The virus is fragile and has a short life outside the body. However, fresh urine and fresh saliva would be a risk. However, it seems, based on a some people's experience that blood exchange is the most efficient means of transmitting the disease as in bites or being born to an FeLV mother. That does not mean that saliva, etc cannot pass the disease-- just that it "seems" to be harder to transmit this way. My two kittens were excessively groomed by my positive cat, shared food, water and litter boxes and thus far (24 months) have not been positive and they have each had 9 tests. Now, to complicate matters there seems to be some genetic protection for some cats. In other words, some cats are genetically prevented from getting the disease at all (small percentage) BUT we have no way of knowing if our cats are genetically protected. My kittens may not have gotten the disease because
a)they are genetically protected or b)the virus was too wimpy to infect or c)they did not lick themselves immediately after the positive cat licked them nor ate while the virus was still alive or d) some unknown fact or just plain luck or 3)they may yet still go positive.


No one has said that the disease cannot be passed with saliva, urine, litter boxes etc. Some of us think that isn't the most likely means of transmission and we could very well be wrong but are willing to risk it by not segregating our negative and positive cats. This is not an easy decision and the answers are not black and white because there is a lot we still do not know about the disease.


From: Cherie A Gabbert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: article about feline leukemia by Dr. Susan Little
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 07:39:26 -0800 (PST)
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Thank you for posting the article, but now that verifys my concern about shared dishes and litter boxes. I have been told different things, one is the virus can not live outside the body for a long period of time (15 minutes) and weakens as time passes, and I am also told, in this article too that shared dished and grooming can is the most common way of transmission. I am confused, can anyone help me muddle through the facts.
Cherie


[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Lisa and all who are interested,
I wrote to Dr. Susan about the possibility of her writing an article for us and/or the website about feline leukemia and I got this response today:


Hi Anne:

I wrote an article some time ago with basic information about FeLV:
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FeLV.html

But I just don't have time to update it or write anything more indepth due to my travel and lecture commitments right now.

You are certainly welcome to continue to forward questions from the list and I will do my best to answer them.

Dr. Susan
Chapter Author, A Home Veterinary Guide, in:
The CFA Complete Cat Book
http://www.cfainc.org/catalog/books.html#completecatbook

Feline Reproduction Manual:
http://catvet.homestead.com/ReproCD.html

__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^
Susan Little, DVM
Diplomate ABVP (Feline)
Bytown Cat Hospital
Ottawa, Canada
http://catvet.homestead.com
__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^__^^

Anne and Jimi Too Cool, Simms, Sophie and other furry friends in MI





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