What age can I safely mix FeLV positive and negative cats together?

It is obviously up to you about mixing the cats. I personally do not recommend mixing feline leukemia cats with negative cats. Even though they are vaccinated not all vaccines are 100%. The positive cat is still putting the negative cats at risk. They can spread leukemia by sharing water bowls, food bowls, litter boxes and standard grooming.

While technically they are at risk, they are adults that have been vaccinated so it is less likely they will contract the virus. Cats at greatest risk of infection are those that may be exposed to infected cats, either via prolonged close contact or through bite wounds. Such cats include: 1) Cats living with infected cats or with cats of unknown infection status 2) Cats allowed outdoors unsupervised, where they may be bitten by an infected cat 3) Kittens born to infected mothers Kittens are much more susceptible to infection than are adult cats, and therefore are at the greatest risk of infection if exposed. The degree of virus exposure sufficient to infect 100% of young kittens will infect only 30% or fewer adults. Nonetheless, even healthy adult cats can become infected if sufficiently exposed. It is best to separate the cats. If it turns out that sister's cat has FeLv, it is not an immediate death sentence. Retrovirus-positive cats may live many years without related illness.

Feline leukemia is spread mostly by fighting and breeding and most mature cats have some natural immunity. There is always a risk if you haven’t had the kittens tested so I would request a Felv/Fiv test and if they are negative then your cat should be safe to play with them. I don’t wait until they are six months to test kittens. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Munchie.

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear about Stoffel. So I would not introduce a new kitten right now and here is why. Stoffel's first test may have been negative but it could have been early in the infection and the first test didn't pick it up. So I would advise just like the American Association of Feline Practitioners, retesting Stoffel in 60 days. If that test is negative then I would go ahead and consider getting a new kitten then. Make sure that kitten has tested negative at least twice 60 days apart and the kitten has not been in a high-risk environment where a Feline Leukemia virus exposure was possible or the kitten was allowed to be outside. If the kitten has one negative test it is advised that the kitten is quarantined away from Stoffel for 60 days until another test can be performed. I will copy and paste the practice guidelines from the Association here and give you the link to their website. Testing for FeLV and FIV All cats should be tested at appropriate intervals based on risk assessment. Test new cats entering a household or group housing as in shelter or cattery settings. Test again at least 60 days later, limiting exposure to other cats if possible during that time. https://www.catvets.com/ Good luck with Stoffel and the new kitten. Happy holidays

Most tests are fairly accurate if the results are negative. However there can be false positive test results if done early in age due to antibodies from the mother. I would recommend a vet visit and discuss your concerns with Cagney's vet. But many times it is worth testing earlier and start vaccines. If the test is positive then further testing or quarentine may be required but if negative he may be able to be intetgrated into the rest of the household.

You have a little bit of a tricky situation. The only way your 8 year old cat can get Feline Leukemia is if the kitten is infected and shedding the virus. Since the kitten tested negative before you brought him home, you know he was not shedding the virus at that time. BUT since you know he was around another cat that could have have been shedding the virus, he could still become positive from that exposure (which can take a little while to test positive for). The safest thing to do for your 8 year old cat would be to keep him separated from the kitten for the next 90 days, then retest the kitten for Feline Leukemia. If he is negative at that time, then you can reintroduce them. Good luck! I hope everything is fine and that was helpful. Let us know if that doesn't make sense or if you have any other questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Kittens can take weeks to get to know each other although some never settle down as friends. I would recommend keeping them isolated until fully vaccinated and also tested so as not to spread viral infections unknowingly