My 4-week-old kitten is lethargic. Should I test her for FeLV/FIV?

Question

I'm starting to worry that the 4 week old kitten I've been fostering has FELV or FIV. Vet thought it was URI but even with antibiotics she doesn't seem to be getting better or worse, just remains highly lethargic. All she does is sleep and eat for weeks now. Vet has tried doxycycline oral, clavamox, clindamycin injections which she is on now. Her congestion is gone but her eye is still squinty and still very lethargic. Is she too young to test for FIV or FELV? Do you think I should get tests? Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | unspayed | 25 days old | 0.5 lbs

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

I'm so sorry that your foster is not doing well. It sounds like she has been through a lot in her short life. Certainly, kittens that have a severe upper respiratory infection young in life can take a while to bounce back. You can perform a FeLV and FIV test at any time, but the results will have to be taken with a grain of salt at her age. The FIV test is an antibody test, so she could test positive if her mom was positive, but she may not have the virus. The FeLV test is usually a little more accurate in young kittens, but not always. The FeLV test looks for virus in white blood cells, so if her white blood cell count is low from her infection if may appear negative even if she has the virus. So while you can test at any age, you may need to repeat the tests again because of the reasons discussed above. So, I would recommend discussing it with your veterinarian to decide on the right route to go for your foster. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My 4-week-old kitten is lethargic. Should I test her for FeLV/FIV?

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