Feline leukemia is a serious illness with a high mortality rate. Thankfully, 70% of cats that are exposed to this virus are able to resist it or fight it off without becoming ill, according to WebMD.

Cats that do become infected with feline leukemia often develop a wide range of secondary health issues, many of which may be covered by pet insurance. Plus, this disease is preventable with a vaccine, which may also be covered by your policy.

Here’s what you need to know about feline leukemia symptoms, management, treatment costs and how to keep your cat from contracting the disease.

Is Your Cat Covered?

Get Peace of Mind With the Best Pet Insurance of 2024

Learn More

What Is Feline Leukemia?

Feline leukemia virus, or FeLV, is an infectious disease transmitted among cats. It causes the destruction of white blood cells, which leads to an impaired immune system. Cats with the virus are susceptible to a wide range of illnesses and health complications, including infections and cancer.

While feline leukemia itself is usually not fatal, the immunocompromised status of cats with the virus usually leads to a shortened lifespan. Sadly, there is no cure.

How is Feline Leukemia Transmitted?

“The virus that causes FeLV is shed through bodily fluids such as saliva, urine, feces and nasal secretions,” says Dr. Danielle Rutherford, V.M.D., associate vet at Westside Veterinary Center in New York City. “Cats often contract it through exposure such as bite wounds, or by sharing food or water bowls with an infected cat.”

Cat leukemia can also be passed in utero from mothers to kittens, or transmitted through breast milk.

What Are the Risk Factors for Feline Leukemia Virus?

“Kittens are most susceptible to the virus,” Rutherford says. These factors can also significantly increase a cat’s risk of contracting feline leukemia:

  • Living outdoors
  • Spending time outdoors unsupervised
  • Being unvaccinated
  • Spending time with cats who haven’t been vaccinated for FeLV
  • Introducing a new cat into a multi-cat household who hasn’t been screened or vaccinated for FeLV

Conversely, indoor-only cats in single-cat households have the lowest risk of contracting feline leukemia. Also, the risk of feline leukemia decreases as cats build resistance with age.

What Is the Life Expectancy of Cats With Feline Leukemia?

On average, cats with feline leukemia live an average of 2.4 years past their diagnosis, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. The life expectancy of kittens who contract the virus is typically less. “It is, however, possible for an infected cat to remain normal for long periods of time,” Rutherford says.

Symptoms and Behaviors of Cats With Feline Leukemia

Feline leukemia symptoms stem from the weakening of the immune system as the virus attacks the blood cells, and cats may take time to become symptomatic.

“In early infections, most cats are asymptomatic,” Rutherford says. “Over time, however, infected cats may exhibit weight loss, a poor appetite, lethargy or persistent diarrhea.”

Additional feline leukemia symptoms may include:

  • Pale gums
  • Yellow mouth or eyes
  • Poor coat condition
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Fever
  • Weakness
  • Difficulty breathing

Health Complications from Feline Leukemia Virus

Cats with feline leukemia virus are at higher risk for a number of secondary illnesses and health complications, including:

  • Lymphoma and other types of cancer
  • Anemia
  • Immune-mediated diseases
  • Reproductive issues
  • Inflamed intestines
  • Neurologic disorders
  • Blindness
  • Inflammation of the mouth and gums
  • Chronic skin, eye or respiratory infections
  • Chronic urinary tract infections

What are the Stages of Feline Leukemia?

The feline leukemia virus usually progresses according to these stages:

  • Stage One: The cat contracts the virus through prolonged exposure to an infected cat.
  • Stage Two: The virus invades bone marrow and lymph tissues and attacks the blood cells, causing the immune system to progressively weaken.
  • Stage Three: Unable to fight off illness, the cat becomes increasingly more susceptible to infections and inflammatory disorders. They may also develop mutations that lead to lymphoma, lymphosarcoma and other types of cancer.
  • Stage Four: Eventually the cat succumbs to illnesses and complications stemming from the weakened immune system.

How to Test for Feline Leukemia

Veterinarians have two tests to check for feline leukemia:

  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): This test identifies feline leukemia virus proteins present in the blood. This is a highly sensitive blood test that can detect early infections. Some cats that test positive early on may clear the virus from their system and test negative at a later date.

The ELISA test is usually recommended for newly adopted cats and cats that may have been exposed to the virus. If your cat is at high risk for FeLV, your vet might recommend performing this test annually to screen for the virus. Cats who have been exposed to the virus may need to be tested again after 30 days.

  • Immunofluorescence assay (IFA): This blood test detects advanced stages of the feline leukemia virus. For this test, your vet needs to send out your cat’s blood sample to a laboratory, so this test takes more time than the ELISA test. Cats that test positive on this test are unlikely to clear the virus and usually have a poor prognosis.

Treatment and Management of Feline Leukemia

There is no known cure or standard treatment for feline leukemia. Management of this disease involves treating secondary illnesses and infections that result from a compromised immune system, as well as taking steps to protect infected cats from developing secondary infections. Steps you can take to help your cat might include:

  • Vaccinating the cat against other infections they might be exposed to
  • Keeping the cat indoors and away from other cats
  • Not allowing shared bowls or litter boxes
  • Flea, tick and internal parasite prevention
  • Keeping the eyes, ears and genitals clean to reduce the chances of bacterial infections
  • Keeping litter boxes clean to reduce the chance of UTIs
  • A nutrient-dense diet and supplements to help strengthen the immune system
  • Biannual vet visits for monitoring and checking for signs of infection

As for treating secondary infections and complications of cat leukemia, possible treatments might include:

  • Antibiotics to treat bacterial infections
  • Anti-inflammatory medications to treat fever
  • Appetite stimulants to treat appetite loss
  • Blood infusions to treat anemia
  • Chemotherapy to treat lymphoma or other cancers

Ultimately, the treatment a cat with feline leukemia receives would depend on the nature and extent of the secondary illness or infection.

Treatment Costs for Cats With Feline Leukemia

Since there is no standard treatment for FeLV, there is no set range for treatment costs. Treating secondary infections and illnesses could range anywhere from $150 to $200 to treat a urinary tract infection to thousands of dollars to treat cancer. But some routine expenses you can expect from preventing and managing health complications from feline leukemia might include:

  • Vet visits: $50-$250
  • Vaccinations: $20-$40
  • Flea and tick prevention: $40-$200
  • Heartworm prevention: $25-$120
  • Deworming: $25-$130
  • Antibiotics: $10-$30
  • Anti-inflammatory medication: $10-$14
  • Blood transfusions: $500 and up

Ultimately, the diagnosis and treatment costs for your infected cat will depend on factors such as your location and what your individual vet charges for services.

Is Feline Leukemia Covered by Pet Insurance?

If you have accident and illness coverage, your pet insurance policy may cover diagnosis and treatment of complications stemming from feline leukemia, as long as they’re not classified as a pre-existing condition. Additionally, most pet wellness or preventive care plans include coverage of the FeLV vaccination.

Whether or not your pet insurance actually covers costs relating to feline leukemia or vaccinations depends on the type of policy you have as well as the specifics of your policy. Refer to the details of your policy, or contact your pet insurance company to find out whether you have coverage for feline leukemia.

Featured Partner Offers

1

Paw Protect

Maximum annual coverage

$5,000, $10,000, Unlimited

Reimbursement choices

70%, 80%, 90%

Deductible choices

$100, $250, $500

1

Paw Protect

Compare Plans

2

Embrace

Maximum annual coverage

$5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, Unlimited

Reimbursement choices

70%, 80%, 90%

Deductible choices

$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000

2

Embrace

Compare Plans

3

Spot

Maximum annual coverage

$2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, Unlimited

Reimbursement choices

70%, 80%, 90%

Deductible choices

$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000

3

Spot

Compare Plans

Prevention of Feline Leukemia Virus

Vaccinating your cat for FeLV is the most effective way to prevent it from contracting the virus. Kittens can begin receiving a series of FeLV shots and boosters at 8 weeks old. Adult cats that spend time outdoors or in the company of cats that could transmit the illness are recommended to be given the FeLV vaccination annually.

Additional steps you can take to prevent the spread of cat leukemia, or to keep your cat from getting it in the first place, include:

  • Spay or neuter your cat. This will not only eliminate the possibility of an infected mother transmitting the virus to kittens, but will also reduce the tendency to fight with other cats.
  • Keep your cat indoors. Indoor-only cats are at significantly lower risk of contracting feline leukemia than cats that spend time outdoors.
  • Test any new cats prior to adoption. If you already have a cat, any potential new cats should be tested for FeLV before bringing them into your home.
  • Keep your cat healthy. Routine preventive veterinary care and a healthy diet will go a long way toward a strong immune system that may be able to fight off the feline leukemia virus before it can take hold.

Is Feline Leukemia Common in Senior Cats?

Cats can contract feline leukemia virus at any age. However, kittens and young adult cats are most susceptible to the virus.

“Unfortunately due to the development of infections or concurrent disease, most do not make it to an advanced age,” Rutherford says. “It’s less common for senior pets to acquire the virus as a new infection.”

Bottom Line

Feline leukemia is a virus transmitted from cat to cat that attacks and destroys the immune system. There is no cure. Cats with feline leukemia are highly susceptible to secondary infections and illnesses, including lymphoma and other types of cancer. The best way to prevent your cat from contracting this disease is to have it vaccinated and kept indoors.

Other Common Health Conditions in Dogs: