Feline Leukemia

Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV): Not Necessarily a Death Sentence

There are three things that can happen after a cat becomes infected with the feline leukemia virus:

Cats (usually young kittens) become extremely ill and die within a few months.
Cats fight off the initial infection and become immune.
Cats sequester the virus in their bone marrow or central nervous system. They can then suppress it forever, or it may become active later in life. At this stage the virus cannot be transmitted to other cats.

In 1991, when I first heard that one of my rescued feral cats, Morris, had tested positive for feline leukemia I was devastated. In those days, the feelings about FeLV were pretty negative and myths abounded. Morris was trapped at four months of age and initially tested negative, however he soon developed a severe upper respiratory infection that would not clear. He also lost a lot of weight and my veterinarian suggested another test, which he sent to the lab. This time it came back positive.

Fortunately, my veterinarian Dr. Pervaiz Manzoor, was always willing to work with me and to try new methods. He helped me stabilize Morris and was open to my suggestion of giving the cat the drug Interferon to boost his immune system. After a few months of intensive supportive therapy, Morris actually starting gaining weight and looking well again.

We have retested a now very healthy Morris, and each time the tests come back from the lab with a negative result. The virus has obviously cleared from his bloodstream. We have also retested several of the cats Morris has lived with for many years. These tests have all been negative for FeLV.

However lately Morris has developed severe gingivitis/stomatitis. This has been an on-going problem for him and it is very difficult for me to medicate him. He still retains some feral instincts and because eating hurts his mouth, he has associated food served by me with pain. My vet has extracted most of Morris’ teeth and this has helped a lot.

Not having teeth is not the worst thing in the world for a cat that lives in a home and is provided with food. They can still eat dry food as well as moist. I have found that chunky foods—the ones in pouches—are easier for Morris to eat than ground mashed foods, as these stick to his gums and to his remaining teeth and cause more pain.

To treat stomatitis, some recommend a combination of drugs—a“cocktail” consisting of Interferon, Medrol, and Clinadrops

Cats Respond to treatment with Acemannan

Veterinarians at the Texas A & M College of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal clinic had good results treating persistently infected cats with acemannan for six weeks. Acemannan, an aloe vera derivative, has a stimulating effect on the immune system.

So do not despair if you rescue a cat who tests positive for FeLV. This is not necessarily a death sentence. The cat may still live a good, long, healthy life. Before you decide to euthanize a cat with FeLV, do discuss these options with your vet. Improving the immune system definitely seems to result in an excellent chance of saving an animals’ life.