Feline Viral Diseases

 

 

FeLV - FIP - FIV

FeLV- Feline Leukemia

FIP- Feline Infectious Peritonitis

FIV- Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

 

All three are contagious, incurable and most often fatal. Each is caused by a separate virus that attacks the cats immune system.

FeLV attacks and weakens the immune system, therefore leaving it open to many life-threatening infections, including FIP and FIV. Some cats are immune to it and some are just carriers. Once infected the cats life is shortened. It may cause tumors, blood abnormalities (leukemia) or other infections. Almost 83% die within three years and half of them within one year.

FIP is easily misdiagnosed for another virus. Some systoms are weight loss, lethargy and vomiting. Once diagnosed it is usually to late to help other than to ease the suffering. There are several forms of this disease. The wet form where fluid build up in the chest or abdomen. A dry form which attacks more slowly.

FIV belongs to the same family virus as the AIDS that affect humans. (But humans do not contract it). Two to six weeks after exposure the cat may have swollen lymph nodes or a fever. It may then seem normal again for several years. Finally it will take its toll which can last for three years as it weakens the immune system and then takes the cats life.

There are tests that can be done for FeLV and FIV. There is a vaccine for FeLV. And there is one (in a nose drop form) for FIV. There is no FIV vaccine as yet.

 

 

FeLV

THE feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is one of the most deadly diseases affecting domestic cats, resulting in more deaths than any other infectious feline disease. The condition was originally identified in Scotland in the 1960s. Cats throughout the world are now infected with FeLV, and it is estimated that about 2 percent to 3 percent of all cats in the U.S. carry the disease.

The riskiest situation for FeLV transmission is a crowded, multicat household. Outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats are also at an increased risk of contracting the disease. In addition, sick cats, male cats and cats ages 1 to 6 have a higher risk of being infected. Less than 1 percent of strictly indoor cats are infected with the FeLV virus.

The virus itself is not particularly hardy and can only live a few days in the environment. It is easily killed by common detergents and disinfectants. Thus the risk of transmission is mostly because of direct contact between cats.

This contact usually includes transmittal through virus-infected saliva via cat-fight wounds (most commonly outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats); mutual grooming; shared food and water dishes; nose-to-nose contact with infected saliva, urine or feces; shared litter boxes; tears and sneezing; and blood transfusions. The virus also can be transmitted by a FeLV-positive mother to her nursing kittens.

Most cats with feline leukemia die within two or three years after being infected. The most common problem affecting these cats is depression of the immune system. Secondary infections stemming from this condition include persistent and recurring abscesses, chronic mouth infections, chronic respiratory diseases, diarrhea and poor appetite. The virus can also suppress the cells of the bone marrow that produce red and white blood cells. Red blood cell suppression results in severe anemia, and white blood cell suppression allows for the development of unrestrained infections.

After the initial infection, many cats develop malignancies of the lymph nodes and bone marrow. Once these malignant cells are found in the blood, the malignancy is called leukemia. These malignancies can also be found in many organs, including the chest, kidneys, liver and intestinal tract.

Your veterinarian can perform a number of blood tests to identify a FeLV-infected cat. Cats in multiple-cat households should be checked to make sure they do not carry the virus. Any new cat introduced into a household should be quarantined for three months and checked twice in that time for FeLV infection.

There is no treatment to cure FeLV. Only care and treatment of the secondary bacterial infections with antibiotics, or chemotherapeutic drugs for some malignancies, are possible. There is a vaccine for FeLV but its efficacy is not yet known. Unfortunately, the vaccine produces a status in vaccinated cats that makes it impossible to differentiate these cats from FeLV positive cats. A lost, vaccinated cat could be diagnosed as suffering from FeLV and euthanized. Because of this, strictly indoor cats with absolutely no contact with outdoor cats are usually not vaccinated. You should speak to your veterinarian about the question of vaccinating your cat against feline leukemia.