came
across was exposure to lead. This wouldn't have rung a bell except for one thing: both times that Sage got sick with AIHA
we were living in old structures. The first time we were living in an old apartment building. The second time, which was this
most recent one, happened at our current residence which is an old house. In fact, we just moved to this house in November
2003. My first thought was that there may be lead in the pipes because there was a time when lead solder was used on plumbing.
My second thought was based on another similarity between where we lived when she got sick; each of these places had/has old
gas heaters with ceramic heating "coils". Sage had been licking the rust off the old gas heater in our bathroom and, although
we never saw her do it, she could have licked the old gas heater at our first apartment. There was a time when lead was used
in ceramic glazes and it's possible such a glaze could have been on the heating coils and become exposed when the ceramic
broke apart. I bought a lead test for water and surfaces and, so far, our water has tested negative. I have not had a chance
to test the ceramic coils yet because, after Sage had been licking them, I covered them with screen and it's going to be a
process to re-expose them. I'll update this once I find out if there is lead in them.
Warning Signs, etc.
Please keep in mind that these are based on my experiences with Sage and your cat(s) may exhibit different signs
of FeLV and/or may exhibit similar signs for reasons other than FeLV. Also, these lists are not exhaustive, there are merely
a starting point.
Possible warning signs:
- Licking/eating clay kitty litter: This is often a sign of anemia. A cat will lick/eat the clay because it has minerals
in it like iron which the cat is deficient in due to anemia.
- Licking/eating cement, rocks, or rust: Same as above.
- Acting depressed or lethargic and possible laying in atypical locations.
- Pale ears and/or mucous membranes (eyelids, gums).
Preventative measures:
- Regular testing and vaccinations (even though I suspect Sage got FeLV from a vaccine, none of my other three cats seemed
to have gotten it at all, so I honestly don't know where I stand on this matter).
- Keep your cat(s) indoors! FeLV and many other feline diseases are easily transmitted from cat to cat.
- Don't take in strays unless you can keep them quarantined from your other cat(s) until they are tested for diseases.
Triggers in FeLV-positive cats:
- Stress. This can come in many forms. If you know your cat is FeLV-positive, consider the impact that changes in routine
can have. Routine changes are stressful enough for healthy cats, so imagine the effect of a cat with a deadly disease like
FeLV. Things like leaving town for extended periods when you don't usually travel or getting a new pet can be very stressful.
- Lead. Even if lead wasn't the culprit in Sage's case, it could be with your cat(s). If you live in an old house you should
consider testing your water; lead isn't good for you either. If you feed your cat(s) from old ceramic dishes these could have
lead as well. I've included a link below for the company where I got my tests from; it's very inexpensive and it's better
to be safe than sorry!
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