My cat tested positive for FeLV. Is the SNAP test accurate? Can he clear it?

Question

Male, stray cat +-2-3 yrs tested pos for FeLV (not neutered) on a SNAP test. What are the chances he could have fought off the virus or been immune? Unfortunately, no other tests were offered & we were advised to euthanize him. What percentage of cats test neg on an IFA test or 2nd test after testing positive on a SNAP? How accurate are SNAP tests? If he was able to fight off the virus or been immune would he still have had to be quarantined indoors for life? What % of cats can clear the virus? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered

Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA · Accepted Answer

FeLV is a non-curable disease which means that once your cat has it he will carry the virus for the duration of his life. I am not sure which SNAP test was used on Tom, but the IDEXX FeLV/FIV SNAP has a sensitivity of 98.6% and a Specificity of 98.2% for FeLV. This means that there is only a 1.8% chance of a false positive on the SNAP. However, it is important to note that cats who have been vaccinated for FeLV can show a positive result on the SNAP. IDEXX recommends that any positive FeLV SNAP be confirmed by IFA. Although there are no statistics shown for discrepant results, they do recommend repeat testing after 28 days rather than euthanasia: http://www.idexx.com.tw/pdf/zh_tw/smallanimal/snap/triple/fiv-felv-diagnostic-guidelines.pdf

My cat tested positive for FeLV. Is the SNAP test accurate? Can he clear it?

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