Feline Leukemia Virus, How Safe is Your Cat?

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Welcome to my blog where I write on pets and animals in general, I believe strongly in the fact that the world is imperfect with just humans, how can we survive without the presence of animals fulfilling their ecological purpose and domesticated pet fulfilling the purpose of warmth, protection amongst other things. I will be writing on the Feline Leukemia virus today, and I hope that reading my publication today will provide you with proper knowledge on the topic.

Feline Leukemia virus shortened as FeLV, is one of the most infectious cat diseases, it affects about 2-3% of cats in the United States, and the rates of infection are high significantly in cats that are unwell or stand the chance of getting infected. The characteristics of FeLV infection can be classified into three different stages, depending on the provirus, plasma RNA, and antibody detection. Although deadly, the virus doesn't necessarily have to mean a death sentence as a large number of cats who have this virus are usually able to resist infection or eliminate the virus on their own.

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Feline leukemia cannot be transmitted to humans or other pets and animals, it strictly affects cats, it has the possibility of being transferred from one cat to another through blood, saliva, and to some extent, feces, and urine. Outside the body of the infected cat, the virus only lasts for as long as a couple of hours, and grooming happens to be one of the fastest methods to have the infection spread. Kittens can contract the disease through an infected mother's milk, how healthy a cat looks does not mean it cannot transmit the virus, most cases of transmission even come from a healthy-looking cat. Upon exposure to an infected cat, the chances of your cat developing the virus become high too. Resistance appears to increase with the age of a cat, so older cats are less likely to contract the infection, cats that live in multi-cat households, are at a higher risk especially when they all share the same water and food dishes, indoor cats are at a high risk of contracting FeLV.

Cats with FeLV have symptoms including; a bladder, skin or upper respiratory infections, a poor coat, pale gums, an enlarged lymph node, fever, and body weakness that significantly increases. The leukemia virus attacks the blood of the cat's cells through the invading tissue that makes up the blood cells, this includes the lymph tissue and bone marrow. Blood cells are highly significant as they play a major role in ensuring the body is supplied with adequate nutrients and oxygen. These cells are responsible to help fight infections and eliminate waste products. White blood cells are very important in helping the immune system, some special white blood cell components actively come up to function once a cat has an illness to fight.

The moment a cat is infected with the feline leukemia virus, its white blood cell becomes compromised and are usually no longer able to fight infections. Different respiratory, skin, and urinary infections could develop without a healthy immune system in place, when a cat is affected, it usually cannot fight off infections that would reduce life span. FeLV also causes mutations that would result in cancer.

FeLV often undergoes different stages, at the first stage of infection, the infected cat will begin to show very little signs of the disease, as the virus gets into the mouth it replicates on the tonsils. It is at this stage that, the virus is eliminated in so many infected cats if there is a healthy immune system.
For those cats whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight off the infection, the virus would spread to the lymph tissue, and the intestines, resulting in the shedding of viral particles in the feces in addition to the saliva. When the disease gets to the final stage, the diseases will infect the bone marrow. At the point when the bone marrow gets affected, then it can no longer be cleared and the cat remains for a long time.

Feline leukemia is diagnosed through the ELISA test, a test that requires a small amount of blood, this is a quick test done with the expertise of a veterinary doctor. If the resulting test confirms a positive case, the vet would recommend that the test should be repeated after 8-12 weeks, this is to help confirm the presence of infection, as several cat infections could take the shape of FeLV during first exposure. The downside of feline leukemia is that it cannot be cured, but the condition can be medically managed through the focus placed on treating associated secondary infections that can result from the disease.

The presence of secondary bacterial infection will be treated with Antibiotics, sometimes appetite stimulants, or anti-inflammatory medications are usually the prescription for cats who have a poor appetite or fever, on very few occasions however, blood transfusions may be recommended to ensure that the life of the pet is sustained and it does not result in a case of serious anemia. The moment your cat has a positive result for the presence of the feline leukemia virus, then ensure that its exposure is limited to other secondary infections, your cat should remain indoors and not get access to other cats who may tend to expose them to secondary infections/diseases.

After being diagnosed with the Feline Leukemia virus, some cats could still live for years, especially when kept indoors, the average lifespan of an infected cat is three years after testing positive. As an infected cat owner with the infection, frequent cleaning of the eyes and ears will keep the cat free from debris. With consistent grooming of your cat, the skin and the coat will remain healthy.

Conclusion.

Ensuring that your cat does roam around out unnecessarily is a great way to prevent your cat from contracting FeLV. Vaccines can also be very helpful, especially for cats that stand a high risk of exposure, despite vaccination, after risk exposure, cats should still be tested and they should only be vaccinated after testing negative.