You & Your Pet by Dr. Wise

Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association 11 South Angell Street #347 · Providence, RI 02906 (877) 521-0103 (866) 277-0238 Toll-Free ·Fax

We recently adopted an 8-week-old kitten from the humane society.  They said she tested negative for feline leukemia (FeLV).   What is this disease and can we prevent our new kitten from contracting it?

Congratulations on your new kitten.  I know your kitten will provide you with a lot of love and companionship.  You raise a good question about this disease.  FeLV is a very serious disease in cats that is caused by one of the most common of all cat viruses.  It is highly contagious in cats and is usually transmitted in the saliva, but can also be spread by blood, urine, or feces.   The virus is very disruptive to the cat's immune system and may cause several different clinical signs.

Some of these signs might be fever, weight loss, poor appetite, respiratory problems, chronic infection of the mouth and gums and chronic digestive problems.  Not all cats exposed to the FeLV virus become infected.   Approximately 40% of those exposed develop an immunity and become resistant to the virus.  About 30% become persistently infected, known as latent carriers and may or may not come down with signs of the disease, and the remaining 30% are persistently infected with the virus.  Of those 30% that are persistently infected, approximately 83% will die of the disease within three years of becoming infected.

The good news is that there is a vaccine to protect your kitten from FeLV.  It will also help to keep your kitten indoors so it is not exposed to other cats which may potentially harbor the virus.  Another virus worth mentioning is the FIV virus, otherwise known as Feline AIDS.  It is contracted the same way the FeLV virus is contracted.  This virus affects the immune system similar to the way HIV affects humans.  FIV is contagious to other cats, but not to humans or other animals like dogs.  There is a test for FIV but there is no vaccine to prevent it.

Cats may be infected with this virus and still live a healthy life for several years.  Since this virus is highly contagious between and among other cats, it is a good idea to keep your kitten indoors and away from stray or strange cats.  If you should adopt another cat or kitten, you should make sure it is tested for both FIV and FeLV before introducing it to the other cats in the household.

This information, prepared as a public service by the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, answers problems Rhode Island veterinarians currently are seeing in their practices, as well as new developments in animal care.