Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is one of the most common infectious diseases of cats. Several forms of the disease are known.
How does the infection develop?
The virus is only spread through body secretions (saliva, blood, genital secretions), but a pregnant mother kitten can also pass the virus to her puppies in the womb. In this case, the kittens are already born infected and their healthy development stops and they usually die at the age of a few weeks or months.
The virus that has reached the environment is not resistant, therefore the dried body secretions (saliva, blood, urine) no longer pose a threat to other cats.
Is the virus dangerous for dogs or other animal species?
The virus is species-specific, so it does not pose a threat to dogs, humans, or other animal species.
What are the symptoms?
The disease has several courses and forms. There are also cases where the cat’s immune system overcomes the virus and gets rid of the infection. It is also common, especially in the early stages of the disease, that the disease occurs without clinical symptoms. In this case, the virus is present in the cat’s body, but it does not cause any symptoms. In these cases, the virus can be detected with a serological test – reliable rapid tests are available for this purpose, which can detect the presence of the virus from a few drops of blood.
Unfortunately, if the viruses overcome the immune system, clinical symptoms develop. This can even develop months or years after infection.
The most common symptoms are:
- Gradual weight loss
- Bad fur and skin
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Persistent Fever
- Pale gums and other mucous membranes
- Oral inflammations
- Frequent and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections
- Persistent diarrhea
- Seizures, behavioral changes and other neurological disorders
- Abortion of kittens, possibly fertility disorders.
More than 50% of infected cats after infection
It will die within 2-3 years!
What should be done if the virus can be detected in a kitten, but it shows no symptoms?
These kittens must be protected from any effects that may weaken the functioning of the immune system. Examples include extreme temperatures, social stress (households with many cats), external and internal parasites. It is advisable to regularly give him immune boosters, which increase resistance.
What can we do with sick cats?
It should be known that this disease cannot be cured, there is no complete recovery, at most the absence of symptoms can be achieved.
What are the most important tasks?
- Infected kittens must be sterilized!! There are two important reasons for this: The disease is spread by mating, so neutering protects the other cats from infection. In addition, the fight for females in kandurs, and pregnancy and breastfeeding in females also make a significant use of the immune system.
- It is advisable to keep infected cats isolated, thereby reducing the social stress on them.</li >
- Let’s provide them with good quality food rich in vitamins and microelements, making sure they don’t get fat.< /span>
- Get our favorite from time to time immune strengthening preparationset!
- In case of any symptoms or suspicious signs, see your veterinarian immediately!
- Virus infection makes your pet more susceptible to other diseases by weakening the immune system, so it is important to protect against other diseases with vaccinations .
Prevention
EFFECTIVE vaccinations are available to prevent the disease.
Before administering vaccinations, it is advisable to test the kittens in order to filter out asymptomatic infectious patients. In their case, vaccination no longer makes sense.
By neutering cats, the hormone-driven fights associated with mating (and the resulting biting/scratching) are dramatically reduced and the mother cannot transfer the infection to the pups through childbirth.