Cat tested positive for FeLV on Elisa, negative on IFA.. 6 weeks later tested negative on both test.

My vet said I should still vaccinate my other cats for FeLV even though my new cat has now tested negative for FeLV.  Said she can still become positive again at a later date.  Does anyone know if this is really necessary to vaccinate them.  They are all negative and all indoor cats.  Ages ranging from 3-16yrs. old.  If I do vaccinate them, is there any side affects or concerns I should have. 

Welcome to The Cat Site. I don't have any personal knowledge, but found these articles you might find useful.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-leukemia-virus-felv

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-cat-vaccination-guide

Hi,

It could be that your cat was fighting off the virus and beat it or it could be test issue. You can retest in a month or so and have it sent into a lab this time to see what the results are.

As for your other cats. I would vaccinate just in case provided they are all healthy. The down side to vaccinating is that they can develop a vaccine induced sarcoma (cancer) in the injection site. It is always a risk with any vaccine but more so with felv or rabies vaccine. They say they arnde very rare but all of the research has been done by the vaccine manufacturers. If you do vaccinate have your vet give the injection low down on the left rear leg. That way if it is a problem the leg can always be amputated. As this is a very aggressive cancer. It can also show up years after the vaccine.

FELV is also not curable. So you don't want them getting FELV especially since there is a vaccine for it.

If you don't vaccinate you might want to keep cats separate until retested. The labs have a more intense form of testing than the in house cite tests they do at vet hospitals. There is a saying that cats give FELV to the cats they love: passed through shared dishes and mutual grooming, and that they give FIV to the cats they hate: passed through bite wounds.