Feline Leukemia and FIV testing...necessity???

I didn't speak to the vet myself, but when they called my husband today with a confirmation for Sophie's appointment, he asked about Feline Leukemia and FIV testing, as I had told him to, and the woman said since Sophie is an indoor cat, it's not necessary.

Is this true?

If Lily has a problem we're unaware of, having been outdoors for a few months, could Sophie have caught anything like that???

I'm a little wary about NOT testing Sophie...it seems better safe than sorry but I don't want to be bullied.

If she was a feral or a stray do spend the $$ and get her tested

Oh I definitely want to, but the vet's people are saying it's not necessary.

Sophie has never actually been outside, does this make a difference? My only concern is him catching something from Lily but I'm not sure if you can catch Feline Leukemia and FIV.

Leukemia can be caught be sharing bowls, etc...so it is passed fairly easily. FIV is much harder to catch...more like HIV.

Personally, when you have a multi cat household with cats from unknown backgrounds, I would do the test. Last time I had it done it was $32...worth it for peace of mind.

Yep, get it done. The peace of mind is priceless

I'll chime in and say definitely get the test done I'm of the opinion that before a new cat coming in is exposed to resident cats, no matter the background, even if the rescue group has previously tested, the FeLV test must be done.... I'm also of the opnion that since FIV really is hard to spread, only thru mating and fighting, you CAN have FIV negatives and positives in the same household as long as everyone is altered, so that test is not as important. FIV cats can live very long healthy lives, FeLV is a crap shoot Sorry that got so long

Thanks for everyone's advice , I'm definitely going to have the test done...I'll insist on it.

For a totally indoor cat, its probably not necessary unless its a stray or they come into contact with other cats not tested. But if you breed or show cats you should have them tested. I don't (and Charlie's breeder is against the shots) vaccinate for either.

Both Charlie and Ling have been tested and cleared, so I only get the normal 4 in 1 shots and rabies. Ling is going in tomorrow for shots and then will be on a 3 yr schedule. Charlie and Keno will go for their shots this December and then on the 3 yr schedule.

Any new cat coming into my household gets tested.

A LOT of cats show false-positives for the FIV test.

They do a simple screening and the false positive results are way too high ... I hate to think of the number of cats put down with these false positive results.

To confirm FIV, you have to do a Western Blot which costs more than just a few dollars.


If you get a positive, it is a MUST to do the Western Blot before saying that your cat is FIV. My vet didn't tell me that and I had to research to find out. My vet was more of a dog vet and actually didn't seem to like cats all that much (in my opinion).

Needless to say, I switched vets to a cat specialist ... Unforutnately, my cat tested positive for FIV using both the simple method and the Western Blot which means that there is over a 99% chance that she is definitely FIV.

HOWEVER, FIV is more difficult to catch. My vet has over 200 FIV+ cats in his practice. He said that he has yet to have one die from FIV itself. Usuallly, they are more prone to infections (just like an immune compromised HIV person) ... you have to treat anything very agressively. Also, they are more prone to certain cancers (i.e., Lymphona).

My vet has a 18 year old FIV cat as a pet ... said he thought he was going to loose him multiple times, but he always pulled thru