Science / Medicine : Serious Cat Diseases Studied

One in five sick cats has one of two deadly diseases, feline leukemia or a more recently identified virus similar to the virus that produces AIDS in humans, a new study showed last week. IDEXX Corp. of Portland surveyed 1,500 veterinary clinics in the United States and covered 27,000 sick cats.

The study showed that 7.4% of the cats suffered from feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, and 13.3% suffered from feline leukemia, or FeLV, a similar disease that also suppresses the ability of cats to fight off disease.

“Both can cause impairment of the immunosystem, and that’s what makes these viral infections so insidious,” said Alice Wolf, a veterinary researcher at Texas A&M; University. Estimates of the U.S. cat population range from 35 million to 50 million. The survey is the largest ever undertaken to find out how many cats suffer from feline leukemia and FIV, as well as the first close look at FIV since it was identified.

Feline leukemia was discovered in cats about 20 years ago, but researchers identified FIV just four years ago. Neither disease can be transmitted to humans or other animals.