Adoptable FeLV Cats

The is Miss Petunia who was adopted.

What are adoptable FeLV cats, exactly?

Lets look at the disease first. But just before you do look at a nice but sad movie on homeless cats (who are more susceptible to contracting FeLV) by clicking on this link (new window) but come please back to this page....(Note: I have permission from the provider of this movie to use it and I have made a donation to their website)

Feline leukemia virus (FELV or feline leukemia) was first described by W. Jarret in 1964 at the University of Glasgow. There is very good evidence that this virus is quite ancient. It may have evolved over the last 10,000,000 years.

It is a retrovirus. A accurate explanation of 'retrovirus' is beyond the purpose of this article. However, if you want to read more try Wikipedia or Answers.com .An example of a retrovirus in humans is AIDS. FeLV can be beaten by the cat's immune system. If not, it can kill. There is no cure.


How do cats get FeLV?

FELV is released from the body and transmitted between infected cats usually by transfer of saliva and/or nasal secretions when e.g. eating from the same bowl or, less often, through urine, faeces, and milk from infected cats. Lots of evidence tells us it can't be transmitted to humans or dogs from cats.

Examples of when transmission takes place:

• bite wound
• mutual grooming
• shared litter box
• shared feeding
• mother to kittens before and after birth

• generally feeling unwell
• blood in the stool
• recurring infections
• decreased appetite
• decreased stamina
• depression
• excessive drinking and urinating
• low grade fever
• jaundice (yellowing skin and white of eyes)
  

• enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• immunofluorescence assay (IFA) also called the Hardy, or slide test

• after 16-18 weeks into the disease, about 40% of cats kill off the virus - of these 16% fight it off after minimal exposure and 24% later on in the disease.
• about 20% of cats keep the virus in check (these are adoptable FeLV cats) until the cat becomes stressed when the virus can emerge.
• about 30% die having had the disease from start to finish (by my calculation this means 115,500 die of the disease - some die within a few months while some have no symptoms for up to 4 years (these are adoptable FeLV cats).
• death is caused by cancer of the blood or bone marrow (leukemia), cancer, or a failure of the bone marrow to respond to the increased need for red blood cells (red blood cells carry oxygen around the body).
• The Berkeley East Bay Humane Society says FeLV cats can live from months to years after being diagnosed. 80 to 90% of infected cats die within 3.5 yrs of being diagnosed.