Herpes Kitty.

Hi everyone , I am new here but I hope to make a lot of friends! My hubby and I adopted our 3rd kitty back in October (Waldo). I took him to the vet about 2 weeks after I got him from the shelter because it seemed he had a very bad cold...but I was told he has the feline herpes virus. (i never heard of it before) they just put him on antibiotics to prevent any other kind of infection and told me he would have it the rest of his life, and it can come and go (outbreaks). Well...he is starting to have the sniffles again, there isnt any changes in my house so I dont know why he is having another out break. Could it be the food I give him (fancy feast dry) and we give them wet meow mix at dinner. Is there something better I could give him...we just want the best for the cats , and especially our lil'waldo. One more thing, he is very small is size...does this come with the herpes, will he always be small...it just seems he is a lil'one.

Thanks everyone.
Nikki

We got two cats that were blessed with chronic uri"s from this virus. It's frustrating. We now have four cats and I think it was passed to the others as well. It has been recomended by our vet that we start L-Lysine therapy to keep it in check. We had given it to them before and stopped, But this time the vet said to kep them on it. I think I can see a difference allready. I just started a thread above before I saw this post. I would like to learn more about it.

My 4.5 year old cat, Whiskers, got the herpes virus from a kitten that I adopted from the shelter in August. The kitten ended up dying and it broke my heart...I only had him for 1 week. Whiskers caught the virus even though she never had contact with the kitten (it is very contagious and airborne). She stopped eating for 7 days and I thought I was going to lose her too. Fortunately she recovered and has not had an outbreak since. My vet told me to give her the L-lysine to help prevent future outbreaks. I gave it to her for about a month and now I just do it when I am going to be out of town or think she might experience stress. I got a new ragdoll kitten in November and she has not had an outbreak from the introduction of the new kitten.

3CuteKitties - You should definitely monitor Waldo and if he stops eating/drinking or starts to act tired and lethargic, take him to the vet immediately!

I am new to the whole herpes thing too. Just adopted my kitty dec. 1st. Defiantely get L-lysine...i got mine from the local drug store...near the vits. Cost 4 bucks for 100! very cheap. It helps tremendously. 500 mg in there food....tasteless and odorless. 1000mg if they show signs of a herpes flare.

also, food is very important! fancy feast is the pits! Get higher quality food like NutroMax....they sell it at petco or petsmart. Not much more money but it is much better! I give meow mix wet food. I read the ingrediant list and am not bothered by the ingred. and my cat loves it. But i am still searching for the best because proper nutriotion is the best we can do to help our sick kitties.

Also, to help with the URI (sneezing etc.) have a humidifier/vaporizer on where the cat spends the most time. Dry air can really be hard for them. Mine does much better when it is on. and dont worry too much if they are still eating and drinking and playing. :^) But definately see your vet if they stop eating for even a day! Bad sign!

Good luck! We will eventually leanr all the ins and outs of helping our special kitties! But they are worth it.

Thank you soo much for all the posts. I am going to stop by petco this week and check out the different food...I never knew that fancy feast wasnt good...I just go by the pretty commercials...and I never asked my vet what was the best...but I am deffinitly getting them some better food asap. Waldo is always eating and playing, he just seems soo little for his age...but then again we really dont know his exact age. I also didnt know that this was soo spreadable, my vet said my other cats should be just fine...and thank goodness they have been. Poor little Waldo...I am just going to always have to keep a special eye on him...and give him all the cuddle time he wants

i think another reason I get so nervous with Waldo is because before we adopted him I was fostering a kitten that was diagnosed with FIP and had to be put down...it was one of the hardest things I had to do. (she stopped eating cat food...and her belly was the only thing getting bigger) so I am constantly looking at Waldo to make sure he doesnt look like Bella...I think its just always in my head and I am soo worried something is going to happen to my 3 little rugrats.

Change and stress will also trigger a flare up in these kitties, so make sure that you keep changes to their home life to a minimum. Also, changing weather can affect them, so be mindful of that. Definitely start your kitty on the lysine. It really will help boost the immune system.

Stephanie

Originally Posted by 3CuteKitties

One more thing, he is very small is size...does this come with the herpes, will he always be small...it just seems he is a lil'one.

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Talk to your vet before you start him on Lysine. The 500mg dose is for the averaged sized adult cats (10-12 pounds). If he is a lot smaller than that, you might want to adjust the dosage. Not that too much will harm him, you just don't want to keep him on a maintenance dose that is bordering on the dosage you use during flare-ups.

My Ms. Fiona was a wee thing when we got her. So cute! But she has really blossomed. Her coat has grown poofier and she seems to have added a few pds....but she is definately still in the healthy weight range. Give it some time. Good food will help.

We play an awful lot with Fiona too. Probably a few hour a day. She loves to jump and tumble...she even carries her balls in her mouth for us to throw to her. Exercise can be a great stress reducer for them...which helps their overall health. I love making her happy when i play with her. Even though i can be tired and my knees can hurt trying to find toys under couches and the oven! The happiness she gets from having meowmy's attention is well worth it.

She seems a very contented kitty. She was very vocal and clingy when we first got her...she now feels secure enough to play alone or be alone in a room for a while.

Hang in there with Waldo! He sounds like he already hit the jackpot getting such a concerned parent! I am glad you gave having a kitty a second chance after your last experiance. It is so worth it, don't you think?

Thank you, my husband weighed him this morning (stands on the scale and holds him/then doesnt) and he is around 5 months old and 5lbs...is that average?


Thanks everyone



and the only reason why my hubby agreed to the 3rd addition was because of the last kitten, he knew i got attached to having a kitten around the house...and also because he knew it would make me feel better to give another kitten a chance since the last one was soo sick!

Originally Posted by 3CuteKitties

Thank you, my husband weighed him this morning (stands on the scale and holds him/then doesnt) and he is around 5 months old and 5lbs...is that average?

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He is absolutely average size - a general rule of thumb is one pound for each month during the first year. But if he is still 5 pounds, a full 500mg may be too much for him right now, unless the herpes is in total flare up. Definitely call your vet and ask about it.

that makes me feel better, im just a worrier when it comes to the kitties

me too. I completely understand! I drove my sister crazy trying to learn all about our kitty when we first got her. I just wanted her to be happy after the horrible first year of life she had!

Sounds like your hubby is a great guy!