Feline Leukemia???

This past weekend we entertained an older couple who were interested in adopting Lewis, our foster kitty. They said they wanted him and we told them we would push the paperwork through as quickly as possible.

                                                                              Lewis

In order to complete the adoption paperwork, we needed a couple of lab printouts from the vet. The vet seemed strangely reluctant to provide us with the paperwork, which confused me because I had been assured that all the cats I had brought there had passed their tests.

Just today we finally got the paperwork - and there, under the feline leukemia test, was the handwritten word "positive".

POSITIVE???

That vet had told me that Lewis had passed all his lab tests and was free to roam and play with the other cats in my household. This same vet is saying that the notation actually says "negative" but his assistant's bad handwriting makes it look like it says "positive" - which I don't believe for a second.

It turns out the records for the other kitten we had at the same time - Alf - also show a positive reading for the leukemia test.

                                                  Alf and Lewis sitting with Eggnog (foster puppy)

Feline leukemia is very VERY contagious. If Lewis has it, then my own two cats have been exposed to it. There is no cure.

                                                                          Gryphon

                                                                                Ayla

I'm livid. Absolutely, utterly livid. I told the Adopt-a-Pet counselor that I will not even consider adopting out Lewis until I get a repeat of the test done at a different vet clinic. She fortunately agreed with me, and is currently trying to talk the owner of the shelter to pay for a second series of tests (the owner is kind of reluctant - funding is dependent solely on donations, which have been down because of the recession). But I refuse to send an animal out for adoption unless I know for certain he has a clean bill of health.

If the vet did in fact lie to me - an outright lie about the heath of his patient - then I will do everything in my power to see that his license is permanently revoked.

EDIT:  I just heard back from the shelter owner - she is authorized a re-test for both Lewis and Alf (who was our former foster kitty).  Alf just passed his test, so he's leukemia-free...which bodes well for Lewis.

EDIT:  Lewis cleared his test with flying colors - YAY!  His new family will come over on Saturday at 5pm to finalize the paperwork - and then he will be on his way to his new home.