My cat has FeLV and severe anemia. How do I know when to euthanize?

I'm very sorry Felix has leukemia! It is a very hard decision to make if you want to euthanized him or not. It really depends on how he is doing at the moment, what symptoms he is showing, and how much you want to invest in treatment. Eighty-five percent of cats who are diagnosed with FeLV die within three years of diagnosis. But regular vet care and good preventative health can help keep cats with this feeling well and can prevent secondary infections. Secondary infections from FeLV can be treated, and cats who develop can cancer receive chemotherapy. If you chose to treat him, you should do twice yearly vet visits with lab testing and parasite control to prevent complications and identify problems quickly. Felix should be kept indoors at all times now. Cats who has bone marrow compromise or widespread lymphoma do have a very poor prognosis. I wish I could give you an easy answer as to what to do, but depending on his current symptoms, Felix does have the possibility of living another couple of years with good vet care and treatment of any secondary infections. It's really up to you how much you want to invest in his treatment. I would be happy to consult with your further on this if you'd like. Simply select the "consult online" button under my answer to talk more.

Goodness, I am so sorry for your loss. Based on this bloodwork and on what you’re telling me, I think that euthanasia was a very reasonable and humane decision. Not only were the red cells low, but the white blood cells and platelets as well, and there isn’t any evidence of the body trying to “regenerate” these cells on the bloodwork you’ve attached. A transfusion may have given a temporary “Bandaid” to the situation, but I’m afraid that a cure was likely impossible. I know how difficult these decisions are. Please rest assured that you did the best thing for your kitty. I’m afraid continuing to treat would likely have only prolonged your cat’s suffering. You have my sincere sympathy for your loss. Please let us know if you have any other questions we can help you with.

Cats have a likelihood of rejecting blood if not matched and blood typed appropriately. There are precautions that need to happen before any transfusion. Each consecutive transfusion comes with a greater risk of rejection. But, it's likely that if your cat needs a transfusion due to feline leukemia it will need transfusions again and again. Feline leukemia is unfortunately non-curable so it is likely the cat will just continue to get sicker and sicker.

This is a very difficult situation for you to be in. When it comes to quality of life I advise owners to look at what things there cat enjoys doing and if they are still doing those things. Examples could be eating, playing, or interacting with you. If those factors are not what they should be then it is a matter of can this be fixed or not. For example if your cat is not eating due to nausea could we give him medication to make them feel better and eat. Or if they are weak due to anemia could we give a blood transfusion or stimulate the bone marrow to make more red cells to help them feel better. If though none of the interventions are acceptable to you then it might be time to assess the quality of life and end any suffering. Ultimately it is your decision about what constitutes Peter having a good quality of life and if those measures can be met or not realistically. As you know lymphoma ultimately is fatal. Some cats can do very well for a long period of time however with his dropping red cell level I am concerned about Peter's long-term prognosis.

Feline leukemia is a difficult disease. It is an immunodeficiency virus which means the immune system doesn’t work as well. Also with this virus they can develop leukemia or lymphoma (cancer of the white blood cells). So vomiting could be due to an infection or to a tumor in her abdomen. It is also possible that it could be completely unrelated to her FeLv status and she could have something like an object in her stomach causing the vomiting. If you haven’t already had an abdominal ultrasound and current blood work done then I would recommend both of those to help you decide what to do. Also maybe a medication called cerenia may keep her from vomiting while you wait for the medication that your veterinarian ordered. I’m sorry you are facing this decision. I usually make the decision to euthanasia my pets when they can’t live the quality of life that I want for them. Take care and thank you for using Pet Coach.

If the anemia is from parasites then his bone marrow should make new red blood cells and the anemia will resolve with time. If he is severely anemic he could die before this can happen. If the anemia is from a viral infection or cancer then even a transfusion would be a temporary fix. You can continue to keep him warm and tempt him to eat, but if he is having trouble breathing or seems to be suffering euthanasia would be the most humane option.

I am so sorry for your loss. I don’t see your kitty’s age, but if he/she was older, I would be most suspicious that he/she had cancer somewhere. Even though FeLV negative, it’s still possible that cancer developed in her bone marrow due to an unknown cause. (Which unfortunately is usually the case with cancer). When all of the blood cells are low, primary bone marrow disease (cancer, immune mediated disease) may be to blame. It’s also possible that there was cancer elsewhere and the bone marrow stopped working due to either spread of the disease or because of what we call a “paraneoplastic syndrome”, which is just a fancy way to say that unfortunately cancer sometimes does whatever it wants. I am so sorry again for your heartache. It sounds like you did everything you could have for your cat. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Please let us know if we can help you further.