The Scoop

Are FeLV and FIV on the Rise?

By Jackie Brown

, January 22, 2018

For more than a decade, researchers have tracked the prevalence of the feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus in the United States and Canada. Recent testing of 62,201 cats — owned pets and cats in shelters — revealed that 3.1 percent tested positive for FeLV and 3.6 percent tested positive for FIV. This is an increase from the first survey done in 2006, when 2.3 percent tested positive for FeLV and 2.5 percent were positive for FIV. According to the recent study, published in the July 2017 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, risk factors include outdoor access and being a sexually intact male cat.

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Jackie Brown

Pet expert Jackie Brown has spent 20 years following her passion for animals as a writer and editor in the pet publishing industry. She is contributing writer for National Geographic’s Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness: The Veterinarian’s Approach to At-Home Animal Care (April 2019) and author of the book It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases (Lumina Press, 2006). Jackie is a regular contributor to pet and veterinary industry media and is the former editor of numerous pet magazines, including Dog World, Natural Dog, Puppies 101, Kittens 101 and the Popular Cats Series. Prior to starting her career in publishing, Jackie spent eight years working in veterinary hospitals where she assisted veterinarians as they treated dogs, cats, rabbits, pocket pets, reptiles, birds and one memorable lion cub. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons and miniature poodle Jäger. Reach her at jackiebrownwriter.wordpress.com.

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