Will vaccinating my cat with the FeLV vaccine cause the leukemia test to be positive?
No. The vaccine will not cause a cat to test positive for the virus. While the history of vaccination is important for us to know, it does not alter our ability to interpret the feline leukemia virus test. Are there any possible adverse effects associated with the leukemia virus vaccine? Possibly. In the last 10 years, several million doses of leukemia vaccine have been given without any adverse side-effects. A form of cancer that will arise at the injection site has been found in a small subset of cats (estimated at between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 100,000) that have received leukemia vaccine. This tumor is called a fibrosarcoma, or tumor of the connective tissue. In many cats, it is not possible to remove the tumor with surgery. In most cats, the risk of contracting a feline leukemia virus disease and dying of it is considered far greater than for development of vaccine-related tumors. Page URL: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/felv.html Resource References: Much, much appreciation to D
