Feline Leukimia

Ok, so I had an appointment to take my kitten to the vet but of course he got away and I cant take him. I was going to have them test him for leukimia and give him revolution for the fleas.

So now plan B: Is advantage II for kittens any good? I have it but I know it isn't as safe as Revolution.

Second: What percentage of kitten found outside have leukimia? One idiot said 50/50 but the other vet said 1 in 16 which is 16%.

I had him at a vet earlier but they said he couldnt be tested at 4 weeks for leukimia which I now know is not true.

One in 16 is more like 6%, which sounds like a more realistic number.

Well, that is not bad. One vet said 50/50, one vet said 1in 6 and a website said 4% but 40% in urban areas.

It's not 40% in urban areas. Do you have a link to the website that said that? There can be colonies of cats that have a high rate of infection, but not whole towns.

Reliable, researched information: http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=809

As for FIV, a 2008 report found almost equally low rates of FIV and feline leukemia (FeLV) in feral cats (4.3%) and outdoor pet cats (5.8%).5 A study of seven Trap-Neuter-Return programs from 2006 produced similar data: only 5.3% of the cats tested positive for one of those diseases.6

Most importantly, research confirms that feral cats are neither breeding grounds for disease nor a health threat to communities in which they live. After testing feral cats in Northern Florida for FIV, FeLV, and nine other infectious organisms, a 2002 study concluded that "feral cats assessed in this study posed no greater risk to human beings or other cats than pet cats."7 8

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If this is a rescue kitty and you have other resident cats, it is best to keep him separated until you get to the vet. This is for ANYTHING he may be carrying, not just FeLV.

Yeah...wow, 40%...???!! No way.

In fact, the percentage of feral cats having felv is quite low since it is a weak virus and will only live outside the body for a few minutes, and since they are not sharing food dishes and grooming each other as in multi-cat households, there is no more chance of the kitten testing positive because it was born outside than any other kitten.

For your kitten to be positive, it would have to

1, been born and groomed by it's positive mom, or

2, been in direct contact repeatedly with an felv positive cat.

The percentage of cats infected with the virus is approx. 2-4% in this country on average.

You don't mention your kitten's age regarding the dose for advantage 11. This is what I use in my rescue group and it works very well.

great, thank you for clarifying. And no I don't have other cats.