What You Should Know About Feline Leukemia Virus

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a devastating retrovirus which infects cats. If you are adopting a new cat, or taking in a stray, it is a good idea to have your pet tested for FeLV, especially if you already have other pet cats in your home. About 0.5% of pet cats have FeLV, however, over 35% of pet cats have been exposed to this virus.  Up to 11% of stray and feral cats may be infected with FeLV. As you can see, vaccination goes a long way in preventing exposure to the virus from turning into a persist infection in your pet cat. Make sure you tell your veterinarian you are interested in vaccinating your pets against these devastating diseases.

There are several diseases that are spread by biting, and FeLV is one of them.  It is also spread through saliva, such as when cats groom each other or share a common food bowl.  Cats who are less than 8 months of age are particularly susceptible to this disease, so make sure you keep these kittens inside and away from other cats who may be FeLV positive.

Kittens under 8 months are especially susceptible to FeLV.

There are several stages in the disease, but basically the virus enters the body after which it infects the blood and lymph nodes. This allows it to distribute throughout the cat, including several organs such as the intestines. At this point, the cat will either fight off the infection or succumb to it. 30% of cats will fight off the infection at this point. Another 40% will retain the virus in a latent form.  When the cat becomes stressed or sick, the virus will reemerge and continue into the following phases.  If the cat succumbs to infection, it spreads to the bone marrow and epithelial tissues such as the salivary glands, renal tubules, etc.  30% of cats will sequentially progress through all these stages, and eventually succumb to the disease.

FeLV can cause cancer and blood disease, as well as reduce the cat’s ability to fight off other infections. Early on in the infection the cat may show no symptoms at all, but later in the disease you may see other signs. Anorexia, weight loss, poor coat condition, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, pale gums, seizures and eye conditions are some of the signs you may see.

To prevent infection, be sure to vaccinate your cats from this disease. You can also consider keeping your  cats as indoor only pets, and housing any infected cats you have separately from uninfected (or naïve) cats.

If your cat is infected with FeLV be sure to schedule a wellness check with your veterinarians at least once every 6 months. Because their immune system is reduced in efficacy, it is important to catch any infections early on.  Your veterinarian will want to get blood work, a urinalysis and weight measurements at these check ups.  Make sure you feed your cat a high quality diet and provide plenty of access to fresh water.  Also make sure you keep your cat indoors only. This is to protect him or her from other cats that may be carrying diseases as well as to prevent your cat from spreading disease.

A weakened immune system may make your cat less able to fight off infections.

While FeLV is not known to be transmitted to people, other diseases they may get because of their weakened immune systems are. FeLV cats are more susceptible to several bacterial, fungal and viral diseases, as well as parasitic infections. Therefore, people with weak immune systems, such as AIDS infected individuals, the very old and the very young should avoid contact with FeLV infected cats.