Cat Care Tips: Recognizing Feline Leukemia

Cat Care Tips: Recognizing Feline Leukemia Just like how humans can acquire diseases, your cat is not exempted from cat diseases as well.

That is why it is a must for your cat to be vaccinated. If it is vaccinated, its immune system can usually fight off organisms causing the disease so your cat can stay healthy. One of the most common and most fatal among cat diseases is what they call as Feline Leukemia. This is second to the most common causes why cats die. This condition causes anemia or lymphoma aside from weakening the immune system to fight off possible infections. Feline Leukemia or FelV as they call it, is a virus that weakens the immune system—slowly deteriorating the cat’s body leaving it vulnerable to infections in the long run. How can we recognize FelV? Here are some tips: Transmission Feline Leukemia is a disease that can be passed among cats only. This cannot infect humans and even dogs in the same household. It can be transmitted from one cat to another through saliva, blood, urine, and feces. Since it is a virus, it cannot live long outside the cat’s body for long. The modes of transmission are quite easy. Once a cat has exposure to another cat, he can be susceptible to one. This is true if it is a stray cat and is not vaccinated. Another mode of transmission is if the breastfeeding cat is infected, it is most likely to infect its kitten too.

Home cats are lower in terms of risk to contract the disease because they do not have much exposure to other felines. Kittens and younger cats are usually more vulnerable to the disease since their immune system is weaker than the older ones. If you want to prevent possible transmission among cats, your cat must not be allowed to go out unsupervised.

Signs and Symptoms There are diverse symptoms you can look at if we are going to talk about FelV. There are bladder infections, some experience difficulty breathing as the respiratory system weakens, they lose their appetite, and they may continue to reduce more weight as their immune system gets weak.

They are often lethargic and in poor condition. They cannot groom themselves anymore for they feel so weak to do things. They experience fever and diarrhea as well. If you ever saw any of these symptoms to your cat, you must go to the vet immediately.

The vet will run a few tests to check if FelV is present in the cat’s system through most commonly, the immune system can fight them off with the right vaccine. However, those who were tested positive usually can live up to three years only. Regular check-ups must be provided to the cat to ensure that they are not able to get more serious infections in the given time.

If your cat ever tested positive for FelV, you must make sure that it can still live its life fully by showering it with enough care since they will no longer live longer than other felines. They must be kept at home so that they will no longer be infected by other diseases since their immune system is weaker than what it should be. #catcare #catlove #animalcare #petcare #cathelp #petlove #animallove #catfirst #keepcat