Feline Leukemia

Feline leukemia is a virus (FeLV) that causes other more serious diseases, such as cancer and anemia. It causes suppression of the immune system and leads to a lack of different types of blood cells and the growth of tumors. Feline Leukemia is a fatal virus that even a healthy appearing kitten could be harboring. Because this virus could be communicated to other cats in your household, we recommend having any kitten tested before you take the kitten home or before introducing it to other cat(s). Feline leukemia is highly contagious and spreads through contact with bodily fluids--two cats that share a food bowl, or groom each other, or just touch noses through a screen door can infect each other. Large amounts of the virus are excreted in saliva, but it also can be present in tears, urine and feces. The virus is fragile in the environment, so fairly direct contact is necessary for it to be transmitted.

In tests on feline leukemia, researchers noticed that only about a fifth of chronically infected cats developed leukemia. The remainder succumbed to a host of other ailments, including anemia, chronic infections, pneumonias and non-healing wounds. When the immune system is suppressed, the cat becomes susceptible to many diseases it would ordinarily resist and mild diseases, such as respiratory infections, may become fatal.

There is only a ten percent chance of survival for cats that contract feline leukemia, very few living longer than three years after contracting the virus. Nursing from an infected mother can infect kittens. An infected mother can also pass the virus to her kittens before they are born although most cases of feline maternity in cats infected with feline leukemia never make it to term, the unborn kittens succumbing to the disease and dying in the womb. Feline leukemia is the greatest killer of cats after accidents; 21% of sick cats brought to veterinarians have feline leukemia. Thirty percent of all malignant cat tumors are a result of the feline leukemia virus.

To test for the possible present of the disease, there is an IFA test which is performed on a blood smear and turns positive only after the FeLV infection has progressed to a late stage of infection. Once positive, the IFA test usually means that the cat has a permanent infection. If the result remains positive, the possibility of true infection is much greater.

If a kitten tests negative, there is nothing to worry about. Acutely infected kittens may have several years of good quality life before developing signs of the disease, and some individual cats may live much longer. However, 50% of infected cats living in multiple cat households will die within two years of contracting the disease, and that number increases to 80% after three years. Discuss with your veterinarian the need for a follow-up blood test eight weeks later to catch infections which were newly incubating. Then have your veterinarian administer a series of two vaccinations 2-3 weeks apart and follow up with a yearly booster.

With the recent invention of a vaccination that prevents the virus from causing death in a cat, feline leukemia is becoming less of a problem for domesticated cats. The virus is still carried and transmitted among street cats and remains a very fatal virus for infected cats. It does not infect dogs, humans, or any other species of animal. Combination vaccines may also include feline leukemia virus and Chlamydia. Modified live injectable vaccines should be administered very carefully, so none of the vaccine gets into the eyes, nose, or mouth of the cat, otherwise the vaccine could induce clinical signs of disease.

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NOTE: This article is for information only. See your veterinarian for medical advice.