Cat Health: Feline Leukemia
The Feline Leukemia Virus (FelV) is a retrovirus that affects cats and kittens. Cats that are infected with FelV have a greater risk of developing cancer(s), have greater difficulty resisting infections than healthy cats and can cause certain blood disorders. Cats that are FelV positive should not be housed with other cats or, at a minimum, should be kept separate from other cats in the household. Cats that contract FelV live for an average of two to three years after they have contracted the infection.
FelV is transmitted from cat to cat via saliva, nasal secretions (mucus), urine, feces and milk from a lactating cat. Bites are a common method of transfer as is mutual grooming and from a FelV positive mother cat to her kittens either while in the womb or while nursing. Those cats that are at most risk are those that live outside either part of the time or all of the time, those that live with infected cats either knowingly or unknowingly and kittens who are born to FelV positive mothers.
Like many diseases, when a cat is first infected, it often shows no symptoms. As the disease progresses and the body's immune system begins to fail, signs of the disease can include: loss of appetite, weight loss, coat changes, enlarged lymph nodes, pale mucus membranes, fever that doesn't go away, problems in the mouth and on the gums, skin infections, urinary conditions, seizures, eye problems and inability (in female cats) to carry a pregnancy to term.
There is no cure for FelV but there is also no one certain progression of the disease. Some cats may live with symptoms for years; others may live with no symptoms for years and suddenly take a turn for the worse. It is important to have cats tested, and then immunized against, the Feline Leukemia Virus. Your veterinarian can perform the test quickly, giving you the results within 10 minutes.
It is recommended that kittens and cats that test positive for FelV be retested again in three months particularly if kittens are tested in a 'batch' where a small amount of blood from each kitten in the litter is used for one test. Re-testing will tell you if the test was a false-positive and, in three months time, very small kittens will be able to be tested singly rather than as a group.
If your kitten or cat has tested positive for FelV, talk with your veterinarian. While it is scary, FelV is not an immediate death sentence. Your vet may recommend yearly testing and treatments to keep symptoms at bay.