Feline leukemia questions.

Dr. Marie replied:

Aw, sorry to hear that you are dealing with this. Feline leukemia testing can be difficult to understand sometimes.

Most likely the test that Squeaky had was an ELISA test. This test will usually come up positive about 2-4 weeks after a cat has been infected (or later). So, I am thinking that this abscess is not likely the cause of the infection as it is unlikely that the initial wound happened 2 weeks ago or more.

There are a few possible reasons for the test results that you have received:

1. It's possible that Squeaky's test was a false positive. This can happen sometimes. If this is the case then all is well. Repeating the test in a few weeks is a good idea.

2. It's possible that Squeaky was infected, say 4 weeks ago and the kittens are newly infected. Again, the test will come up positive 2-4 weeks after infection. Again, retesting in a month will help us know what is happening.

As your vet mentioned, it would be very unusual for a mom to be feline leukemia positive and the kittens to be negative.

It's hard to say what the odds of a false negative test on the kittens are. I have actually spent a fair amount of time researching this for you and have found a few cases similar to yours but they are not common. In one case the mom was positive and the kittens were negative, but then 4 weeks later the kittens came up positive. In another the mom was positive and the kittens were negative and 4 weeks and also 8 weeks later the kittens were still negative. I personally think there is a lot about feline leukemia transmission that we don't know.

It is possible that Squeaky's test is false positive and she will be just fine. If the IFA test comes back positive then this means that there is feline leukemia virus in the bone marrow and this is not a good sign. If the IFA comes back negative then there is a chance that Squeaky came in contact with the virus and was able to clear it. Unfortunately I don't think anyone has the numbers to explain how often this happens. It's complicated even for vets to understand!

It's also important to know that some cats can be feline leukemia positive and still live normal healthy lives and live to be a normal cat age without any illness.

There really is not a lot you can do to help the mom or kittens fight this. I'm sure you will find products on the internet that claim to help, but be wary of claims that aren't backed by science. There may be some benefit to using interferon. However, the studies that I have seen have not been very conclusive about how well this works. There is no harm in asking your vet about it, but it is not a miracle drug.

And to answer your last question, if Squeaky is showing a positive test (and it's not a false positive) then she would be contagious to other cats at this point. The virus is spread through fluids - so grooming and sharing dishes, etc could spread it.

I know this is a frustrating situation. It's hard for even vets to understand what is happening in some feline leukemia cases. It sounds like your vet has the same type of plan that I would have. I hope things turn out ok!

Dr. Marie.



Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome.

Ultimately the decision on whether or not to spay Squeaky should be made with the input of your vet as he or she knows the most about Squeaky's health. In most cases of feline leukemia positive cats I would definitely advise to have her spayed. You don't want her to deal with a pregnancy or something horrible like a uterine infection later on in her life.

I would definitely wait until the abscess has completely healed. You will likely want to have some basic bloodwork done prior to surgery to make sure she is not fighting any illnesses. The vet may decide to prescribe some antibiotics after the spay as she will be a little more susceptible to infection at this time.