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Cats and leukaemia. Can anyone answer my questions?

15 replies

Trewser · 08/01/2020 18:57

So my dds beloved cat is at the vets. The vet has rung to say she has severe anemia and he thinks it is probably leukaemia. A quick Google after the phone call and there's a virus which can cause this which is very common.
Is that the only way cats can get leukaemia?
Is it possible she's had this since birth? (She's 10)

She's been vaccinated against this I think but could she have had it anyway?

Dcat is very ill so unlikely to recover.

She was given to us by my mum 10 years ago along with her brother. Sadly he died at 4 years old, had seizures. I'm just wondering if they both could have carried the leukaemia virus?

Thank you. Prognosis looks awful. I've got to go and pick my dd up in a minute and she will be devastated.

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Fluffycloudland77 · 08/01/2020 19:24

I’m so sorry, your poor cat.

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Boristhecats · 09/01/2020 12:24

Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry.

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Trewser · 09/01/2020 12:30

Thank you. Does anyone know if leukaemia in cats is always caused by a virus?

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thecatneuterer · 09/01/2020 13:22

As far as I am aware it is always a virus. It is nothing like leukaemia in humans. I'm very sorry if she does have it. The prognosis is never good.

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MrsApplepants · 09/01/2020 13:45

I’m so sorry, my dear cat had this and had to be pts despite being vaccinated, vet thought she’d had it since birth. It is a virus.

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Trewser · 09/01/2020 14:26

@Mrsapplepants thank you. How old was your cat?

I'm only asking as our cat had always been vaccinated but her brother also died at only 4 years old, we thought he'd been poisoned because he had a fit. Now thinking they both had it since birth. The person we got them from wasn't the type to vaccinate!

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MrsApplepants · 09/01/2020 14:36

She was only 2, I was devastated.

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heymammi · 09/01/2020 15:04

I'm so sorry OP,
My gorgeous boy Smokey passed away at 4 years old because of this. We told the vets we will pay anything to get him better but unfortunately they said the kindest thing to do was to put him to sleep. We were devastated as it came on so suddenly and he could barely breathe so he was in alot of pain. He always had vaccines but he contracted Fip which another vet told me there is no vaccine for. Although we got him for free from an old neighbour Smokey was a beautiful Bengal x Egyptian mau, I do believe some breed of cats have lower immune system. We now have 2 moggies and as soon as they look a bit down I'm panicking that they will get sick 😩