CAN A CAT EXPOSED TO THE RETROVIRUS GIVE ANOTHER CAT FELINE LEUKEMIA?
Answer – The answer to that can be complicated. I’ll explain it the best I can. If the cat is carrying feline leukemia and is actively shedding it (tests positive on a blood test), then he can give it to another cat, mainly through mutual grooming. It really requires direct contact with saliva to spread, although sharing water bowls or litter boxes may be uncommon ways to spread it. Here’s where it becomes complicated – a cat can test negative for several weeks when first infected. If your cat has been exposed to leukemia and you get a negative test, you’d be liable to think the cat was negative. But the negative test results because the virus is only in the saliva in this stage, not the blood. During this time, he could spread the virus. Then to make it more complicated, in about 1 out of 100 cats who are permanently infected, the immune system suppresses the virus, and it becomes a latent infection. The cat will not test positive for the disease during this period, nor does he shed i
