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Feline Herpes Virus

post #1 of 45
2/9/10 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
Hello all, I am new here.

I have a kitten, about 5.5 6 months old that has feline herpes virus. I was just wondering if anyone else had a kitty like this and how do you control it??

I use L Lysine 500 mg a day in his favorite cereal and veggies (He is very fond of baby food and will NOT touch wet cat food)

Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks everyone in advance =)
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post #2 of 45
2/9/10 at 2:59pm
Hi there!
Many of us have kitties with herpes here... L-Lysine is probably the best thing to keep a flare up at bay... I am just not sure if 500mg is too much for a kitten... But if that is what the vet said.... My thoughts would be more in line with 250mg a day. My adult 18lb cat takes that 500mg a day.

What do you mean cereal and veggies? I hope not literally?
You should not be feeding that to a cat. I hope by "cereal", you mean his dry food.

Also, he probably should be on a grain-free diet (no corn, no wheat, no soy), as grains are bad for herpes.

If you give him baby food, make sure it doesn't have garlic or onions, as they are toxic to cats.
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post #3 of 45
2/9/10 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
Yes that is what the vet prescribed 500 mg a day.

His cat cereal and yes baby food, baby food doesn't have garlic or onions in it!! Its the veggie AND water, no salt either.
Why does this site have so many advertisements at the top?
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post #4 of 45
2/9/10 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks by the way! I totally forgot to thank you.


I have ten cats, I am well informed on what is toxic to their little systems. I have had to throw away many lillies in my lifetime! Haha!
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post #5 of 45
2/9/10 at 4:12pm
One of my cats has herpes. I have kind of figured out that it needs to run its own course. I occasionally give him viralys (bought at vet) (l-lysine) as well as regular l-lysine supplements in his wet food. Occasionally he will have very bad flare-ups and I will have to call the vet and they prescribe him steroids and antibiotics. It's gotten so bad once that he had to get a nasal flush (also done for diagnostic reasons as well). I just try to minimize his stress as much as possible, because stress causes severe flare-ups for him. And I make sure to always have water available for them.
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post #6 of 45
2/9/10 at 4:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luvmy10 View Post
Why does this site have so many advertisements at the top?
I was just kind of lurking and reading.. but I saw this wasnt answered.

This is a "free" site.. or at least its free for you and I to use. nothing is really "free" in life tho.. the domain name has to be paid for somewhere, those can cost several hundred or more a year (a friend of mine runs a more simple forum and I think she pays about $300 a year for the domain name!).. so, you get advertisers who pay to put their ads up at the top.


I believe you can be a paid/premium member on this site, and you wont see the ads. I dont know what perks come with the paid membership tho, but if you are interested, Im sure an admin would be glad to tell you about it.
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post #7 of 45
2/9/10 at 4:30pm
I have a cat with herpes also and use lysine.
I also give her chicken ,beef and turkey baby food.
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post #8 of 45
2/9/10 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks everybody! I guess for now I am just doing the best I can with him.

Thanks again!
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post #9 of 45
2/10/10 at 8:54am
about the ads - for my web browser i use firefox with adblock plus and i didn't even know they were there
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post #10 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:35am
I keep my home warm when its cold as well and use a humidifier. I try and make sure she doesn't get near the drafts. But some fresh air is good also (for everyone in the house) so I air out for 5 mins every weekend. I notice a difference with her if she gets too cold or the house gets too dry.

It isn't always a worst case scenario, some cats can live very well with this virus. I don't have to use the lysine everyday anymore for Fiona. I just do it if I notice she is having more disharge from her nose and eye and want to help support her immune system through that. Usually happens only once a year or twice a year with change of seasons.
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post #11 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:39am
My kitty with herpes virus is on a maintenance dose of 500 mg lysine every other day, but if he shows signs of a flare up I put him on the therapeutic dose of 500 mg daily.

He has been taking l-lysine for 8 years, after all out infections that almost cost him his eyes.

Baby food is okay once in a while for a cat, or if the kitty is ill and needs to get food, any food, into him, but it is not a balanced diet for cats or especially kittens.

If you are giving your kitten baby food every day, that is less of his balanced food he is eating. I strongly urge you to stop the baby food, except as a treat once or twice a week.

(and yes, some baby food does contain onions and garlic, reading labels is important )

Welcome to TCS!
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post #12 of 45
2/10/10 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
I do read the labels and I don't get the 3rd stage, first ONLY. Which is pretty much water and makes me want to puke by the smell lol!

My vetrinarian has him on the l lysine and he said to bring him in if he gets a really bad flare up for a steroid shot. He is SO hyper all the time (my cat, not the vet) Lol! And he's about 10 pounds and 6 months old. I have a hard time believeing he has feline herpes virus (they say they are supposed to be small framed and little and don't move much) He has 2 speeds, fast and faster. I don't think he knows he's sick! LOL.

He's probably the sweetest of my ten. He talks, and talks....AND TALKS. AND TALKS! lol. I loves him =)

Thanks everyone for all your information. I appreciate it.
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post #13 of 45
2/10/10 at 3:35pm
If your guy has herpes do NOT get the steroid shot. Steroids and herpes do not go together. Has he actually been tested for Herpes using the IDEXX Real PCR URD test? If not, you should consider getting him tested just to be sure he has it. If it turns out he doesn't, then you can look for other causes of the recurring "outbreaks". If he does have it, then you can really work out a plan to manage it and prevent or at least lessen future outbreaks.

My Hannah is FHV+ and she's on a maintenance amount of 500mg Lysine daily. She's currently fighting an outbreak, so she gets 1000mg/day. Not all herpes kitties are small, though. Some are bigger breeds such as ragdolls and Maine Coons.
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post #14 of 45
2/10/10 at 3:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luvmy10 View Post
(they say they are supposed to be small framed and little and don't move much)
Small framed? Lol - my herpes boy is an 18lb Ragdoll I am not sure why your vet is telling you to give him Steroids? Steroids pretty much stops the immune system, which is the last thing you want to do during a flare up... Are you maybe talking about antibiotics? In kittens sometimes vets give antibiotics during bad flare ups to prevent opportunistic infections...

Bugsy had to take Steroids a few times due to other issues and it does not go well with Herpes... For him it was the lesser of two evils... But specially during a flare up, a cat needs it immune system to fight the virus and possible bacterial infections...
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post #15 of 45
2/10/10 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luvmy10 View Post
I do read the labels and I don't get the 3rd stage, first ONLY. Which is pretty much water and makes me want to puke by the smell lol!

My vetrinarian has him on the l lysine and he said to bring him in if he gets a really bad flare up for a steroid shot. He is SO hyper all the time (my cat, not the vet) Lol! And he's about 10 pounds and 6 months old. I have a hard time believeing he has feline herpes virus (they say they are supposed to be small framed and little and don't move much) He has 2 speeds, fast and faster. I don't think he knows he's sick! LOL.

He's probably the sweetest of my ten. He talks, and talks....AND TALKS. AND TALKS! lol. I loves him =)

Thanks everyone for all your information. I appreciate it.


A steroid shot will not help a cat with herpes. Steroids depress the immune system which is the exact opposite of what you want in a herpes cat.

If his eyes look bad, he has most likely gone into secondary infection and needs antibiotics. Antibiotics do not cure, or affect the herpes virus at all. But they do cure the secondary infections that are common when a cat is younger and has less immunity to fighting infection.

Tolly's energy level was never affected by the herpes virus, except of course when he was so ill I thought he was going to have to lose his eye.

He's 11 years old now and plays as lively as a kitten every day. He's not small, in fact he is a big boned cat, and could easily weigh 11 or 12 pounds and still not be fat, but he's always been on the thin side (9 pounds)

Herpes manifests differently in each cat, but l-lysine is the best treatment for controlling outbreaks. As your kitten gets older he will probably have fewer and fewer occasions when the virus goes into secondary infection.

Keep stress at a minimum is very important.

Let us know how he's doing.
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post #16 of 45
2/10/10 at 7:11pm
I agree with the advice you've gotten so far! I also have a girl with FHV. I give her (and my other 3 cats) at least 500mg of Lysine every day with their food. They are also on a grain free diet, because many grains are high in Arginine which is the amino acid that the herpes virus uses to replicate. But, like other posters have said, Lysine is probably the best thing you can use to keep herpes at bay.

Flare ups can be caused by many factors, including stress, seasonal changes, etc...and in the event of a flare up you should double the Lysine dose until the flare is over.

Definitely stay away from steroids - they can cause a herpes flare up or if your kitten is already having a flare up, steroids will probably make it worse!

Best of luck with your new kitten!
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post #17 of 45
2/10/10 at 7:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanietx View Post
If your guy has herpes do NOT get the steroid shot. Steroids and herpes do not go together.
I had no idea about steroids and herpes, and was interested to read the explanation here.... how I wish I had known that while Bunnelina was still alive. I've learned SO MUCH important information on this site. I only wish I'd gotten here sooner!
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post #18 of 45
2/10/10 at 8:59pm
My one cat is suspected of having herpes (did not do blood test to confirm).. she responds well to the L-Lysine tho. She was pretty down one nite, but she perked up quite a bit the next day.

She is certainly not small framed! She weighs about 16 pds.. actually when I took her in to the vet for her shots a few weeks ago, the vet pointed out that she gained a little weight since the last visit, and the vet commented that she must had the same problem he has!

Would some weight loss help at all?

She is at least 4 or 5 years old, and the first time she had an issue was last year.. it was shortly after Bastet came into the household. All of the cats were sneezing a little, but she took it the hardest. She had an issue again this year shortly after recieving vaccines.. I dont know if its seasonal or stress related? None of the other cats seem to be having any problems.

I dont keep the cats on the L-Lysine all the time.. should I? The vet did not really give instructions on using it all the time, I was under the assumption that it was only needed when there was an issue.
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post #19 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:07pm
I would keep a cat with a known herpes virus on a maintenance dose of l-lysine all the time. It can't hurt for all the cats to be on it, it's an amino acid and helps boost the immune system.

I know some vets say only use "as needed" and perhaps some cats only need it taken in that way. Tolly needs to be on the maintenance dose, if he is taken off it all together, the flare ups come back.

When I had the h1n1 last fall I started dosing all my cats with l-lysine to keep their immune systems in top shape, while I was contagious.

herpes is not diagnosed with a blood test. It is done with a swab, a numbing drop is put in the eye, and the vet goes deep with the swab and gets a good sample of material from the eye. What the test actually entails I don't know, but it's quick and relatively inexpensive, at least it was the last time I had it done. (8 years ago)

Stress and seasonal changes are what most often will bring on a flare up, in my experience.
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post #20 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:16pm
I had seen people suggest the test "if you have the extra money" .. so I assumed it was a costly test.

If its not that costly then- should I have all the cats tested? Or would a test only work if the cat is having a flare up?

I may keep them on the l-lysine all year then. Its not that expensive. I think the tub we have cost $15 or $20, and it lasts a long time.

My BF put a little on some tuna and tried to get Tabbi to eat it the nite she was really sick, and she just wasnt interested.. he was going to divide it up to the other pets so it wouldnt go to waste. He asked if it was OK if the dog had it, since it had the powder.. I didnt really know the correct answer to that, so I told him to give it to just the cats, since I know it wont harm them to get the powder.
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post #21 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:18pm
Thread Starter 
You guys are truly an amazing bunch! I have 10 cats and this baby I had to take him home. I had no idea he had FHV *if he does* so I was no where prepared to take care of him although I am going to up until his final days, which I hope will be. a REALLY long time from now, I love him so much!

here's his story:


My boyfriends sister found him and his other siblings (2 girls) they are big and happy now as well. My boyfriend insisted on me coming over to see the "babies" as they were then, and see what I could do. (everyone swears up and down I am the cat whisperer) LOL.

ANYWAYS I went over there and there was this BABY TINY BABY kitten laying on the bathroom floor just barely breathing, I said get me a heating pad and a syringe. I could feel every bone in his body and could reach under his ribs and feel his little lungs try to breathe. I held him in my arms for 2 hours and just cried and told him if he wanted to fight, I was down and ready when he was. SINCE THEN. I have had nothing but a fight, every morning.. IN MY FACE with his toy rat ready to go. I weighed him the first day I had him here and I got NOTHING. And I weighed him today and he's 8.8 pounds and 5 or 6 months old. That fatty :0

Today was kind of a bad day, he was kinda "whistly" when he was breathing. I use the little baby snot suckers to get the excess snot out and he's usually really good after that, I need to be using it myself (recovering from bronchitis) Ugh!

I gave him his L Lysine as usual but today was just one of those days, it's super cold here so I have had the heat cranked and the misters on, so far into the night he has done fine.

I do have a question. It has been bugging me since I made his appt to be "noodled."

Having the breathing issue, does it make it any different on them being noodled? Like keeping their breathing and all stabilized? I don't know what I would do if I lost him now..
Sorry to type a book, I just have a lot of worries/ and I wanted to share his story.

Thanks a lot guys! =)
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post #22 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:23pm
Im assuming that by "noodled" you mean neutered?

Personally I would advice trying to focus on getting him healthy first. Neutering is important, but its not a life-or-death neccessity.

A vet can probably advice better if its safe or not.. but I never put any of my pets thru a spay or neuter if I did not feel they were healthy enough to do it.
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post #23 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:28pm
Thread Starter 
I asked him and he said he would be fine. He is going to do a blood test too to see if he has FHV, just so we can get on the right road to where we are supposed to be.
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post #24 of 45
2/10/10 at 9:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nekkiddoglady View Post
I had seen people suggest the test "if you have the extra money" .. so I assumed it was a costly test.

If its not that costly then- should I have all the cats tested? Or would a test only work if the cat is having a flare up?

I may keep them on the l-lysine all year then. Its not that expensive. I think the tub we have cost $15 or $20, and it lasts a long time.

My BF put a little on some tuna and tried to get Tabbi to eat it the nite she was really sick, and she just wasnt interested.. he was going to divide it up to the other pets so it wouldnt go to waste. He asked if it was OK if the dog had it, since it had the powder.. I didnt really know the correct answer to that, so I told him to give it to just the cats, since I know it wont harm them to get the powder.
This is the one I use - Now Foods L-Lysine - it has 822 doses of 500mg, and the cost, including shipping, is about $15... Cheap cheap... Here in my house it goes in the water fountain, so all kitties are on it; Bugsy gets extra when he has flare ups, but he hasn't had one in a long long time...
But as soon as he starts sneezing, I add another 500mg to his wet food until he stops, plus an extra few days... Then go back to only in the water.
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post #25 of 45
2/10/10 at 10:00pm
That is cheap.. the container I have is 3.5 oz.

Since it is a nutritional supplement.. is it safe if the dog gets some? I dont intend on actually giving it to him, but such as the case with the leftover tuna, is it ok if he does eat it?
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post #26 of 45
2/10/10 at 10:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nekkiddoglady View Post
That is cheap.. the container I have is 3.5 oz.

Since it is a nutritional supplement.. is it safe if the dog gets some? I dont intend on actually giving it to him, but such as the case with the leftover tuna, is it ok if he does eat it?
Yes... dogs, cats, people... L-Lysine acts against the herpes virus, and is an amino acid that boosts the immune system in general... it is ok... Some dog foods contain L-Lysine. The one I give is meant for humans... I am not sure if there are studies out there as there are about cats, as I haven't looked that much into it, but it is safe.
Yep, that container is a pound... Much more than 3.5 oz for sure
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post #27 of 45
2/15/10 at 8:43pm
Thread Starter 
I hope people are still reading this, I am not trying to be a nuisance.

I got so upset today because Scooter is going to be neutered tomorrow. I get upset over my cats anyways when they have to be fixed but he is not them. He has this Virus and I am so worried something is going to happen. I cant take another heartbreak!
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post #28 of 45
2/15/10 at 9:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luvmy10 View Post
I hope people are still reading this, I am not trying to be a nuisance.

I got so upset today because Scooter is going to be neutered tomorrow. I get upset over my cats anyways when they have to be fixed but he is not them. He has this Virus and I am so worried something is going to happen. I cant take another heartbreak!
You are worried because the virus might do something to him? My Bugsy also has herpes, he might have surgery tomorrow, will go under anesthesia for sure, and if his gums are fine, he will have several teeth extractions... Herpes is the last worry in my mind right now... If your kitty is not in a flare up (I am not sure, due to your last post last week) your kitty will be fine...
You will see... Once you get used to it, and your kitty gets his immune system under control with Lysine, etc... you will see that Herpes is not that monster... You know that it is estimated that up to 75% of shelter cats can be contaminated with it?

Now, here is the thing, IF he is NOT HEALTHY RIGHT NOW, I would not do it. I would wait. Herpes is largely triggered by stress and the last thing you want is to put kitty under the stress of a surgery, recovery, etc... IMO that is play with fire.

If he is healthy, fine, not to worry... if he is on a flare up, NO, NO SURGERY!
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post #29 of 45
2/15/10 at 9:17pm
One of the things to know about herpes is that it is a life-long condition and it can't be cured. However, you can do lots of things to keep it under control and managed and your little guy can live a very long and healthy life. Unfortunately, not many vets are "in the know" regarding appropriate treatment and alternative treatments.

You guy will be fine, but know that stressful situations such as a trip to the vet or change in routine has the potential to trigger a flare up. Because herpes kitties already have compromised immune systems, it takes them a bit longer to get over illnesses. So, you might have to do 2 rounds of antibiotics or try a different antibiotic if your guy gets sick.

The big thing to know if you have a herpes kitty is to get the cat as healthy as possible and work on keeping him that way. Then, these other things will not pop up as often.
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post #30 of 45
2/16/10 at 5:48am
It'll be okay. As was said, if he's not in the middle of a flare up, go ahead and have it done. Tolly was neutered just fine, and has had three dentals, two of those involving multiple extractions. He does well.

Neutering is a very quick procedure. Ask your vet about it. Ask your vet what kind of anesthesia is used, how long he will be under, and so on. Knowledge can help you cope.
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