Feline Leukemia is a virus. It is spread from cat to cat. Casual or brief contact will not typically transmit the virus; however, direct contact with a cat who has feline leukemia is dangerous. This also means that if a mother cat has the virus, she can give it to her kittens.
Some symptoms that you should be aware of are diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weight loss, loss of appetite, they are more tired than usual, some coughing, sneezing or runny eyes/nose. Additionally, some cats could have the virus and not have these symptoms at all.
For this reason, it is best to get them tested to ensure they do or do not have this virus.
Dr. Adney will test your cat with a blood test. This is the only way to rule out the virus and can be done in a short amount of time.
You can take steps to prevent your cat from getting this virus. For instance, if you have one cat and he or she lives indoors only and is not around other cats, your cat is not susceptible to getting Feline Leukemia. If your cat does live outdoors and associates with other cats, you can get your cat a vaccine to protect him or her against the virus.
Please bring your cat in to the clinic and get him or her tested. We want to ensure your cat has a long and happy life playing with his friends and family, virus-free!