Hello everybody

I'm from Italy, I already posted a message on the italian cat newsgroup, but
I'd really like to submit the same problem also to you.

I live with my family in a flat. My building is surrounded by small garden.
At the beginning of August I've found there a cat, aged 2-3 years (no more),
male, already neutered. It was definitively family-owned and then most
probably abandoned. But he's charming, kind, cute! He's a very, very good
fellow with a fantastic behaviour! ...I cannot really understand why
abandoning such a lovely cat. I asked around, but nobody came to seek him
during the last month... In the meanwhile he decided to stop permanently
into the garden.

I was almost convinced to keep it and bring it at home. There I already have
a cat (male, neutered, 4 years), who lives inside my house and never leaves
it. So, I first brought the "new" one to the vet. He initially said it was
ok... No intestinal parasites, no flu, etc. Then he suggested to test him
for FIV/FeLV. He ran the ELISA test and found the cat positive to Leukemia.
That was really sad news. My cat at home is negative to both feline aids and
leukemia so I asked about vaccination, but the vet warned me that it is not
100% sure and there's about 1-2/10.000 possibilities that the vaccine may
give health problems (may also develop a tumor). I do not really want to
take those risks.

Nevertheless the vet suggested me to wait about 6 months and repeat the test
or take a more accurate one. There's a slim chance that the cat might result
negative, as the ELISA test can only determine if there's a presence of
antibodies in one cat organism, but tells nothing about his effective
illness or status of virus spreading (if any). If the cat will result
negative, said the doc, then I could bring him into home safely.

In the meanwhile, I'm giving hospitality to the "newcomer" inside my
garage... I don't keep my car inside it, it is large enough (about >20mq),
with a safe and almost humidity-free enviroenment. We feed the cat regularly
and he can rest with doors closed overnight so he can sleep well,
undisturbed by other animals. He seems to enjoy the situation: during the
day he's very playful and at a first glance he always appears to have a very
good health!

What worries me are the two following perspectives, on which the doctor was
a little unclear:

1) I know that there's no definitive cure for FeLV, although some cats may
survive and develop a self-immunity. While in other cats, who still don't
die, the illness goes in a latent state and then it may not be detected by
the ELISA test. A more accurate and expensive test in laboratory perhaps
could? I believe yes... but is there actually a chance that this cat could
definitively and permanently result negative one day and forever? During
these 6 months, can I give him something to strenghten its immunitary
system? I was thinking about Aloe Vera... Does anyone know which kind and
dilution to use? The vet on the other hand didn't propose anything...

2) Assuming the lucky chance that the cat will result fully negative at the
end of the 6 months... Will it be really safe to bring it at home where he
will meet the other (healthy) cat? Or there will be still a chance to
contaminate him somehow?

Any help with this matter will be sincerely appreciated.