Feline Leukemia Virus

The Feline Leukemia Virus is among the foremost causes if illness and death in cats. The virus is present in the saliva and is spread by fighting, breeding, and sharing food/water dishes. Feline Leukemia is given to kittens while still in the uterus, at birth when the mother chews the umbilical cord, or through the milk when the kittens nurse. Feline Leukemia Virus cannot infect dogs or people, but it can easily be spread to other felines.

While it is unusual for an infected cat to live their entire life without symptoms, it is possible. Most cats, however, experience some type illness from inevitable damage from the virus, or suffer from a variety of chronic illnesses, sometimes resulting in life-threatening infections. Effects of illness can lasts for days, weeks, or even years, depending on the severity of symptoms. Testing for the disease is highly recommended, and vaccination for Feline Leukemia Virus should be included in your annual vaccination schedule if your cat tests negative for the disease. There is no cure for FeLV. Limiting exposure of infected cats to other cats is strongly recommended in order to reduce the incidence of other infectious diseases in cats that have FeLV, and to limit transmission of the disease to healthy cats.

Vaccine for this virus is part of the RCPC/Leukemia vaccination