FeLV Confusion

[leesali]

A friend of mine just lost her 2-yr. old cat yesterday to FeLV.

When it was a kitten she had it tested at the appropriate age and it came-up negative. This is an inside resident cat and no further testing was ever done again for FeLV.

Monday, she noticed heavy respiratory problems with major difficulty in breathing. She immediately rushed the cat to the vet. They did some blood tests and within hours the cat tested positive for FeLV. The cat was practically gone at this point...so rapid is that damn FeLV. Needless to say, her 2-year old baby is gone.

What is the story with this FeLV testing. In discussing it with my pals at the Humane Society, they feel it is almost senseless to test to begin with. A cat/kitten can be negative and all of a sudden be positive.

I'm confused.

 

[semiferal]

It takes up to 90 days from the time of exposure for a positive result to register. Additionally, false negatives can occur.

The best way to be sure is to test and retest 3 months later. If the results are the same, then you pretty much have your answer.

 

[jane_vernon]

Do you know what test you guys use? I.e. what the test is called?

And can you vaccinate for FeLV?

 

[plebayo]

And can you vaccinate for FeLV?

You can vaccinate for FeLV and if you do vaccinate for it your cat will come up with positive blood results even if they don't have it.

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by Plebayo

You can vaccinate for FeLV and if you do vaccinate for it your cat will come up with positive blood results even if they don't have it.

You have FeLV vaccinations confused with FIV vaccinations. A cat won't test positive for FeLV after the vaccinations.

Vacs start with the first kitten shots and must be repeated 30 days later.

The standard test in the U.S. for FeLV is an Elisa test, also called a stick test. This tests for antibodies in the bloodstream but is not a conclusive FeLV test. When a cat is exposed, it builds up antibodies to fight off the disease, which usually takes within 30-60 days, thus the need to repeat the test in that time. A second positive does not always mean that the cat has the disease. It is a good screening test and many vets make a call after that test is run.

The only way to conclusively test for the full blown disease is with a second type of blood test called an ISA test. This actually tests for the virus in their blood stream. Most vets don't have the labratory to run this test and is therefore usually sent out to a lab to interpret.

Please give your friend a big hug. Chances are that they tested the kitten at too young an age where it didn't show up in their bloodstream.

 

[plebayo]

You have FeLV vaccinations confused with FIV vaccinations. A cat won't test positive for FeLV after the vaccinations.

Yay you learn something new everyday. Thank you

The Elisa is the combined snap test yes?

Anyways I was looking in a book earlier today, and it said that "the virus can live sequestered in the bone
marrow or central nervous system but not be present in the blood stream in
some patients."

It's really a bummer that happened. I know that I wouldn't think of retesting. A negative is a negative. That's really a bummer and I'm sorry for her loss.

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by Plebayo

The Elisa is the combined snap test yes?

Quite often the vet will run the combo FIV and FeLV snap test. They can also run them individually - depends on the kit that they use and what you ask for.

 

[leesali]

The standard test in the U.S. for FeLV is an Elisa test, also called a stick test. This tests for antibodies in the bloodstream but is not a conclusive FeLV test. When a cat is exposed, it builds up antibodies to fight off the disease, which usually takes within 30-60 days, thus the need to repeat the test in that time. A second positive does not always mean that the cat has the disease. It is a good screening test and many vets make a call after that test is run.

The only way to conclusively test for the full blown disease is with a second type of blood test called an ISA test. This actually tests for the virus in their blood stream. Most vets don't have the labratory to run this test and is therefore usually sent out to a lab to interpret.

Once the ISA test/blood test comes back and let's assume it is negative...does that mean there is no further testing needed? For some reason I am under the impression that FeLV can lay dormant and the same cat that tested negative using ISA testing can later turn-up positive.

Sorry...but after my friend's sudden loss I am very nervous with my crew of 7. I just couldn't imagine having a healthy cat one day and the next day he/she is simply gone.

 

[momofmany]

Since the ISA is a lot more expensive than the Elisa tests, most folks will screen with the Elisa then repeat in 60 days. If they are positive both times, then you ask for the ISA. If the cat is in the transition period (e.g. the Elisa shows that they have antibodies but it has not yet moved into their bloodstream), the ISA test may not show positive right away, which is why the Elisa is typically used first.

It's hard not to panic, but the disease is not transmitted casually. It takes either a fight or long term exposure for a cat to pick up the disease. Your babies are probably all fine.

 

[jeanw]

Your cats should be tested for FELV before the first vaccination and the vaccination needs to be done yearly. And, yes, it's important to retest.

Your kitties are probably fine (try not to panic) but do make sure they get tested and get shots to protect them. FELV is always fatal.