T-Cyte Treatment is treating cats who have FeLV and/or FIV with Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator. T-Cyte Therapeutics is the name of the manufacturer who supply vets with this expensive treatment. They are not very open about its success rate and cost etc.. It is difficult to find information on whether it works and whether the high cost is worthwhile. It is a USDA-approved treatment and it is also called: LTCI. The drug is designed to help to restore a cat’s ability to fight infection.
Some time ago Elisa wrote about modern treatments for these nasty and major feline diseases. She included T-Cyte. This is a quick follow up to see if the internet could throw up indications that it has proved effective.
Regrettably, as far as I can tell, it is still unclear whether it works consistently or at all. There is some anecdotal evidence from cat owners that it has worked or at least their cat’s health appears to have improved:
“I was skeptical at first, especially since T-Cyte has a very firm grip on their PR, it’s difficult to find information that is not provided by the company itself, but I’d say if you are running out of options, it is worth a try. We started seeing significant improvement in her health after about 3 shots.” (EECBrooklyn — Catsite.com)
This person’s comment reflects my feelings about this treatment. These diseases are the sort in which options can run out.
The Yahoo Group on FeLV positive cats state this:
There are immune system treatments that change 44% of feline leukemia positive cases negative!! — I don’t know whether they are referring to T-Cyte treatment but they give hope.
Another group felineleukemia.org do mention T-Cyte treatment but do not comment on how good it is. They refer to a company other than T-Cyte Therapeutics, which is called IMULAN BioTherapeutics, LLC who also produce a drug that appears to be similar or the same as T-Cyte. They describe it as:
“T-Cell Receptor (TCR) peptide immune modulators, for veterinary medicine.”
The science is baffling to the public and there is little information about effectiveness of this drug. On their website under a heading “Feline Studies”, the company states: “Coming soon”. Ah, well, we don’t know as yet how good it is. The company is based in Arizona, USA.
My personal conclusion is that the jury is out on the effectiveness of this treatment for FeLV. If you are desperate and feel you have to try it as a last resort, it is probably worth a go. One veterinary customer states that he paid $90 per shot (Catsite.com).
Hi Peggy,
I read you post from last year about using T-Cyte drug for your cat who tested positive for FeLV. I have a male cat who has Uveitus which was not responding to treatment. We subsequently found out, after numerous lab tests,that he was positive for FeLV. Other than his eye infection he seems normal. I would appreciate you sharing any updated information on your experience using the T-Cyte. Thank you!
Anne
Thank you, Julia, for sharing your personal experience. The information is valuable.
My FeLV+ cat have been treated with LTCI for 6 years and to date it has worked. He is still with us, 17 years old, although has several other diseases, but I may say he has a normal life even taking into account his age. Our vet gives him other medications as well (vitamines, immune system improving drugs, kidney supporters, even homeopatic medications).
Thanks a lot, Peggy, for taking the time to share your experience. Most welcome and useful.
Last year I had one of three rescue kittens test positive FELV, being siblings we tested all three and 2 showed neg to the in house test. We used the T-Cyte drug on the one but he was very sick and weak and lived about 4 months. The drug is expensive at about 100 per shot. The other boy began losing weight and we did all the normal procedures but he continued to lose and his hair lost its shine. He was tested 2 times by the same test and showed neg. the vet took blood and sent it to the lab for several things and it came back positive for FELV. We had 8 shots left that we had already paid for so we started on a more aggressive dose of 3 injections the first week instead of 3 at 7 days apart. He is sleeping a lot but seems to feel better he is eating well. Today was 2nd injection and no fever today. His sister had blood draw today but we will not know until Monday if it is positive. Here is my view if you have a pet that is positive and not showing signs start the injection now. If you wait the chances of survival are less. If my female is positive I start her immediately. If interested in in following my findings please email me at peg578@msn.com I don’t have a blog but will be starting one
Hi, thanks for sharing your experiences/thoughts. Since writing this article, I have used it on my cat Charlie who the vets believed had a viral infection but he actually had a tumor. Anyway the vet said it is worth using but it takes weeks to have an effect. I am not sure if you ever see the advantages.