What happens if you test positive for feline immunodeficiency virus?
A cat that tests positive for the feline immunodeficiency virus may have a weakened immune system and may be susceptible to other infections as a result. Remember that your cat is a potential carrier of the disease and could pass the disease to other cats.
Can a cat test positive for chicken pox?
However, a percentage of infected cats will progress to a bone marrow infection and go no further, thereby harboring the virus in the bone marrow. These cats can test negative on both tests, or positive on the ELISA and negative on the IFA.
What does a negative FeLV test mean for a cat?
A negative test result can actually mean 3 things: The cat has never been exposed to FeLV and does not have the virus (this is by far the most common). The cat was exposed to FeLV very recently, and there are not enough virus particles for the test to detect. The cat may test positive at a later date.
What happens if your cat has a positive FIV test?
However, if your cat is currently healthy and not showing signs of illness, a positive FIV test is far from being the death warrant that it was thought to be in the past. Many positive cats live for many months or even for many years. A positive test for FIV does mean that your cat could pass the virus on to other cats.
What happens if my cat tests positive for FeLV?
There is a chance the cat could have been exposed but is not positive yet on the first test. A second negative ELISA test should reassure you that the cat is truly negative. What If My Cat Tests FeLV-pPositive? If the result is a positive on the ELISA, don’t despair. It is recommended to do a follow-up blood test sent to a lab, either a PCR or IFA.
However, a percentage of infected cats will progress to a bone marrow infection and go no further, thereby harboring the virus in the bone marrow. These cats can test negative on both tests, or positive on the ELISA and negative on the IFA.
Can a cat be positive for feline leukemia?
If both the Elisa and the IFA are positive, then you can be almost 100% certain that the cat has Feline Leukemia and is not going to fight it off and will succumb to the disease and can transmit it to other cats. There are certainly false positive Elisa tests. Your cat may have a positive Elisa and a negative IFA.
What should I do if my cat’s ELISA test is positive?
If a cat tests positive on an ELISA test, it is recommended that an IFA test be performed immediately. The combined results can then give you an idea of how to proceed. If the ELISA and IFA tests are both positive, then the cat is likely persistently infected.