What should I know about adopting a cat with FeLV?

Feline leukemia is a virus that affects cats. It can make them more susceptible to common illnesses and infections, and can also cause different cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.

While there is no cure, and the health of cats with FeLV will deteriorate over time, cats with this condition can live happily in an adoptive home. While the life expectancy of cats with FeLV is typically a few years after contracting the disease, it’s also possible that they may still live many healthy years.

FeLV is transmissible only to other cats — it cannot spread to humans or other animals. The virus is only transmitted among felines through grooming, sharing food bowls, litter boxes and toys, or fighting that involves biting. Because of the risk of spreading the virus, cats that are FeLV+ should be single cats or live with other cats who also have FeLV. If you have room to create separate spaces, you can successfully keep a cat with FeLV in a separate room from non-infected cats. It’s unlikely you would transmit the disease on your hands or clothing.

Every cat is an individual, and many adopters find cats with FeLV to be a wonderful addition to their family.

When adopting a cat with FeLV, we recommend you:

• Keep your cat indoors, where there’s less exposure to germs and no danger of infecting other cats.
• Actively monitor the cat’s health and take them to a veterinarian right away if they aren’t feeling well.
• Visit your veterinarian twice a year to monitor your cat’s eyes, gums, skin, lymph nodes and weight to catch any illness early.

Little-known facts about FeLV:

• Cats can test positive for FeLV when they are fighting off the virus. A retest 4 weeks later may come back negative.
• Kittens and adult cats with weaker immune systems are the most at-risk, since healthy adult cats can usually fight off the virus.
• Only about 2.5% of felines in North American test positive for FeLV.

If you have more questions, please speak with your veterinarian.