Symptoms of Feline Leukemia Virus. Cats infected with FeLV may exhibit one or more of the following symptomsStages of Feline Leukemia Virus. Following exposure to FeLV, infections may progress in several different ways
Feline leukemia is tricky to spot because there are rarely symptoms associated with the first stage, primary viremia. This is because the virus is attacking the immune system itself. When the immune system is weak, the cat becomes susceptible to everything that attacks.
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.
There is no known treatment for Feline Leukemia. Symptoms gradually appear as the immune system weakens such as lymphoma (neoplastic disease). Some cats can fight the virus when it is in its early stages.
As we can see from the illustration, Cat Leukemia Symptoms By Stage has many fascinating aspects to explore.
About a third of cats with FeLV develop a virus-related cancer, most commonly lymphoma or, less commonly leukemia. Cats that have been infected by the feline leukemia virus commonly show no or few symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
Cats get feline leukemia from other cats. The virus is spread in saliva, urine, feces, nasal secretions and milk from nursing mothers. When an infected cat bites or grooms another cat, that cat may develop the virus.
