Less than a few percent of FELV infected cats are able to rid themselves of the virus. There are three main routes of transmission of the virus. A pregnant queen can transmit the virus to her kittens through the placenta. In addition, if a kitten suckles on a FELV infected queen, the virus may be transmitted through her milk. Feline leukemia virus accumulates in high concentrations in an infected cat's saliva.
Transmission can occur by viral saliva contacting mucus membrane of another cat.
That is why we commonly see this virus in outdoor cats and in cats from households with multiple pets. The test is run in hospital and the results are available within 10-20 minutes while you wait. In certain circumstances, your veterinarian may recommend more than one test. Protective immunity against FELV is achieved initially with a series of two vaccines one-month apart, then followed up by yearly boosters. Sometimes this form of cancer can be triggered by the feline leukemia virus's presence.