Should I do this?

tasbla

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Hi everyone. I'm new to this site and am looking for some advice. I have a feeling the advice will be "don't do it", but I need to ask anyway.
I adopted 3 Kittens from a shelter in Apr. (they are 8 months old now). It should have been 4 cats, however 2 days before we were to pick them up, I was informed that one, Max, had been diagnosed with FHV. He was not related to the kittens (he's 2), but was extremely friendly and we just fell in love with him. The kittens foster mom said that in a few months we could take Max home and things should be fine.
Well, he's still available for adoption, but he's still having flare-ups and continues to have goopy eyes, but is not getting a cold as much. My question is, should I bring Max into the home or should I just hope for the best for him and hope someone else adopts him? I'm just torn because I feel like he should be here (not sure if this is just my trying to save the world, one cat a at a time), but I also have 3 other cats to think about.
Any feedback would be helpful. I can't sleep over this.

Missy
 

kittylover23

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Awwww hon, so sorry this is hard for you. :vibes: I don't know much about FHV, but I would definitely consider posting ads on Craigslist, etc. and around the neighborhood, try to push this kitten on people who don't already have kitties. :lol3: I do know FHV is contagious, so you don't want to risk your kitties getting it, unless you know you can keep them ultimately separated. I would look on craigslist for people looking for kittens, and reply to their ads with pictures and information of this kitten. :vibes::vibes: for you and Max!!!!
 

stephanietx

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Bring him home!!  You can provide better care for him at home than the foster can with more kitties.  I have a FHV kitty and there is so much you can do to help him that the foster just doesn't have time to do because she probably has lots of kitties to tend to.  As long as your current kitties are healthy and vaccinated, you probably don't have much to worry about.  FHV normally attacks kitties who are malnourished and in very stressful situations.

When you bring him home, put him in the bathroom or spare room to keep him isolated from the others with a litter box, food, water, toys, bedding.  Make him an appt with your vet for a wellness check and to get any meds for any symptoms he's showing.  While FHV is not curable, it can be very well managed with very few symptoms presenting if you take some proactive steps.  Most commonly, you see secondary infections like upper respiratory infections, eye infections, and things like that.  Know that because the kitty has a compromised immune system, getting well will take longer than a normally healthy kitty with a normal immune system.  So rather than a 10 or 14 day round of antibiotics, your kitty may need a 21 day or 30 day round. 

Invest in some Lysine (500mg tablets) and give him 1000 mg a day (500mg 2X daily).  It crushes easily and will dissolve in water, so mix it into wet food that you've added a bit of water to.  He should probably stay on Lysine for the rest of his life.  If so, consider getting the 1 lb powdered variety off of Amazon. It's very inexpensive.  Secondly, switch him to a grain-free food.  The arginine in grain is thought to help the reproduction of the herpes virus, so eliminating that makes for just one less thing you have to worry about.  Keep stress to a minimum in your home.  Stress is often the trigger for many outbreaks.  Consider running Feliway diffusers in your home to help keep the stress level down to a minimum.  Keep to a fairly regular routine with him.  Again, kitties thrive on routine and sometimes varying from that will bring on a flare up. 

The best defense for FHV kitties is a good offense.  Get him healthy, work on increasing his nutrition and keeping him healthy will go a long way to prevent future flare ups.
 
 

riccadawn

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I recently brought a FHV kitty into my home with my 2 healthy kitties and this was something I was worried about as well. But...everything is fine and no one else has gotten sick from it. The FHV kitty still has goopy eyes and a stuffy nose and it's been about 6 weeks now. He's on his 4th course of antibiotics. And I have powdered Lysine (mentioned above) that I sprinkle on top of his wet food and he eats it right up. One of my other cats came from the shelter and the other was an outside cat her first 8 weeks of life, so the vet said it's very likely that they've been exposed to these viruses before and built up some immunity to them. You will probably have more vet visits with this guy than you would with a healthy cat, so if you don't have the extra time or money to put into him, then I would leave him with someone who can care for him properly. Just some things to think about :)
 

Willowy

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Almost all cats have been exposed to FHV. It's only when their immune systems are compromised that it causes problems. If your previous kitties are from a shelter, I can pretty much guarantee that they're already been exposed. I would add l-lysine to everybody's food or water and everything should be fine.
 
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ldg

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Almost all cats have been exposed to FHV. It's only when their immune systems are compromised that it causes problems. If your previous kitties are from a shelter, I can pretty much guarantee that they're already been exposed. I would add l-lysine to everybody's food or water and everything should be fine.
:yeah: As all of our kitties are feral rescues, we just assume they've all been exposed. If they've been in a shelter or foster home, I'd be willing to bet they've got it in their systems. :nod: Only one kitty was really sick with FHV when rescued. She lost an eye and her hearing to it. But once we got her healthy, she's never had a flare-up, and no one else has ever exhibited any symptoms of the herpes virus.
 
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tasbla

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Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies. While I'm sad that cats need to deal with FHV, I relieved to hear that it doesn't necessarily mean that my other cats will get it. I've read a lot on the Internet about FHv and while it cam be a good thing, I think for me too much info is a bad thing.
I am going to bring Max home. I will use everyone's suggestion to help Max settle in and feel relaxed in joshed home.
Thank you again everyone!! Feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Missy
 

carolina

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:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:
Great decision!!!
FHV is really not a big deal, unless it is a very severe, chronic case, which is rare..... otherwise, keep stress at a minimum, a good diet, and give your kitty Lysine daily - you will most likely have a "normal" cat just like any other - just spoil that kitty silly :clap::clap::clap::clap:
 

stephanietx

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Hooray!!  I'm so happy for both you and Max!!  I've brought 2 kitties into my home with an FHV kitty, one who was sick with an upper respiratory infection, and no one's had a problem with it.  You'll learn a bunch and he'll be a wonderful addition to your home.
 
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