feline leukemia test at the vets?
Sunday, May 10th, 2009 at
6:18 pm
*~ DIVA ~* asked:
I have a 3 month old kitten he went to the vets for his first fvrcp and then 4 wks later got his second fvrcp and rabies in three wks he has to go back and get his 3rd fvrcp. He is an indoor cat should i have him tested for leukemia or is it a waste of money. BTW i do have another cat she is 10 yrs old i have had her since she was born i don’t think she was ever tested for leukemia but she is fixed and has all her shots.
Tagged with: Leukemia • Rabies • Vets
Filed under: Cats
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Lung Cancer
if all your cats are indoors and have always always been, then you only need to test one.
Lung Cancer
Where did you get the kitten? It’s possible that he already had FeLV – transmissible through mother cats.
If you don’t plan on letting him outside, he doesn’t really need the leukemia vaccine. However, is your female an outdoor cat? If so, she could bring the virus indoors, in which case they should both be vaccinated.
Lung Cancer
Unless you know that this kitten came from a FeLV-negative mother, you need to have him tested for leukemia even if he is going to be an indoor cat and to ensure the safety of other cats in the home.
I am surprised your vet didn’t test him the first time you brought him in for vaccinations since that is the normal course of action.
Leukemia is transmitted through saliva when cats groom each other, share food dishes, etc. and will kill 80% of cats by the time they’re three years old, so the fact that your older girl is 10 is a pretty good sign she is negative, however, if the new arrival was positive you’d feel pretty crappy if he gave leukemia to her, right?
Get your boy tested to remove any doubts and make sure you get him snipped before he’s six months old or you will have a stinky tom cat on your hands!!!