Felv Vaccine For Boarding?

[shadowwolf]

We'll be boarding our 7 month old kitten for about a week. He has received the FVRCP vaccine (2 shots total) and the rabies vaccine. However, the PureVax non-adjuvanted FELV vaccine isn't available where we live, only the Virbac (adjuvanted) FELV vaccine, so he hasn't been vaccinated against FELV.

The boarding facility told us that he'll never have contact with the other cats, and most of the time he'll just be in his own small room. However, their policy is that they let each cat (one at a time) out in a larger common room to play with them. Is it possible for our kitten to get FELV just from playing in the larger common room after another kitten has played there recently? For example, from playing with the same toy or climbing on the same cat tree, etc.? Some sources online seem to suggest that FELV is quite contagious and could possibly be transferred that way, while other sources say FELV requires actual contact between two cats.

Should we take him to get the Virbac (adjuvanted) FELV vaccine, or ask the boarding facility to not let him out into the larger common room at all? Or will he be fine without the FELV vaccine, and with playtime in the larger room?

Thanks for your help!

 

[abyeb]

I totally understand your concerns. Is this something you’ve talked to your vet about?

The FeLV vaccine is safe, but as with any vaccine, doesn’t ensure total prevention. FeLV is spread through bodily fluids, so, usually through mutual grooming. Since your kitty wouldn’t have direct contact with other cats at the boarding facility, this definitely makes it a lot safer. That being said, FeLV can be transmitted indirectly, by any object with saliva on it (so toys and food/water dishes), as well as by sharing litterboxes.

Here’s an article that will give you more info: Feline Leukemia Virus (felv)

 

[shadowwolf]

Thanks for linking the article! It's interesting that the article states that the FeLV vaccine is as safe as any other common vaccine, but there are other sources that state that the FeLV (and rabies) vaccines, particularly when they are adjuvanted vaccines, have a higher chance of causing VAS. The VAS risk is the main reason why we aren't sure whether to go ahead with giving our kitten the FeLV vaccine.

 

[ara11]

what did you decide and what happened?
Ive done a lot of research on this since my cat Luna had surgery 9/11 confirming feline sarcoma injection site. It isn't just the vaccine tho that is a correlation, it is actually the process of the injection affecting some cats to stimulate cells to go haywire months or years later. Vaccinating is the leg is best so if it occurs the leg is amputated and the tumor more likely to be removed.

 

[kittyluv387]

You do not need the felv vaccine for boarding. I didn't vaccinate my cats for that when I boarded them. My vet actually does not carry the adjuvunated felv vaccine because of the higher risk for growths. I wouldn't put your cat through that risk if I were you. I ended up vaccinating my 2 boys with the non adjuvunated vaccine because we took in a cat with suspected FELV and I wanted to be extra safe during the quarantine period.