Testing for Feline Leukemia

DULUTH - "Feline Leukemia is a virus that infects the bone marrow and it can actually shut down bone marrow production of red cells and can also make them prone to getting other diseases. It decreases their immune system," Dr. Amanda Bruce of PetCare of Duluth said.  Many people consider spring ‘kitten season’ and when people are getting a new kitten, Feline Leukemia is something you want to know about before bringing the cat you’re your house. "when I see feline leukemia most of the time it’s from kittens born to mothers that are Feline Leukemia positive," Dr. Bruce said. When the kittens are nursing, they can get it from the lactation of their mother. "Cats that get it from their mothers tend to have a life span of less than two years, so if you’re bringing a kitten that’s infected into your house you really want to know what your outcome is going to be of that kitten," Dr. Bruce said. But there are other ways a cat can be exposed. "The main other way cats can be exposed to it is through saliva. Bite wounds, indoor outdoor cats or outdoor strictly that are involved with cat fights are the main route of transmission for an adult cat," Dr. Bruce said. To test for Feline Leukemia, veterinarians will take just a simple three drop blood test from your cat. "We put it in with this conjugate with this test", Dr. Bruce explained. The test only takes about ten minutes. "I would recommend doing it anytime you have a new cat going into a household that has existing cats particularly, if they are going to bite each other than that house cat particularly is at risk of attracting Feline Leukemia," Dr. Bruce suggested. The end stage of Feline Leukemia is where they have a drop in cell count- resulting in anemia problems. "The good news is if your cat is negative there is a vaccine to protect against it," Dr. Bruce said. It is reccomended kittens get the vaccine at least for the first couple years of their life. "And then if they prove they’re strictly going to be an indoor cat you can back off at getting that vaccine, but initially all kittens should have the Feline Leukemia vaccination," Dr. Bruce said.