Cats Disease FELV

Feline leukemia is caused by a retrovirus, specifically for cats, so do not transmissible to humans or dogs. It was discovered in 1964 and currently is considered the cause of death from infectious disease more common in cats. To cause immunosuppression, it leaves the cat defenseless against any other disease.

The transmission occurs through bites (saliva) or contact with sick cats (nasal secretions, sneezing, licking, feces, use the same health).

The virus does not live for long in the environment and is easily removed using common disinfectants.

Prevention is through vaccination, with annual booster. Some cats may have reactions to the vaccine, but it is preferable that the reaction of short duration that death by a disease so terrible.

If you already have cats at home and wants to introduce others in the same environment, if you're not sure they were vaccinated, keep them separate, to be sure, through your veterinarian, who can do it.

The feline leukemia is diagnosed by blood test (ELISA) and the false positive is not rare to occur, it indicates the completion of a second test where the first give positive, to give confirmation.

When the Retrovirus penetrates the body of the cat, is given initially in lymphoid tissue, which is the first barrier of defense. Some animals can successfully combat the virus here. If this does not occur, the virus then begins to attack the bone marrow, where red and white cells are produced. May be latent and reactivate it, until years later, in case of failure of the immune system.

The symptoms of leukemia are actually the symptoms of several diseases that affect the cat, it is without natural defenses because of retroviruses.

He presents as chronic infections stomatitis, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, abscesses and wounds that do not heal the skin, respiratory tract infections, anemia, accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, the development of tumors, fever, and reproductive problems associated with human immunodeficiency virus feline (FIV), Felina infectious peritonitis (FIP), Hemobartonelose.

Every cat with anemia and blood disorders should be tested for leukemia.

Prognosis for Leukemia

There is no way to predict how a young cat will react to the leukemia virus.

In some cases, only a few cats or only 1 of the same litter is infected, and the rest not.

About 30% of young and adult cats infected by the virus, develop immunity, never get sick.

You can also experience a latent infection when the virus is maintained in the bone marrow or nervous system, which causes no harm, until due to a stress, the immune system fails and the virus reactivate it.

The body of some cats tolerate the virus presence, but not abolish it, and the virus stays in the blood constantly, so works as a carrier and transmitter of the disease.

It may also happen that the cat dies of initial infection by the leukemia virus.

In some cases, the cat becomes susceptible to infections in the urinary bladder, may show changes in behavior and can urinate in wrong places because they feel weak to go to the litter box.

Leukemia is the common cause of formation of liquid in the lungs, often with the presence of tumors.

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