Can my older cat get Feline Leukemia from a new exposed kitten?

Question

I have an 8 year old cat and a newly rescued kitten. The kitten was feral and with an adult cat when found. The kitten tested negative for Feline Leuk before I brought it home. 2 weeks later the other adult it was found with tested positive for Feline Leuk. Does this mean that my 8 yr old cat can get the disease? Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | unneutered | 3 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

You have a little bit of a tricky situation. The only way your 8 year old cat can get Feline Leukemia is if the kitten is infected and shedding the virus. Since the kitten tested negative before you brought him home, you know he was not shedding the virus at that time. BUT since you know he was around another cat that could have have been shedding the virus, he could still become positive from that exposure (which can take a little while to test positive for). The safest thing to do for your 8 year old cat would be to keep him separated from the kitten for the next 90 days, then retest the kitten for Feline Leukemia. If he is negative at that time, then you can reintroduce them. Good luck! I hope everything is fine and that was helpful. Let us know if that doesn't make sense or if you have any other questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Can my older cat get Feline Leukemia from a new exposed kitten?

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