Fostering Kittens before FeLV testing

Hi all! Excited to be here! I'm currently fostering 3 kittens who's mother abandoned them. Kitten Rescue (an organization in LA) will be putting them up for adoption when they're old enough. Right now they are about 6.5 weeks and have been living with me for about 2.5 weeks. Anyway, I have two cats already and have been super concerned about them catching FeLV from these kittens (if they're infected) since they're too young to be tested yet. I've been keeping the baby cats secluded in they're own room and scrub my hands every time I leave the room where the kittens are and have done my best to not track any litter when I go into the other parts of the house. The cats have had no contact with the kittens but i'm still worried. Every time one of my cats have a runny nose or takes an extra long nap i'm fearful they've contracted something. Has anyone had a similar experience with housing non-tested fosters or have any additional info about FeLV and how easily it's contracted? I just don't know how paranoid I should be and am trying to ease my mind since i've been taking what I think to be proper precautions.

Anything would help! Thanks!

A Cat-to-cat infection only occurs when there is prolonged, intimate contact between the cats. The virus is shed in the saliva of infected cats and dies very rapidly once outside the body, so it is only likely to be transmitted as a result of close contact with an infected cat.

This means mutual grooming, sharing of feeding bowls or actual biting are necessary for the infection to be passed on.

FeLV is also found in tears, nasal secretions and urine from infected cats, but this is much less likely to be a source of infection to another cat than saliva.

http://www.catchat.org/leukaemia.html


I think your doing a much as you can to make sure your own cats are safe, in the circumstances.
Its a lovely thing your doing, hope it all turns out well for you.

FeLV is spread through saliva through grooming and sharing food & water dishes. It can also (rarely) be shared through shared litter boxes. It also can be shared from the mother.

As long as you keep the kittens in a separate room, you should be fine. Continue to wash your hands of course. But Felv has a relatively short life once it leaves the host.