All outdoor non-vaccinated cats should be periodically tested for FeLV and FIV so proper steps can be taken to minimize exposure to the general population.

My cat is diagnosed with FeLV - What Now?

The long term outcome will depend on whether your cat is healthy or not at the time of the diagnosis. Diseased animals at this time carry a poorer long and short term prognosis in that the outcome of their immediate disease(s) is questionable. The same way, possible (very likely) future diseases (even if generally not serious to non-FeLV patients) might have additional treatment difficulties. Infected cats will be very prone to a variety of feline diseases. A young diagnosed cat is very likely to die or euthanased from a complicated disease process secondary to Leukaemia.

Because of this and the infectious nature to other cats, the decision to treat instead of euthanasia should be taken very seriously.

With healthy or recovering cats, the first thing to do is to isolate infected patients by keeping them indoors away from other cats. As mentioned above, these patients will be more prone to diseases. A sick FeLV cat should be presented to your family Veterinarian as soon as possible for diagnoses and treatment. Symptomatic and sometimes supportive treatment can be given as necessary. Where isolation is impossible or impractical or where supportive treatment becomes ineffective euthanasia is strongly recommended.

Apart from isolation from other cats, additional measures include a good, quality premium cat food, strict litter box hygiene, and yearly testing of possible in-contact household cats. In-contact cats should also be vaccinated. Because of the insidious nature of this disease it is also strongly recommended to present infected cats, even if seemingly healthy, for a routine Veterinary check-up every six months.