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35 Sunmills Drive SE Calgary, Alberta T2X 2W6 Phone: 403.254.9698 Fax: 403.254.9045 www.sundanceanimalhospital.com DEADLY VIRUSES, NEW KITTENS AND OLD CATS With the onset of summer and the spring kitten crop weaned many of my clients are coming in with new kittens. Some of these kittens are moving into homes with an older feline already in residence. There are some very nasty feline viruses that can be lurking in the older cat or in the new young kitten and a simple blood test is available to protect both cats. Cats are vaccinated for a number of viruses as kittens and through out their lives. The vaccinations for feline respiratory viruses and feline distemper or panleukopenia protect against these common viruses that can be transferred from cat to cat through the air, through a carrier such as a person petting a number of cats, and even in utero (inside the mother cat). These vaccinations are effective and the diseases are treatable. Rabies is also effectively prevented with a vaccine. If the unvaccinated cat gets these diseases it promptly gets sick and we know we need to prevent infection of other cats and treat the patient. Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are a lot more complicated. There is a vaccine for FeLV; there is no vaccine for FIV. A cat can carry either disease for years infecting other cats without the carrier cat exhibiting any illness. A family could adopt a kitten carrying the disease and not have the virus manifest full-blown disease for years, then one day the cat is stressed and suddenly the virus becomes active. The viruses act like hidden time bombs in the cat. Alternatively, a cat could acquire the virus, sicken, and die very quickly. There is no truly effective treatment for either disease. Treatment available is palliative not curative. Usually these diseases are fatal once active disease is developed although some recently available treatments may extend a cat’s life. When either disease begins to affect a cat the symptoms are so variable and so many systems can be affected that diagnosis is impossible by physical examination alone. The good news is neither disease can be transferred through the air or by a nonfeline carrier. Two cats must come in direct contact by biting or scratching, or exchanging fluids in some other manner such as grooming each other. Solitary strictly indoor cats would not come in contact with these viruses. Families adopting new kittens or cats and introducing them to current pets may want to take steps to protect the resident family member. A simple blood test done in your veterinarian’s office will ensure your new and old felines are both free of FeLV and FIV. Vaccinations against FeLV should only be done after testing since recent vaccinations may make the test show a false positive. Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus are both fortunately fairly rare in most cat populations. Unfortunately, the seriousness of both these viruses makes the outcome of a cat catching these viruses usually tragic. Protect your furry feline family members from each other and test any cats entering a multiple kitty home environment. Jennifer L. Scott, D.V.M. Sundance Animal Hospital