Our Cats, the Outdoors, and Disease

With this beautiful weather, more and more cats are bound to be asking to be let outside. While allowing your cat to roam outside is a personal preference, you should know the following before you make your decision. There are two separate diseases to which outdoor cats are exposed: Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
A common infection in cats, FeLV has been said to be the cause of more cat deaths than any other organism. While most cats will eliminate the virus and gain immunity, there are still many cats in whom the virus will spread to the bone marrow. Once in the bone marrow, it may invade other tissues, causing other illnesses to occur. It also suppresses the immune system, making the cat susceptible to even more diseases. Because of its proliferative nature and the lack of an effective treatment, 85% of cats infected will die within 3 years of being diagnosed.

FeLV is easily transmitted between cats, making it very widespread. The disease is transmitted through contaminated saliva getting in the eyes, mouth, or nose of non-infected cats. It can also be passed through blood and during pregnancy. A cat can be a carrier even though they show no signs of the illness.

This all sounds rather scary, but there is good news about FeLV; it is easily prevented. The best form of prevention would be to keep your cat indoors at all times. If you choose to let them outside, our veterinarians can vaccinate your cat against this disease.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
Not only is FIV similar to Human Immunodeficiency Virus, it also causes AIDS in cats. Thankfully, it does not spread from cats to humans or vice versa. Once a cat is infected with FIV, there can be a long period of time without signs of the illness. FIV attacks the body’s immune system, making it susceptible to infections. Your cat’s veterinarian will treat your cat for infections only; there is no treatment for FIV itself. The prognosis for an infected cat is 5 years from diagnosis.

The most common way a cat gets FIV is through bites from an infected cat. It can also be transmitted through sexual contact.

There is an FIV vaccine, but West Ridge Animal Hospital is not currently using it for a couple reasons: once vaccinated, the cat will always test positive for the disease, making a true diagnosis impossible; and the vaccine has not been fully tested and may give owners of vaccinated cats an inflated sense of protection. Therefore, FIV is best prevented by keeping your cat indoors at all times.

For more information on FeLV and FIV, follow these links to these helpful VeterinaryPartner.com articles:

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)