The blood work tested negative and so we ve been letting him play with our other cats. but just the other day he wouldn t eat, was very lethargic and running a fever. We took him to the vet right away and the vet said he might have leukemia, to which we replied that he already got tested and it turned out negative. There s no way other way he could ve gotten it as we don t let him go outside and our other 2 cats are safe.
We were really upset because the vet said sometimes after some time it could turn out positive, which I don t understand how that works at all. We kept him with our other 2 cats and if he does have leukemia, our other cats might ve gotten it as well. I m pissed at the vet as either 1. He didn t do the test properly the first time or 2.
He s doesn t really know what he s talking about. Any more insight? I know it s just a kitty but he s gotten very close to my heart as he s a little fighter :( by the way he is now 8 weeks old
Answer:
Elaine: JC is right. There's an incubation period. FeLV is very dangerous for cats and it can spread to another cat by saliva. It's a lot more dangerous than FIV, which has to be spread by bites. I would have no problem with having a cat with FIV (we've had two, they lived with our other 3 cats 24/7 for over 12 years and never passed it to the others - they never bit anyone). However FeLV can be pretty nasty.
However if the kitten tested negative, and tests negative again in 3 months, you don't have to worry. The blood tests give accurate readings on FeLV. (Unlike the results with FIV, way too many false positives come back from the Elisa test on that one).
Jack: It can take up to 90 days from exposure to FeLV showing up in the blood stream. If the kitten had been exposed to FeLV, the test level may not have been high enough or present in the blood to make the test show a positive.
Get him retested, and if it's negative - great! And if it's positive - then that is something you need to discuss with the vet. There is no real way to do the test "wrong" and all the vet can do is report the results to you. It is not some sort of guarantee that the kitten may have been exposed, and it just was not at the right time to show up on the test.
You need to have him retested though. And a kitten with a crappy start has a weak immune system, making him subject to more health issues, with or without having FeLV.
Meow: When kittens are that young - yes - the test can give a false negative. This kitten also could have FIV. Why on earth have you let it interact with your other cats?