Feline leukaemia Symptom.

Question.
I had three indoor cats that never went outside except for trips to the vet. Tommy was prone to teeth and gum problems and kept getting colds and sneezing, for which he had antibiotics on many occasions. He was booked in to have his teeth descaled, and before the surgery he had blood tests and was found to have liver damage and feline leukaemia (FeLV), which was a shock to me.

I had Panda and Sammy's blood tested afterwards, only to be told Panda also' had FeLV but Sammy was OK. I had Panda for about 18 months after being diagnosed before I had to have him put to sleep.

As they were indoor cats I was told there was no need to vaccinate them for FeLV because they wouldn't be mixing with other cats. Sammy's blood was tested again last year and he was still clear of FeLV. He was vaccinated as soon as I knew Panda had the disease. Please can you explain how Tommy and Panda caught this virus, even though they didn't go outside? The only thing I could think of was that one of them had got it from their mother.

Answer.
FeLV is caused by the feline leukaemia virus. The virus can only be transmitted by direct contact between cats. An infected cat sheds the virus in its saliva, so for adult cats the most common routes of transmission are by bites, fights, mutual grooming or the sharing of food and water bowls. However, a pregnant cat can spread the infection to her kittens, either across the placenta before they are born, or through her milk when she feeds her kittens. When an adult cat meets the virus for the first time he may be able to develop an effective immune response against the virus and these cats are able to clear the virus from their system and are then immune to further infection. Unfortunately, around one in three cats is unable to mount an effective immune response and in these cats the virus becomes established in their system. Once a permanent infection has become established the cat will become a potential source of infection to other cats, and will eventually become ill from the effects of the virus.

FeLV can cause a wide range of illnesses and signs of disease may be very slow to develop but FeLV is, eventually, a fatal infection. It is likely that either Tommy or Panda contracted the virus from his mother, and developed a permanent infection as a young kitten. The infected cat would not necessarily show any signs of ill health but he would be shedding the virus in his saliva, and so the other cats in the household would also be exposed.

It seems that Sammy was able to mount an effective immune response against the virus and so has not become permanently infected. Once FeLV infection is established there are treatments to try to reduce signs of ill health and improve the cat's quality of life, but there is no cure. Vaccination is effective in preventing a cat from becoming infected but has no beneficial effect in preventing illness in a cat that is already infected.

_{source Your Cat Mag.}