Does anyone know what the symptoms of feline leukemia are? I had a cat die last year who was literally a skeleton. The vet said he thought it was thyroid and that I could expect such illness in a cat that old (she was 16 years old!). Now my younger cat (she is 9)is also starting to look very thin. Worming doesn't seem to help and she is an exclusively indoor cat. I was wondering if it could be feline leukemia. Has anyone had any experience with this in cats? Is this transmissable to humans? I was told it was by a couple of people- then told by the vet it was not.

-- Tiffani (cappello@alltel.net), January 22, 2002

Answers

Hi Tiffani, Unfortunately, I have had experience with fe-leuk and let me assure you, it is not transmissable to humans, but is very contagious in cats. Some of the symptoms include loss of appetite,subsequent weight loss, and sometimes as it progresses, vomiting. I also noticed some behavioral changes in one of my cats that had fe-leuk.Also, being an indoor cat doesn't protect them. Feline leukemia can only be ruled out by a blood test. Treatment is available, but very expensive and not always successful. There is also a great vaccination program available now for prevention of this disease. It's a series of shots( I can't remember how many)and then a booster shot every year.

-- Judy Corwin VA Nubians (corwinsusa@netscape.net), January 22, 2002.

Other things can cause weight loss too. My cat lost a lot of weight from kidney problems.

As said, Feline Leukemia can be determined by a blood test.

There are lots of pet health sites on the web. You might look into homeopathic treatment also.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), January 22, 2002.

Was your older cat ever checked for diabetes? That's another possible cause for the weight loss. Other symptoms are excessive drinking of water and the urine takes on a "sugary", sticky appearance. It is common in older cats and very hard to control with insulin. Our 16 year old cat developed it and we tried for nine months to control it before she passed away. How long was your older cat sick? Fe-leuk usually causes a pretty rapid downfall. Another cat of ours was diagnosed with it and was gone within about 3 months. Even though our cats now stay pretty much inside, I have them all vacinnated for fe-leuk. As has already been said, a bloodtest will quickly clear up the question and no it is not transferable.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), January 22, 2002.

We have lost 3 outdoor cats to FIV (feline leukemia) in the past several years. It has been rampant in our community (southern Ontario near Lake Erie). It is highly contagious amongst cats (fighting, sharing food and bowls, sleeping together, etc. - anywhere where they're exposed to body fluids of an infected animal) It is not transmittable to humans. We didn't notice much weight loss in our sick cats, but did notice they took a long time to heal from cuts, scratches, bites, etc. and they often became infected. They were also more susceptible to colds and there was always at least one of them hacking, coughing, and sneezing. We had to have one put down (hit by a car), so we had it tested for FIV which was positive. Given that, we didn't bother testing the others, just assumed that's what it was when they got sick.

My vet says they can live a long time if kept indoors and away from other cats, but they tend to be sickly.

This is a terminal illness that can't be cured. I'd advise you have the vet check out the cat for other treatable problems. At that age, it could be just about anything.

I've heard that the vaccines aren't all that reliable but I could be wrong.

Russ

-- (imashortguy@hotmail.com), January 22, 2002.

Tiffani, So sorry about your loss. I work once in awhile for my vet. The last time I did, a couple brought their cat in..same symptoms as yours, and unfortunately had to put it down. The vet asked if they had another cat, they said yes, and did bring it in for the vaccination. From the conversations, I gather that the vaccination is well worth the money, in that it saves the cats from this disease. Here I want to say it cost $20. Again, I am sorry for your loss.

-- Sher in se Iowa (riverdobbers@webtv.net), January 22, 2002.

Thanks for all the wonderful responses on this question. I did not know that there was a vaccine available for this. I don't recall the vet mentioning it, unless she was just given this shot with her series. After reading the list of symptoms, it would seem that this is not my cats problem.

It is frustrating to have a sick animal around that the vet cannot diagnose. Especially when I have small children around. I doubt I will ever have another indoor cat. My barn cats are so healthy and happy. My indoor cat seems like she wishes she was outside - but she is declawed so she'd get beat up badly - especially with her ornery temperment - she hates other cats.

-- Tiffani (cappello@alltel.net), January 22, 2002.

If your vet can't diagnose the problem, you might need to try another vet. However, be advised, the more tests they do, the more expensive it can be.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), January 22, 2002.

Tiffini, I got to wondering if by any chance your cat could have hairballs? I do believe sometimes they will drop weight with that too.

-- Sher in se Iowa (riverdobbers@webtv.net), January 22, 2002.

Both leukemias Human and feline are produce by viruses( I don't care what the Doctors are telling you) the cats need to go out and well been a cat. When you keep them indoor they are expose to many indoor contaminant and they inmuno system suffers, and they are more sensitive to catch all kind of sicknes. Your second cat I think is sick, and you should be test also. I pray to the Lord to help you with these matter. Ralph.

-- Ralph Roces (rroces1@yahoo.com), January 22, 2002.

Sorry about your kitty. I do think you night need a second opinion. You can diagnose this illness as has been mentioned. And Ralph, sorry, but cats do not NEED to be out running loose to be healthy. Generations of healthy and happy cats are kept indoors and thus out from under the wheels of autos, and safe from dogs and stray cats. I do recommend a cat run though, they do enjoy access to an outdoor facility. Some people simply cannot provide this though(New York City etc)and some just have a green house window or other place the kitty can sunbath. They do fine and live longer. Good luck with your kitty Tiffani, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), January 22, 2002.

I know you said you wormed the cat, but with what kind of wormer? Piperazine alone does not get all the hookworms. Standard wormers that get hookworms and roundworms, do not get tapeworms. Also coccidia can cause the animal to be very thin and is not treatable with a wormer but rather requires a compound that is a coccidiostat or coccidiocide such as decocquinnate or amprolium or albon. Often it is a simple parasite problem rather than an exotic illness and the treatment given was not appropriate. Just thought I'd ask.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), January 22, 2002.

My guess is thyroid also. my cat has That problem and will be on pills the rest of her life.When they do the tyroid test, if you go with pills make sure to get a device from the vet which helps get the pill in there mouth, makes life much easyer. I had a cat 10 years ago that was vacinated for feline leukemia and he still caught it!He was always getting in fights even though he was fixed.Thyroid problems can happen at any age to cats.mine was 10 when she started having problems.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), January 22, 2002.

Did you check the cat's teeth? About going outside...my sister & her cat once lived on a very busy street for about a year. She made a long leash and let the cat out on the leash. She worked with the cat but I have to say, the cat was very happy while she was outside.

-- DW (djwallace@sotc.net), January 22, 2002.

If your other cats are deemed "clean" by the vet, vaccination will help to ensure that they don't contract the disease from another housemate, but it isn't 100%. You still have to be careful that they don't exchange body fluids (think of it as kitty AIDS, although there is another disease by that name: it's pretty much the same as regards transmission and they can be fine for years with Fe-Leuk, then they go pretty quickly when they get sick)

If your other cats are vaccinated, and you keep them from the three main "F"s (fighting, feeding, and fornicating), you're probably doing about as well as you can. After all, your cats are probably going to come up against infected cats outside, if they go out - that's what the vaccine is designed for.

Don't let them share a litterbox, and keep the positive one closeted away from the others if it's sneezy or otherwise sharing snot (put a towel at the bottom of the door), no nose touching, either.

I got "lucky" with the Fe-Leuk I adopted. All my other cats were up on their shots and spayed, and she's half wild (and always will be) so they tend to avoid each other like the plague on their own. They wouldn't share bowls if you tried to make them, they don't share litter, and theiy couldn't be bothered to play. Just gotta keep them from fighting, and there you go.

Good luck and God bless.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 22, 2002.