My daughter’s cat recently came in from an outdoor excursion looking very ragged.     Examination revealed that Felix had been mugged by a neighborhood cat and sustained a puncture wound through the skin. Antibiotic therapy was started and Felix recovered quickly, or, so it seems.
     Felix is free of bacterial infection, but what about a viral infection such as feline leukemia (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Infection by these agents is more subtle at first and harder to detect. Clinical signs may not appear for weeks to months to years, and by that time, it is too late to stop the virus.
     Detection of these virus infections is by a blood test specific for those virus agents only.  There is a lag time before the test can detect infection, 2 to 4 weeks for FeLV and 8 weeks for FIV. Prevention of Felv is by vaccinating the cat before exposure. There is a vaccine for FIV but this is generally not used for certain reasons that can be discussed later. Another form of prevention is to prevent Felix form encountering the other outdoor cats and avoid bite injuries.

     Fortunately, Felix has been vaccinated for FeLV, but not for FIV. We will need to test him after the 8 week period to determine if he has been infected. Meanwhile, he will be fed a good diet and watched for any signs of illness. Hopefully this is not the start of a long medical illness.

Joe Simon, DVM