A cattery that screens 4 infections every 6 months spends roughly 330 to 750 USD a year per adult cat, and skips the 2 events that quietly end breeding programs: a queen who loses a litter at 8 weeks to feline coronavirus, and a stud who passes FeLV to 5 females before anyone notices. The panel is short — FeLV, FIV, coronavirus, and Mycoplasma felis — and the real work is not the swab. It is the 21 to 30 days of separation that has to follow every cat that walks in.
Four tests, four different jobs
FeLV is an antigen test (p27 ELISA) with a proviral DNA PCR as the confirmatory step. A positive antigen result in a healthy adult is retested at 3 to 4 weeks, because a small share of cats clear the virus; 2 positives 1 month apart with a positive PCR means persistently infected. FIV is an antibody test, and the trap is age: a kitten born to an FIV-positive queen can carry maternal antibody until 12 to 16 weeks, so any positive under 6 months of age gets a repeat at 6 months. Coronavirus means an antibody titre plus a fecal RT-PCR, read together. A titre of 1:1600 in a healthy cat is common in homes with 4 or more cats and is not a diagnosis of FIP. Mycoplasma felis needs a conjunctival or oropharyngeal swab for PCR, and 2 swabs taken 10 minutes apart raise the yield in a cat with discharge.
Why the interval is 6 months, not 12
182 days covers 2 full incubation windows. FeLV antigen turns positive in 2 to 4 weeks after exposure, and coronavirus shedding is intermittent, so 1 negative PCR from 1 sample means little; 2 samples 182 days apart is the cheapest way to catch a shedder. A house with 12 adults on a 6-month panel runs 96 tests a year, which is 4,000 to 9,000 USD in lab fees. One lost litter — 4 kittens, 8 weeks of formula, 2 vet visits — usually runs 700 to 1,400 USD, so the panel pays for itself the first time it blocks a single transmission. A cat that leaves for a show and comes back is tested on day 0 and again on day 30, and stays apart for the gap.
The 4-test panel at a glance
| Test | Sample | Recheck interval | Result window | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FeLV antigen + proviral PCR | Blood, 0.5 mL | Every 6 months | 1 to 3 days | 40 to 90 USD |
| FIV antibody | Blood, 0.5 mL | Every 6 months | 10 to 20 minutes in clinic | 25 to 55 USD |
| FCoV titre + fecal RT-PCR | Blood 0.5 mL + 2 g feces | Every 6 months; PCR at 3 weeks if positive | 2 to 5 days | 45 to 120 USD |
| Mycoplasma felis PCR | 2 conjunctival swabs | Every 6 months; at 14 days if symptomatic | 3 to 5 days | 55 to 110 USD |
Add 1 line per cat per test date: date, test, result, and the day the next sample is due. A 12-cat house then needs 96 lines a year, which fits on 4 sheets and takes about 40 minutes to fill in. Screening tests for inherited disease run on a different calendar; the infection panel is the 6-month routine, the DNA panel is a once-in-a-lifetime check, and the two belong in the same cattery record as weight and vaccine dates.
Isolation type 1: the intake quarantine
Every new cat, including a 4-month-old kitten from a friend, gets 21 days in a separate room; 30 days is better when the cat came from a shelter or a home with more than 6 cats. The room needs its own litter box, its own scoop, and a door that closes. Feed and clean the resident cats first, the newcomer last, and wash hands or change the outer layer between the 2 groups. Test on day 0 and again on day 21; a cat that is negative twice and shows no discharge or diarrhea joins the group on day 22. Coronavirus travels on hands and soles more often than through air, so a change of shoes at the door does more than an air purifier.
Isolation type 2: the confirmed positive
A confirmed positive is separated for life, not for a course of treatment. An FeLV-positive cat lives as a single cat or with 1 other FeLV-positive cat, with no shared bowls and no shared box. An FCoV shedder is separated while shedding: 1 box per cat plus 1 spare in the main group, boxes scooped twice a day, and a 1:32 household bleach dilution with 10 minutes of wet contact time on scoops and floors. Retest the shedder by fecal PCR at 3 to 4 weeks; a cat negative on 2 samples 4 weeks apart can rejoin. A Mycoplasma-positive cat with eye or nose discharge stays apart until 48 hours after signs clear.
When a result comes back positive
Expect 1 to 3 false positives per 100 screening tests, which is why no cat is removed on a single result. Order the confirmatory test in the same week, keep the cat in its own room meanwhile, and recheck at 4 weeks. A positive FeLV antigen with a negative PCR at 4 weeks is usually a transient exposure, not a lifelong infection. Coronavirus titres deserve the least panic: 1:400 in a healthy 3-year-old with a normal appetite means exposure, and that cat stays in the group. A kitten under 8 weeks with a positive FIV antibody test is almost always carrying the mother's antibody and is retested once, at 6 months.
The next 7 days
- Day 1: put the 4 test dates for every cat on 1 sheet, and count how many samples are due in the next 30 days.
- Day 2: book the panel for any cat with no result in the last 182 days.
- Day 3: set up the quarantine room with 2 boxes, 1 scoop, and a closing door.
- Day 5: order the confirmatory PCR for any positive, and label that cat's room.
- Day 7: file each result and its next due date next to weight, vaccine, and deworming dates.
Screen before, not after: a cat that tests positive on intake costs 1 rehome and 0 litters. If a litter was never planned, spaying the queen at 6 months is the default choice, and every number above gets cheaper when there are 2 cats instead of 12.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
Can a cat test positive for FeLV and still be healthy?
Yes, for a while. A single positive antigen test is confirmed with a proviral DNA PCR 3 to 4 weeks later, because a share of cats clear the virus on their own. Two positives 1 month apart plus a positive PCR means persistently infected, and that cat lives as a single cat or with another positive cat, often for a normal lifespan with regular vet checks.
How long does a new cat stay in quarantine?
At least 21 days, and 30 days if the cat came from a shelter or a home with more than 6 cats. Test on day 0 and day 21, keep separate boxes, scoops and shoes, and let the cat join the group on day 22 only after 2 negative results and no discharge or diarrhea.
Does a high coronavirus titre mean the cat has FIP?
No. Titres of 1:400 to 1:1600 are common in homes with 4 or more cats and only show exposure. FIP is diagnosed by a vet from fluid analysis, imaging, and the cat's age and history together, never from a titre on its own, so a high number in a healthy cat changes nothing about daily care.