Cat Killer

What you should know about feline leukaemia

It is the number one killer of cats worldwide, and an incurable disease, but how much do we really know about the feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)? Knowledge is power, so Cat Diaries has put together an easy-to-understand fact sheet to help you protect your moggy’s health.

What is FeLV?
Only found in and transferred between cats, FeLV is a highly-contagious disease that affects the feline immune system, causing it to break down from within and leaving your cat susceptible to cancers and blood disorders. In addition, illnesses that may otherwise have only had mild can prove fatal in a cat with FeLV.

Symptoms
Early signs your cat could be infected include loss of appetite, swollen lymph glands and fever. According to Cornell University’s Feline Health Centre in the US, as the disease progresses the cat’s health will visibly deteriorate, with more general symptoms such as:
•    Loss of appetite;
•    Slow but progressive weight loss, followed by severe wasting late in the disease process;
•    Poor coat condition;
•    Enlarged lymph nodes;
•    Persistent fever;
•    Pale gums and other mucus membranes;
•    Inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and mouth (stomatitis);
•    Infections of the skin, urinary bladder and upper respiratory tract;
•    Persistent diarrhoea;
•    Seizures, behaviour changes and other neurological disorders;
•    A variety of eye conditions;
•    In un-desexed female cats, abortion of kittens or other reproductive failures.

Transmission
The virus is transmitted from feline to feline only, through blood, mucus, saliva, faeces and urine. It can also be transmitted from a mother to her kittens either in the womb or through feeding.

Progression of FeLV
FeLV travels to the lymph nodes and begins to reproduce as soon as a cat is infected. Some cats will be able to fight off the virus here and suffer no further symptoms, while other cats are simply immune to the virus yet become carriers who can spread the virus but who are not affected themselves. For many, however, the virus quickly spreads to the bone marrow, where the red and white blood cells are produced. From here, it begins to attack several other tissues, breaking down the immune system.

Prevention
The good news in all of this is that there are vaccines available, and while none are completely effective, they offer a 75 to 85 per cent prevention rate, meaning that most cats who receive the vaccine are able to fight off the virus before it damages their immune system.

Speak to your vet about FeLV and to discuss the best options for vaccination and prevention.

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