Feline Leukemia, what you need to know
June 2nd, 2010 Posted in UncategorizedI recently had to have my cat euthanized. It was severely ill as a result of having Feline Leukemia virus infection. I had adopted it from a private “no kill” shelter. Can you please educate your readers about this disease and the importance of testing and vaccinating for it?
I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. Feline Leukemia is a terrible disease. It is easy to prevent but usually fatal once an infected cat is sick.
Not that long ago, I had a new cat owner in with a kitten she had recently adopted. When she told me the home it came from housed at least 50 cats, I became very concerned. I wonder if the shelter where you got your cat from had a similar situation. This is a very high- risk environment for spreading this virus. You see, if one or two cats in the home are harbouring Feline Leukemia, chances are pretty good that many more cats will get infected. And, because infected cats can be symptom-free in the beginning, there’s no way without a blood test to know who has it and who does not. Luckily for my client, her kitten tested negative for both Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency viruses.
Readers, be very cautious about adopting a cat from a cat rescue that has many cats living under the same roof. It’s much better to adopt from the local humane society, or from a rescue that places the cats in foster homes.
What causes Feline Leukemia in cats? The culprit is a retrovirus. It’s primarily spread by cat-to-cat contact, usually via the saliva. Fighting, mutual grooming, and sharing food bowls puts cats at risk of getting this disease. It can also be spread from a male to female or vice-versa during the act of mating, or from mother to kitten via the placenta. Some veterinarians nick-name this disease “Feline A.I.D.s”, because the virus is in the same family as the HIV virus, and because some aspects of both diseases are similar.
Signs of Feline Leukemia are as variable as the manifestations of the disease. Many cats show no signs at all. Others can have chronic gum disease, respiratory infections, or chronic diarrhea. Some cats infected with feline leukemia come down with cancer of the blood or lymph nodes, hence the name of the disease. Some are sickly, the runts of the litter or the poor-doers.
Not all cats that are infected die from the Feline Leukemia virus. About one third will mount a successful immune response and test negative within several months. Another third will become chronic carriers. The rest will become ill shortly after time of infection, and eventually succumb to the disease.
Readers, what can you do to protect your cat against this horrible virus? For one, make sure you quarantine any new-comers, before you introduce them to your cats. Make an appointment with your vet for the new cat or kitten to have an exam and blood test first. Secondly, ask to have your cat vaccinated if it goes outdoors or if you have a multi-cat household.
Hopefully, with a few precautions, you’ll never have to suffer the heartache of having your cat die of Feline Leukemia disease.
