Pet Sense (Archives)
What You Should Know About Feline Leukemia
Feline leukemia virus infection was, until recently, the most common fatal disease of cats. Because we can now protect cats with a leukemia virus vaccine, we are seeing fewer cases of the disease. However, it still remains a major cause of death in cats.
How is the virus transmitted?
The main means of transmitting the virus is through cat fights. Because large quantities of the feline leukemia (FeLV) are shed in cat saliva, puncture wounds associated with fighting result in injection of the virus into other cats. Other less frequent routes of viral spread include sharing food and water bowls, cats grooming each other, and transmission from mother to kittens before birth.
How is feline leukemia tested?
A simple in house blood test is used to determine if a cat harbors the virus.
How are cats with leukemia treated?
Unfortunately, because the virus is not affected by treatments, cats will always remain infected with feline leukemia.
I have a healthy cat that is infected with the virus. What does that mean?
Healthy infected cats may remain apparently unaffected by the virus for several years. However, such cats should be considered infectious and potentially dangerous to other cats. Such cats should be isolated from non-infected cats to prevent spread of infection. Many people find this undesirable or impossible and elect euthanasia to protect non-infected cats.
What should I do to disinfect my house?
The FeLV lives, at most, only a few hours outside the cat if the environment is dry. Therefore, extensive environmental disinfection is not necessary. If you wait even two days to get a new cat, you can be assured that none of the virus from a previous cat will remain in your house.
Is there any danger to my family?
Extensive tests have been conducted for over 15 years to determine if the FeLV can be transmitted to humans. Thus far, no conclusive evidence has shown any FeLV-related disease in humans or other animal species, including the dog.
Can I protect my other cats?
A vaccine is available to protect cats from the FeLV. Although not 100% of cats are totally protected, the vaccine is strongly recommended for cats who are exposed to open populations of cats (i.e., outdoor cats). We have seen a definite decline in the incidence of feline leukemia virus infection and related diseases since vaccine use became widespread. We strongly recommend it. *Cats who are already infected with the FeLV will not be helped by the vaccine.* (They will not be hurt by it, either). We recommend pre-vaccination testing for the FeLV for:
1) Cats with a history of cat fights or fight wounds (i.e., abscesses)
2) Cats exposed to FeLV-infected cats
3) Cats from unknown backgrounds (particularly animal shelters, humane societies, or pet shops)
4) Routine health care, especially in multicat households
Will vaccinating my cat with the FeLV vaccine cause the leukemia test to be positive?
No. The vaccine will not cause a cat to test positive for the virus. While the history of vaccination is important for us to know, it does not alter our ability to interpret the feline leukemia virus test.
Leukemia Quick Facts:
*Feline Leukemia is highly contagious from cat to cat.
*It may be spread by licking, sneezing, fighting, sharing food bowls, or sharing litter pans.
*It is estimated that 30% of all stray cats are infected today.
*It is one of the major causes of death in cats today.
*It primarily affects the cat by decreasing resistance of the cat to other disease.
It acts very similar to the AIDS VIRUS in humans.
*Diagnosis is made by clinical signs and a blood test.
*There is NO SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT!
*The virus does NOT live outside the cat’s body over 2-3 days.
Due to the seriousness of this disease, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT
ALL CATS be vaccinated!
Once the disease is contracted there is no cure!
