Feline leukemia virus

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Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that infects cats. FeLV can be transmitted by infected cats via the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions. If the animal's immune system fails to neutralize the virus, it may become severely weakened by it, potentially leading to lethal disease. Because FeLV is cat-to-cat contagious, FeLV+ cats should only live with other FeLV+ cats. FeLV is categorized into four subgroups, A, B, C and T. An infected cat has a combination of FeLV-A and one or more of the other subgroups. Symptoms, prognosis and treatment are all affected by subgroup. FeLV+ cats often have a shortened lifespan, but can still live relatively normal, healthy lives.

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