Feline Herpes

orty12 · Apr 10, 2007

First off, I would like to say that I'm a newbie on this site, so bear with me.

I got a kitten (Shadow) about two months ago from a really terrible situation. She and her sister were locked in a cage in a musty old print shop that an elderly lady has continued to pay rent on because there are so many cats living there (close to thirty). A friend of this lady was trying to give away the numerous cats and kittens because of the terrible condition they were in, and because animal control had threatened to come and take them away if something was not done about the situation.

Anyway, Shadow is now about five months old and has been diagnosed with feline herpes. I was wondering what kind of special needs/adaptations she is going to need. I have been around cats pretty much my entire life (my mother is a HUGE cat person), but this is the first cat I've had who has had an ongoing medical condition. IF you guys could help me out in anyway I would be really appreciative.

tru · Apr 10, 2007

Welcome to TCS!

Hopefully you are planning to keep your new kit as an indoor only companion which will lessen her chances greatly for illness. Being FIV+ means she has a compromised immune system. If she gets ill then you need to be right on it with vet care to perhaps keep her from getting seriously ill with anything.

Many of us with FIV+ cats have L-Lysine of some form on hand to help bolster the immune system. Some use it all the time, others only through winter minths or when their cat is having a flare up of any symptoms. Signs of a URI such as weepy eyes, wheezing, runny nose, etc. are good time to be giving the L-Lysine to boost the immune system to help prevent your kitty from getting ill.

Feline Herpes or Fiv+ is by no means an auto9matic death sentence for a cat. Many can and do live long lives with the disease if their humans are diligent about their care. They should no mate, because they will pass on the disease and they should not be in situations where they could be fighting with other cats where blood could be drawn as that it the other way it can be passed on.

You will have a lot of great advice here and I hope you stick around to benefit from and enjoy the forums.

critter crazy · Apr 10, 2007

My Mocha has FIV and is doing just fine. She gets L-Lysine daily, as well as my other cat, just to be cautious. She has done fabulous.

beandip · Apr 10, 2007

We have some confusion here...Feline Herpes Virus (FHV) is very much different from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

I'm not an expert on either one, but here is a general article on Feline Herpes

http://www.cat-world.com.au/FelineHerpes.htm

tru · Apr 11, 2007

Originally Posted by beandip

We have some confusion here...Feline Herpes Virus (FHV) is very much different from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

I'm not an expert on either one, but here is a general article on Feline Herpes

http://www.cat-world.com.au/FelineHerpes.htm

Color me embarrassed!

I somehow got the idea that they were one and the same.
So sorry for confusing the two.

beandip · Apr 11, 2007

Originally Posted by tru

Color me embarrassed!

I somehow got the idea that they were one and the same.
So sorry for confusing the two.

Hey, it's ok...I just didn't want orty12 to go google "FIV" and get overwhelmed...

mytoys2u · Apr 11, 2007

Originally Posted by beandip

We have some confusion here...Feline Herpes Virus (FHV) is very much different from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

I'm not an expert on either one, but here is a general article on Feline Herpes

http://www.cat-world.com.au/FelineHerpes.htm

I had a cat that had herpes ... she passed away last year due to a stroke (unrelated).

We used Lysine paste ... sort of like the hairball medicine you put on their paws and they lick off. That worked better for us than the lysine ground supplements. We purchased at our vets ... not sure if it is only by prescription.

Like humans with allergies, she would act up (even worse than normal) when a front was moving in or allergens were at a peak. She and my husband tended to mirror their timing of sinus problems.

If you're a cat lover and don't mind the occasional mucas issue, you should be fine. My Jessica would sneeze and virtually wrap snot around her head. We kept kleenex in every room

Jessica was an absolutely wonderful pet ... she was 6 years old when we adopted her from a shelter ... she was sick and looked like she didn't have any hope ... her "brother" companion cat had been adopted without her.

When she came to our home, she would not eat at all ... ended up being on a feeding tube for about 1 month. Then, she had lots of other problems (including cancer) but is still my all time favorite cat ---- she was such a wonderful companion. I still miss her. She was my "couch buddie" for six years ... always laying on my lap

momofmany · Apr 11, 2007

I've got my herpes boy on L-Lysine in the powder form. We used the paste for over a year and the company changed the formula and he didn't like the new flavor.

For adult cats, the preventative daily dose is 500mg and during a flare up you can double it. With the powder form, I simply mix it into his nightly wet food. Since you have a kitten, suggest that you call your vets office and ask how much to give to one at your kitten's weight.

The best price that I've found for the powder, if you go that route is www.iherbs.com

2furbabies · Apr 13, 2007

My friend has a cat with this condition and he is now 17. They can certainly live a long life!

consumerkitty · Apr 13, 2007

April Joy has the Feline Herpes virus. She has only had 2 outbreaks- Once when I first adopted her and six months later when I adopted Christopher Cody. Moving to a new home and then having another kitty move in stressed her out. Keeping stressful situations to a minimum will help Shadow.

April Joy gets 1000 mg of lysine per day. 500 mg in the morning and 500 mg at night. I mix it in her wet food and she eats it right up. It's been almost a year and a half since she's has any symptoms of any kind. I get the lysine capsules at the health food store (she gets the lysine for people because I trust its quality more than something sold for pets).

Good luck and good vibes for you and Shadow! Welcome to TCS!

laureen227 · Apr 13, 2007

my Pixel has herpes. i've got some lysine gel, Viralys, for her, but she doesn't like it [maple flavor]. i've never tried the Enisyl-F, which is supposed to be more palatable for them. currently, i'm using lysine capsules. i open them & use 2 capsules [1000mg] per 16 ounces of water in their fountains. i'd put it in the food, but she's a 'dry only' eater & i can't figure out how to make it stick!

she's been much better since i started adding the lysine to her water. she sneezes a lot, but mostly non-productive sneezes.

rang_27 · Apr 13, 2007

My Jordan will be 4 next month. He has feline herpes. He has it in his eyes preety bad, but it doesn't really seem to bother him. It was worse when he was a kitten. A vet should be able to tell you the correct dosage of L-Lysine. I don't know the mg, but I know that for the pills I have it's 1 a day. He only needs it when it flares up. My vet told me it will probably flare up when he's stressed. He's only had a respiratory flare up once, I think he was 1-1/2 to 2. It was bad, but that was the only one. He had a fever of 105 for 4-5 days & then it droped to 103 for 5 more days. For about 7 days I had to force feed him twice a day, give him antibiotics & a paste form of L-Lysine twice a day & for the last 5 days I had to do sub-Q twice a day. He was very tired all the time & didn't fight me at all when I would restrain him (that's not like him at all), but all that being said it was just the once. He's seen 2 differnt vets at the same office & neither one seemed worried about the feline herpes, just said he will have it the rest of his life & to bring him in if he has another bad flare up.

critter crazy · Apr 13, 2007

Originally Posted by beandip

We have some confusion here...Feline Herpes Virus (FHV) is very much different from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

I'm not an expert on either one, but here is a general article on Feline Herpes

http://www.cat-world.com.au/FelineHerpes.htm

OOps my bad!!I guess the post above me got me thinking FIV instead of FHV, and Misstyped. My Kitty has FHV sorry about that!

laureen227 · Apr 13, 2007

Originally Posted by ConsumerKitty

April Joy has the Feline Herpes virus. She has only had 2 outbreaks- Once when I first adopted her and six months later when I adopted Christopher Cody. Moving to a new home and then having another kitty move in stressed her out. Keeping stressful situations to a minimum will help Shadow.

April Joy gets 1000 mg of lysine per day. 500 mg in the morning and 500 mg at night. I mix it in her wet food and she eats it right up. It's been almost a year and a half since she's has any symptoms of any kind. I get the lysine capsules at the health food store (she gets the lysine for people because I trust its quality more than something sold for pets).

Good luck and good vibes for you and Shadow! Welcome to TCS!

oops, forgot about the stress factor! we also have feliway going all the time to lower stress levels.

orty12 · Apr 16, 2007

Thank you guys so much for your help!

My computer's been in the shop for about a week, so I didn't have the chance to read this until just now.

Feline Herpes

orty12

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tru

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critter crazy

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beandip

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tru

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beandip

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mytoys2u

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momofmany

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2furbabies

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consumerkitty

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laureen227

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rang_27

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critter crazy

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laureen227

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orty12

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