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Can my unvaccinated cat catch feline leukemia from new kittens?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 2 years and 7 months old | 12 lbs

How much is the risk for a 2 year cat who hasn’t had the feline leukemia vaccine to interact with 9 week old kittens ? I took the kittens to the vet and they had their fist round of vaccinations but they told me that they could not be sure if they had the leukemia virus útil they reach 6 months of age

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on September 22nd, 2018

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Debi Matlack
Veterinary Technician
Published on May 14th, 2017
Vaccination will not cause a cat to be contagious and spread the virus to other cats.

The virus is shed in saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, and milk of infected cats. Cat-to-cat transfer of the virus may occur from a bite wound, during mutual grooming, and (rarely) through the shared use of litter boxes and feeding dishes. Transmission can also take place from an infected mother cat to her kittens, either before they are born or while they are nursing. FeLV does not survive long outside a cat's body – probably less than a few hours under normal household conditions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 11th, 2019
The Feline Leukemia virus is shed in saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, and milk of infected cats. Cat-to-cat transfer of the virus may occur from a bite wound, during mutual grooming, and (rarely) through the shared use of litter boxes and feeding dishes. Transmission can also take place from an infected mother cat to her kittens, either before they are born or while they are nursing. FeLV does not survive long outside a cat's body so, while it is possible for your cat to get FeLV in the instance you described, it is not likely. Cats at greatest risk of FeLV infection are those that have had prolonged close contact or through bite wounds of other cats.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Can my older cat get Feline Leukemia from a new exposed kitten?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Are my vaccinated cats at risk of FeLV from an infected kitten?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

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

Good question. There is no particular age but a good idea would be to have them coexist when the youngest is fully vacicnated. I would wait at least 2 weeks after fully vaccinating the youngest one. If you really want to be cautious I would wait until they are all at least 8 months of age, because they are nearing adulthood and have a pretty sturdy immune system by then. Continue to have them tested for FeLV once a year to ensure everyone is still negative because the vaccine is not 100% protective, but still pretty effective. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and take care of your kitties! Take care.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

New kitten: How to introduce? Is FeLV testing crucial for safety?

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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Can my FeLV positive cat safely live with my vaccinated cats?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

How soon can I safely introduce a new kitten after FeLV exposure?

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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Can my cat get feline leukemia from human touching saliva?

Hello. Feline leukemia can be transmitted through infected saliva, either through fighting/biting, but also from sharing food bowels & litter boxes. If you are concerned, please consider testing your cat & making sure she receives all required booster vaccinations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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