Feline Leukemia: Caring for Your Cat

Feline Leukemia is a species-specific disease that is and will probably always be something that a cat (even big ones) will be at risk from. Although 66% percent of cats exposed to the Feline Leukemia virus will not get sick (half of this number will be able to fight off the infection, half will become carriers or have latent forms), the remaining percentage of the cats that are exposed will get sick, and if left untreated can cause the cat to go through a progressive and painful ailing that will lead to death.

The key to caring for a FeLV infected cat at home is to know that the virus acts to suppress the immune system and opens the cat to secondary infections. Small cuts and scratches that did not use to be bothersome can become deadly, as well as the presence of parasites such as ticks and fleas.

And, as painful as it may seem, they must keep the infected cat away from the other cats. Cats that have FeLV and live in a single household have a higher and faster mortality rate because constant contact keeps the virus jumping around and re-infecting all the cats. Cats in such a household usually live only three years before succumbing to the disease.

It is also responsible ownership to keep the infected cat away from all the other cats in the neighborhood. This measure also helps from having the cat exposed to the virus again, especially if it is recovering or trying to fight off the virus. That’s why you should keep the cat at home and make sure that its immune system gets strong.

Keeping the cat’s home environment clean is also a necessity. The FeLV does not survive outside the body for a long time, possibly even just few minutes to a couple of hours. But, if it finds a dirty and damp place to thrive in, the virus can survive as long as 48 hours. Add that to other microorganisms that can live in such an environment making it possible for secondary infections to take place.

There are cases when the infection is of the “latent” kind, which means that although the cat’s immunity system was not able to fight off the infection completely, it has not become active in suppressing its immune system. The disease may still be triggered into activity by stress or further exposure to the virus. In such a case, it is paramount to keep the cat in a most stress free environment, and away from other cats, too.

To help strengthen the cat’s immune system, the owner should always make sure that the cat is given high quality food and drinking water. High quality cat food is readily available in the market, from dry kibble to gourmet organic food. Cats are the ultimate carnivores, and they need at least 80% of their food intake to be protein. This can tax their kidneys and one can protect their kidneys only by giving them fresh clean water to drink.