How contagious is FelV-- chance of infection?

nekochan

nekochan

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A friend of mine recently got a new kitten. The kitten was under-sized and sickly (full of worms) when they got her. She's been wormed though and is growing slowly. She's about 12-16 weeks old now. Recently they have had another new cat (adult) join them and this cat is positive for FelV. My friend did not realize they could get it other ways than direct mouth contact with the other cat, so the cats have not been separated and have been sharing litterboxes and bowls somewhat. The kitten has had the FelV vaccine but I know they're not 100% effective. I was wondering what are the chances that the kitten could get the virus? I know kittens can be more susceptible.

Also I was not really sure exactly how contagious FelV is-- for example, can cats get it from a person petting one and then the other, or from minor contact such as being nearby or sniffing each other? Or do they have to actually come in physical contact with each other and if so, how much of it?
 
stephenq

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Nekochan said:
A friend of mine recently got a new kitten. The kitten was under-sized and sickly (full of worms) when they got her. She's been wormed though and is growing slowly. She's about 12-16 weeks old now. Recently they have had another new cat (adult) join them and this cat is positive for FelV. My friend did not realize they could get it other ways than direct mouth contact with the other cat, so the cats have not been separated and have been sharing litterboxes and bowls somewhat. The kitten has had the FelV vaccine but I know they're not 100% effective. I was wondering what are the chances that the kitten could get the virus? I know kittens can be more susceptible.

Also I was not really sure exactly how contagious FelV is-- for example, can cats get it from a person petting one and then the other, or from minor contact such as being nearby or sniffing each other? Or do they have to actually come in physical contact with each other and if so, how much of it?
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Opinions on here differ on exactly how contagious it is, but the vet community will tell you that it is easily transmittable, and it can be transmitted by casual contact like feces, saliva etc.  It does not require a bite.  Adults have been known to live a long time with FeLV, but kitten survival is considerably worse.  I would separate the kitten from the adult, and if it was me, i would re-test the kitten twice over a 3+ month period and if i got a neg result twice I would then re-home the kitten, or I would re-home it immediately with the understanding by the adopter that there has been a brief exposure to a FeLV pos cat and that they should retest twice in the coming months.  For me the better option would be to re-home asap while keeping them apart.
 
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nekochan

nekochan

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They have another cat in the house too in addition to the kitten, he's a senior and I'm not sure if he has been vaccinated...
The cat who has FelV is only staying with them temporarily. I told them they should separate them but I don think they have. :(
 
karissima

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Please stress the importance of separating the visiting cat. Their senior cat and kitten are both at risk, and more so than a healthy adult cat. They should sanitize all food and water receptacles and litter boxes once the cats are separated. The kitten and senior need to be tested. You should never let a new cat into the home without having all other cats up to date on vaccines, and they should always be kept apart if a cat has tested positive for FeLV.
 
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