Virus Testing:
All newly acquired kittens and cats should be isolated from other kittens and cats for a period of four weeks to be observed for signs of illness. Toward the end of this isolation period, the kittens/cats should be tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV); this is accomplished by a simple blood test. Kittens/cats which test positive for either or these viruses should have follow-up testing and must be kept in strict isolation pending the outcome of confirmatory or follow-up tests. Both of these viruses are contagious (FeLV more so than FIV), incurable and ultimately fatal, although cats can live with FIV for quite a long period of time with good veterinary care (up to several years). It is imperative that these viruses be kept out of a breeding cattery.

Ideally, both studs and queens should be tested for FeLV and FIV before each breeding when the cats have different owners or reside in different households. If a stud is used frequently, then testing at least twice a year is recommended. All queens should be tested before each outside breeding, and once a year otherwise.

Blood testing for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is not highly specific for this viral disease; however, if an antibody test is performed in a cat which appears healthy, then a negative result is probably meaningful (i.e., the cat has not been exposed to feline coronaviruses). A positive result on a blood antibody test may indicate exposure to a related but not life-threatening virus, feline enteric coronavirus, (FECV) or may indicate that the cat could have feline infectious peritonitis. Research is ongoing in this very important area. FIP can only be definitively diagnosed by histopathology (microscopic examination of suspicious tissue) from tissue obtained by exploratory surgery or necropsy (post-mortem examination). However, a high and rising FIP titer along with other clinical signs of this disease does suggest that a cat has this incurable and fatal illness.

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Genetic Disorders       Vaccinations       Parasites  

 about breeding     gestation time schedule  

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