What is the chance of a cat failing a test for cat AIDs or feline lukemia?

Or whatever it's called.

If the cat is a 6-7 month old who was found as a stray.

The Elisha test (the quickie blood test, takes 15 minutes) is good for FeLV, but awful for being accurate with FIV. The thing has a known failure rate of 30% on FIV, meaning it's saying 30 cats out of 100 will have FIV when they do not. If you get a 'yes' on FIV, have the Western Blot test done, that one is more accurate. It gets sent out to a lab and they look at the factors in the blood.

Since this is a young cat, likely nobody vaccinated him so you don't have to worry about a 'positive' on either test meaning that he's got antibodies due to the vaccine. If the Western Blot is a no, the cat is not carrying FIV.

You should know that FIV cats live a good 15 years plus, it doesn't take anything off their life span. Most are symptom free all their lives too, and can live with other cats that are FIV- and not pass the disease. FIV only spreads by deep bite wounds.

There's FeLV and FIV lists on yahoo groups, they're very good ones, and have knowledgeable owners on them. Please feel free to join if your cat does test positive.

Those are two distinctly separate illnesses.

And since the kitty is still very young, your chances that it's still healthy are good. But you really do need to take the animal in to a vet to get all the shots - so that he does NOT develop either of these diseases. Also, once the cat is vaccinated, it's best to keep him indoors at all times. Indoor cats live a great deal longer than outside cats, since 99% of cat's diseases are spread by strays.

On a side note - I have a fifteen-year-old male cat which was diagnosed with feline AIDS three years ago - if you keep them well-fed, up-to-date on their shots, lots of playtime, happy and healthy - they can still live a long happy life. It's just that once the AIDS kicks in, you can't save them.
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EDIT: who SAYS she has to "be put down?" I have a male kitty right now who has feline AIDS, and he's perfectly fine! Until they start "showing symptoms" there is no reason in the world you have to put them down. All my other kitties have their shots, and they are all happy and healthy and playful and I wouldn't EVER have him put down! It's just like AIDS with people - you can carry it for years until you start exhibiting symptoms.

Why shouldn't the cat be allowed to enjoy whatever life she has?

In areas where there is a large feral cat population the chances of your stray kitty having either feline leukemia (Felv) or feline Aids (FIV) will be considerably higher. Both diseases are transmitted through bodily fluids and most kittens that are infected get the diseases from their mothers. You can test for both diseases with one blood test that usually costs between 30-50 dollars. In Florida about 30% of the feral cats we saw tested positive for either disease, in Colorado I have been a tech for 3 years and have only seen one positive kitten. Hope that helps!

FIV is generally a disease of unneutered male cats - while it's not impossible for a female to have FIV, it's fairly rare. How likely it is for a cat to have FeLV depends - if you have a large number of strays in your area, or feral colonies, the possibility increases. And of course it also depends on just how long she was a stray - the longer she was out on the streets, the chances increased that she was exposed to FeLV.

Crossing paws here for you that she tests negative!

I think your chances of her testing positve for either FIV or FELV are much slimmer then 20%. I took in 6-10 month cat who was borderline feral and living outside all her life and she tested negative for both. (she turned around quickly and has become a lovely inside only cat) She also was outside with 4 other feral cats. All of them have been TNRrd (trap nuetered and released) and they also tested negative for both diseases. Thanks for taking in a stray!!!

You mean testing positive?

It all depends on where you live.
Here is a map for the US for fiv:
http://www.nashvillecatclinic.com/preven...

I can't find a fel leuk, but I'd imagine it's pretty similiar. Unfortunately, your cat seems to fit in the life-style in which you would be most likely to see felv/fiv. The good news is that the test only takes 10 minutes.

I think you are referring to testing positive for FIV or feline leukemia, and this is just going to depend on your area, there is no other way to know. Some areas have very high incidences of these diseases due to stray populations.

i love cats, and hate it when animals have to be put down, but remember if that is the result it is best for the cat. she/he won't be in pain or get worse. i will be praying for you and the cat that all goes well.

idk, but its really not all that common, so i ouldn't be too worried about it unless your vet wanted her to be tested b/c she had signs of it, then you might wanna worry.
Good luck

100% if it has cat AIDS or leukemia.