Feline Leukemia – Complications
The weakened immune system of a Feline Leukemia-infected cat makes him susceptible to attack by all manner of bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoan infections. In fact, repeated bacterial and viral infections are frequently the first signs of a feline leukemia infection.
Feline Cancer strikes approximately 30 percent of all Feline Leukemia-infected cats. These cats are most likely to develop tumors comprised mainly of red blood cells or lymphocytes (immune system white blood cells), lymphosarcoma (cancer that presents as a solid tumor of malignant lymphocytes), lymphoid leukemia (cancer of circulating lymphocytes), myeloid leukemia (cancer of the blood-forming tissues) and erythremic myelosis (malignant blood disorder that originated in the bone marrow).
Other common complications of feline leukemia include:
- Anemia, as feline leukemia frequently affects bone marrow cells;
- Infertility;
- “Fading kitten syndrome” in the offspring of infected cats, which results from passage of the feline leukemia virus from mother to kittens;
- Gastrointestinal diseases, such as stomach or intestinal cancers, anorexia caused by changes to the intestinal wall, vomiting, diarrhea (from the parasitic and bacterial infections so common in FeLV-infected cats) and weight loss;
- Upper respiratory and oral diseases from secondary infections;
- Platelet disorders;
- Enlarged lymph nodes; and
- Neurological issues, such as seizures, blindness, paralysis, behavioral changes and loss of balance, which are caused directly by FeLV or parasites and fungi secondary to FeLV.
