Feline leukemia virus, or FeLV, can cause symptoms which mimic many different diseases in cats, often making feline leukemia a frustrating disease to deal with.
What is Feline Leukemia and the Feline Leukemia (FeLV) Virus?
Feline leukemia virus is a retrovirus (a specific class of virus) and is responsible for causing the disease known as feline leukemia.
It is one of the most common causes of death seen in cats.
How is Feline Leukemia and the Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Spread?
The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is spread through contact with body fluids from infected cats, including:
- saliva
- urine
- feces
- tears
- nasal discharges
- blood
The feline leukemia virus can be passed from one cat to another:
- through grooming or licking one another,
- through fighting or
- through sharing food dishes, water dishes or litterboxes.
Feline leukemia virus can also be passed from a mother cat to her kittens before birth across the placenta.
Additionally, FeLV can be passed through blood transfusions if the blood being transfused is not tested for feline leukemia virus. However, screening for feline leukemia virus and other infectious diseases is normally a standard protocol before a cat is used as a blood donor.
What Cats are at Risk for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)?
Feline leukemia virus is most common in cats which spend part or all of their time outdoors. These are the cats which are at risk of for becoming infected with the feline leukemia virus and for developing symptoms of feline leukemia.
Cats which are housed indoors with no contact with other cats are at little risk of developing symptoms of feline leukemia or becoming infected with the feline leukemia virus.
What Kind of Symptoms will a Cat Infected with Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Show?
The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) acts to depress the immune system in infected cats. Symptoms exhibited by infected cats are usually the result of secondary infections which have occurred because the cat's immune system is too weak to fend off the infection as a normal healthy cat probably would.
Because of the immunosuppressive nature of the feline leukemia virus, symptoms associated with feline leukemia can be quite varied and feline leukemia must be considered as a potential cause of disease for cats with any types of symptoms if those cats are at risk for becoming infected with the feline leukemia virus.
More rarely, feline leukemia virus can cause lymphomas (a type of cancer affecting the lymphatic system) and/or myeloproliferative leukemia (a cancer affecting the bone marrow).
How is a Cat Diagnosed with Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)?
Cats can be tested relatively easily for feline leukemia and the feline leukemia virus. The most commonly performed test is an antibody test which requires only a few drops of blood to perform. This antibody test is considered to be a good screening test for the feline leukemia virus in cats.
If the screening antibody test for feline leukemia virus is positive, more specific tests such as a IFA (immunofluorescent antibody) test for feline leukemia virus may be necessary to confirm whether the cat is truly infected with the feline leukemia virus, particularly if the cat is exhibiting symptoms of illness which may be a result of feline leukemia or the feline leukemia virus.
What is the Prognosis for Cats Infected with Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)?
Cats which test positive for feline leukemia virus but are not showing symptoms of disease are considered to be potential carriers of feline leukemia virus. These cats sometimes rid themselves of the disease and develop immunity to feline leukemia virus with time.
Cats which are infected with the feline leukemia virus and which are symptomatic have a poor prognosis and often their lifespan is limited with the symptoms of feline leukemia becoming progressively more severe.
For cats which test negative for feline leukemia virus and live a lifestyle which puts them at risk for infection with feline leukemia virus, there are vaccines against feline leukemia virus which should be considered.
Additional information about feline leukemia virus: Feline Leukemia Virus Test & Vaccine Facts
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