Feline Leukemia (FeLV) A Universal Threat to Cats of All Ages

Feline Leukemia: A Risk for Cats of Every Age and Sex

Feline Leukemia is a risk for cats of every age and sex. As we all know, leukemia is one of the diseases that can be found in cats of any life stage, and every cat carries some risk of contracting it.

Stages of Feline Leukemia

This disease isn't specific to any one body system. Feline Leukemia can be divided into 4 sub-stages, as follows:

• Progressive (virus present in the bloodstream) -- this stage can lead to several conditions, such as anemia and immunodeficiency, and also increases the chance of cancer by up to 40 times compared to a normal cat.
• Regressive stage -- the virus is confined only to the lymph nodes, making it undetectable by standard test kits; PCR testing is required for screening. This stage rarely shows leukemia-associated disease.
• Abortive stage -- this means recovery from the disease.
• Focal infection stage -- infection limited to just one specific organ.

Symptoms of Feline Leukemia

• Fever
• Weakened immune system
• Weight loss
• Frequent diarrhea
• Gum inflammation
• Anemia

Diagnosis

• A blood test using a point-of-care test kit gives results within 10 minutes. For high-risk cats, the test should be repeated again in 4-6 weeks, and PCR testing should be done if a cat tests negative on the test kit but is still high-risk -- for example, if they'll be used as a blood donor or housed in a large colony. PCR can detect a positive result within 2 weeks of infection, while the test kit takes 4-6 weeks to detect the virus in the bloodstream, and multiple confirmatory tests are often needed to reach a conclusion in high-risk cats, per veterinarian recommendation.
• A complete blood count (does not confirm the disease)
• Liver and kidney function tests (not specific to this disease)

This Disease Can Be Prevented By

• Vaccination -- the Feline Leukemia vaccine is currently classified as a core vaccination, helping reduce the chance of infection and the development of leukemia-associated disease. Before receiving the FeLV vaccine, a blood test must be done first to confirm the cat isn't already infected.
• Keeping cats indoors -- to reduce the risk of infection from outdoor cats.
• Separating cats, and not sharing food bowls or litter boxes -- since this disease can spread through bodily secretions. If a cat at home becomes infected, separate them from the other cats in the household to prevent the others from becoming infected too.
  
  
  
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