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Retro virus? you ask.  No, it's not a virus from the fifties, but rather the term retro refers to the way the virus reproduces in the host's body.  The important feline retro viruses are the infectious agents that cause feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency disease.  (FIV).

Both of these viral diseases are limited to felines.  The viruses can have a long incubation period, meaning that it can take a long time from the time of infection until they cause disease.  They do not survive well in the environment, and are easily killed by drying and disinfection.  They cannot be spread by casual or indirect contact, usually spread by direct contact with body fluids and associated with breeding and fighting.

The respective diseases have serious consequences, often rapidly fatal once a cat is sick.  While there is an effective vaccine for FeLV, there is not a good vaccination option for FIV.  Therefor, in both instances, the best thing is identification and isolation of positive cats.  Ill cats that are retro virus positive have a worse prognosis than negative cats.  

 So who should be tested?  All cat should be tested before they are introduced to cats that you already own. The  American Association of Feline Practitioners recommend that all new cats be tested prior to introduction to a house hold or a cattary.  Because of long incubation times, they should be retested 60 days later and contact between the newcomer and existing cats be minimized during this time.  

Outdoor cats should be tested yearly. Indoor cats should be tested at least once as a screening and then periodically as determined by your veterinarian.   All sick cats should be tested, even if they are indoors and previously tested negative.  Testing of feral cats as part of a TNR project is optional.  However, there is value to knowing the retrovirus status of a colony.

Positive tests should be confirmed.  Healthy positive cats do not need to be put to sleep, but you should talk to your veterinarian about what you can do to keep positive cats healthy.