Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV):

What You Need to Know Before Adopting

Feline leukemia virus, also known as “FeLV,” is the cause of a variety of diseases. As a retrovirus, it replicates itself inside living cells, making it impossible to cure. Specifically, FeLV invades and replicates in cells of the cat’s immune system and tissues that create blood cells. Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is not transmissible to humans or any animal except other cats. FeLV weakens the cat’s immune system, therefore, FeLV-positive cats typically have more difficulty fighting off disease and infections than FeLV-negative cats.

We’ve gathered together some of the most common questions about FeLV and answered them in this fact sheet here.

• What is Feline Leukemia Virus?
• What does a positive FeLV test result mean?
• How common is FeLV?
• How can infection of FeLV be prevented?
• What kind of special care does a FeLV-positive cat need?
• How do I know if my cat is showing signs of FeLV?
• How long will my FeLV cat live?
Your Questions Answered! Click here.