How to Keep Your Cat From Getting Feline Leukemia

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By wjackson
eHow Contributing Writer

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The only way to ensure that cats do not acquire feline leukemia is to have them vaccinated against it. Feline leukemia is caused by the feline leukemia virus. Feline leukemia is a form of cancer. Here is what you should know about feline leukemia.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Kittens can acquire the virus from their mothers. Older cats usually acquire the virus from coming in contact with an infected cat. The feline leukemia virus can be transmitted from one cat to another through saliva, urine, blood and other body secretions. This means that an infected cat that shares a home with another cat can pass the virus on through a mutual water dish, playing and biting or through sharing the same grooming equipment.
Step 2

When a cat first becomes infected with the feline leukemia virus it will be present in her blood but it will not have spread past her blood into other parts of her body. It is quite possible that a cat can be infected with the virus and build up immunity to it. If a cat’s body does not build up immunity against the feline leukemia virus than the virus will spread to the cat’s bone marrow, lymph nodes and elsewhere in the cat’s body. When this happens some cats may show symptoms. Other cats may show no symptoms for months. Some cats do not show symptoms for a year or more.
Step 3

A cat that is sick with feline leukemia will run a low grade fever and seem depressed at first. Once the virus passes through the blood into other parts of the cat’s body the cat may have diarrhea, lose weight, lose her appetite and it will be obvious that she is not feeling well.
Step 4

Your cat’s vet can test your cat to see if she has feline leukemia. The treatment that your cat will be given will be incumbent upon which stage of feline leukemia that she is in. It should be noted that there is no cure for feline leukemia. The best that a vet can do is monitor your cat’s health, give your cat antibiotics, steroids, chemotherapy and/or pain relievers. There are new medications that are currently being tested to treat feline leukemia. Until then, you should know that cats with the virus can live for years if they are under the care of a good vet and a loving owner.

Comments

wjackson said

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on 6/24/2008 Yep, you're right. I thought about that after I posted it! I've tried to go in to change the title, but it keeps logging me out of the system when I do!