Health Care -
What You Should Know About Feline Aids / Leukemia
Feline AIDS is caused by an infection with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). FIV causes a viral disease that interferes with the cat's immune system and is potentially fatal. The virus lives in the blood of an infected cat throughout their life. Although some cats do not show any sign of the disease, others may display some initial symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, lethargy, and swollen lymph nodes. Some later symptoms that may occur as the disease progresses are weight loss, sores in and around the mouth, eye lesions, poor hair coat, and chronic infections. Over time the immune system becomes too weak to fight off infections or diseases and as a result the cat will die from a subsequent infection.
Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is a serious disease in cats that is caused by a virus infection that impairs the immune system similar to the way Feline AIDs does. Leukemia, which is cancer of white blood cells, and cancerous tumors are only a small part of this complex disease. Other diseases include anemia, atrophy of the thymus gland, ulcers of the mouth, skin lesions, reproductive problems such as miscarriages and weak or dying kittens, chronic digestive and respiratory problems and other such health issues. If your cat becomes infected with FeLV there are three possible outcomes: One, about 40% develop an immunity and become resistant to future infections. Two, about 30% become "latent carriers" of the disease, which means they could be susceptible to the disease in the future and if reactivated, could pass the virus to their offspring. Three, the remaining 30% are persistently infected and of these about 83% die within three years of infection. Death can be sudden or lingering and painful.
Both FIV and FeLV are usually transmitted through saliva when a healthy cat is bitten by an infected cat. FeLV can also be transmitted through licking, sneezing, and even food and water dishes and litter boxes if they are shared with an infected cat. Some ways to minimize the likelihood of your cat contracting FIV or FeLV would be to limit the exposure of your inside cats to outside cats, being cautious when introducing your cat into a multi-cat family, having a new cat tested prior to joining the household, and isolating an aggressive cat from other cats. However, the best way to protect your cat against infection is to have your cat vaccinated for FIV and FeLV.