New kitten with calicivirus and resident cat... Help?

peachesxo

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Oh gosh, where to start.

I have owned cats my whole life and have never heard of this Calicivirus. I now live alone and have one cat who I adopted as an adult about a year ago, so he is approximately 2.5 years old now. On Wednesday I adopted a kitten from the SPCA, prior to being there she had been at a Satellite adoption centre in a store (where I originally went to see her) and she had had a bit of a cold, so they sent her back to the SPCA before adopting her out to me. When I talked to them the SPCA people said she seemed fine and had maybe just had a little cold but she'd be over it soon, so they cleared her for adoption to me the next day.

SO. I bring her home and have her set up in my bedroom. I have her seperated from my older (resident) cat, but did begin "scent swapping" between them with socks (bad idea)... luckily that was the only possible exchange of smell/contact between them (socks are now removed). The SPCA told me she was just getting over a little cold so I expected her to be a little sleepy and such. Symptoms included : bad breath, goopy eyes, not eating much, opening her mouth oddly, SLEEPING SOO MUCH, and not very interested in playing... Then when I woke up this morning she had crusties around her mouth, obviously things weren't getting any better and she wasn't "getting over" anything so I called the vet right away and took her in this afternoon.

Almost $500 of check-ups, tests, and medicine later the vet is almost positive she has Calicivirus, and she has a big lesion on the end of her tongue. Now I'm just waiting on the official results of what strain, along with the feline leukemia/feline AIDS test. He has prescribed her Clavamox drops and RxVitamins Immuno liquid for now and wants to see her again next week, and has let me know that at this stage the virus can be easily spread to my other cat and to keep them away from eachother/take all the necessary precautions, ect.  (Apolgies for this being such an novel)

I am doing everything to seperate them and they have been seperated anyways out of paranoia since I first brought her home, minus one quick sniff they exchanged through the door and the sock thing mentioned earlier which i removed. She is in an entirely different room with her own water/litter/food and everything that the resident cat cannot go into or get in contact with and vice versa. Now that I know she has this contagious virus I am being super careful/washing hands/ect but I am still soo worried she could transfer this to him somehow or already has (even thought he shows absolutely no signs of illness and everything is business as usual, still possible). Besides the breakdown from the vet today I know nothing of this disease, but he said in time once it is no longer "active" and she is all better they will be able to be introducted, ect.

I guess my question is... Has anyone dealt with a kitten (or cat) who had Calicivirus whom also had and lived with a resident cat that did not? Is it manageable. As much as I wanted to save/adopt a kitten from the shelter I don't want to put the health of my other cat at risk in any way and feel like just having the kitten here is doing that since I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Kitten is quarantined in my bedroom and my resident cat has the rest of the place. I am really lost at what to do or what to expect, and I guess just need some reassurance (or cold direct advice). I'll take anything at this point. And if you read all of this, thank you.
 
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txcatmom

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Hi.  From what I have read the calici virus and the feline herpes virus are responsible for most "kitty colds."  If your adult cat has his core vaccines, he's vaccinated against it.  (It would be the FVRCP vaccine.)  BUT, he could definitely still get it, just the symptoms wouldn't be as severe as they would have been without the vaccine.  If I were in your situation I'd be most worried about feline leukemia.  Though it is worrisome to expose your adult cat to any virus....I understand that.  Of course, I'd keep them separate until the kitten has recovered.  L-lysine supplememts sprinkled on their food can help fight off the herpes virus.  I'm unclear on whether it helps with calici.  Maybe someone else here knows....or your vet may know. 

I was very worried when we brought home a 6 yr old shelter cat with a "kitty cold" recently.  I already have two cats who struggle with (presumably) feline herpes, or maybe calici.  Anyways I thought, "What if new kitty has calici and the old kitties have herpes and they swap germs back and forth and keep getting really sick."  We kept the 6 yr old isolated through the first cold.  But, for her second cold (which she is recovering from now) the other cats were exposed.  Fingers crossed, but so far there have only been very mild symptoms from the other cats.  Good nutrition, lysine supplements and vaccines must be helping.  BUT it was a hard decision to bring a sick cat into our house.  (She did test negative for feline leukemia or we would not have brought her home.)  Good luck with the kitten and the decision...and keep us updated.
 
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peachesxo

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Hi, thanks for the reply.

I believe big kitty was vaccinated against it in the past but that would have been awhile ago, I have spoken to the vet and we're going to bring him in for an update on it next week, he is due for a routine visit anyways. The kitten was vaccinated for it as well a few months ago, but it didn't help her much, poor thing. Still waiting on the results about what strain of calici she has but the leukemia/aids results came in from the lab (did more than the SNAP test to be sure) and she is all clear/negative for those two, so that's a relief.

She seems to be recovering pretty well already. She has had just two doses of the two meds he prescribed so far and as of last night was playing and jumping around like a normal healthy kitten for the first time, her appetite has increased too and she is drinking lots of water, so I definitely think she is on track and will hopefully start putting on some weight now that she is feeling better since she is so small.

Besides isolation what do you suggest doing to make sure the calici/germs aren't spread between the two cats? I am very worried it could still happen since the space I am in is pretty small and they are only seperated by a wood door. Been washing my hands/arms between the two, using lysol on my hands and feet in an attempt to "kill" anything,  and wearing seperate outfits to interact with them... going to grab some bleach soon to make a solution with since from what I know that is the only thing that will for-sure kill the virus.
 

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Been washing my hands/arms between the two, using lysol on my hands and feet in an attempt to "kill" anything,  and wearing seperate outfits to interact with them... going to grab some bleach soon to make a solution with since from what I know that is the only thing that will for-sure kill the virus.
Everyone has different levels of comfort with cleaning products, but I'd probably just do really thorough hand washings after visiting with the kitten.  Lysol on my skin would make me nervous.  The only time I used bleach was when my sick cat was done with her isolation room.  It was a bathroom so I wiped it down with bleach when she was done living in there.  Just be super careful that the cats don't walk on wet bleached floors or breath in a lot of bleach fumes or anything. 

In our case hand washing was enough.  Lucy's (the sick cat we adopted) germs didn't transfer to the others, even with batting paws under the door.  They even ended up passing some toys under the door to each other....not that I recommend toy sharing with a sick cat but it happened inadvertently.  The other cats didn't catch anything from her until her second cold, when they were sharing food and water bowls.  And, like I said, so far they have only had mild symptoms...thank goodness.  No vet visits required yet.

I'm glad your kitten is improving and that she is FeLV negative.  I'm sure that is a relief.
 
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peachesxo

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Yeah I am wary about using bleach too but am not sure what else to do. It would just be for the tile part of the apartment which is outside her isolation room. I am keeping her in my bedroom because I would feel evil leaving her in my tiny bathroom all day long, but that room that she is in is carpeted so I still need to figure out how I am going to clean it once she is recovered and ready to come out of there.. guess I might have to hire some steam cleaners to come by for the day.

Good to know that you were able to keep it contained in similar circumstances. Maybe I am being a little over-paranoid and soap and sanitizer will be all I need.
 
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peachesxo

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The official results of the test came back from the lab... She has tested positive for 3 things : Calicivirus, Chlamydia, and Mycoplasma.

Has anyone dealt with these 3 things before? Was treatment able to clear everything up? She will be starting the antibiotics for Mycoplasma as soon as the vets get them in, probably by Friday.
 

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She has tested positive for 3 things : Calicivirus, Chlamydia, and Mycoplasma.
Wow.  Poor thing.  Mine that have kitty cold problems haven't been tested, so we don't know their official diagnosis.  Maybe others here will have dealt with these specifically.
 

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peachesxo

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Oh no. Thanks for the link, I have been doing tons of research so even more is good. I have the kitten isolated and have been taking all the necessary precautions while treating her to avoid spreading the virus around but I do have another healthy adult cat who will be eventually introduced to her after he gets his shots updated (tomorrow) and after she has fully recovered... so probably not for another 3 weeks- a month at least.

How are your cats now?

My biggest worry is my older cat catching it... though I have heard of people who have had a cat with it and have not had it spread to the other despite them living together and stuff...
 

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Huge hugs for being caring and not just dumping her back at the shelter. So many people wouldn't "deal" with a new sick kitty and most certainly wouldn't foot such a large bill either, so thank you, she's a lucky kitten :) Have you let the shelter know what's going on with her? It might be a good idea to tell them since some of their other cats might be exhibiting similar symptoms so they'll know what to check for first. I don't know much about those illnesses, but you might be able to find some type of vitamin supplements (like the human equivalent of vitamin C when you feel a cold coming on) that you could give your resident kitty to up his immune system against catching it. Do you know what the incubation time is for those illnesses b/c if he isn't showing any symptoms by now, he probably doesn't have it...?

Also, if you do have your carpets cleaned, make sure you or whoever uses a cleaner that's safe for pets. A few years ago, a friend of mine's dog went into seizures and died a few days after they'd had their carpets cleaned so just be careful :( I'm guessing though that if your resident cat hasn't caught it already, or has, at this point, all of that deep cleaning probably won't make a huge difference one way or another anyway. You should find out how long the virus can survive outside of the cat's body and make sure you wait that amount of time after your kitty's all better just to be sure but I doubt it will embed itself and live in your carpets for any amount of time.

Good luck and thanks for your advice regarding my cat introduction problems too :)
 

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The official results of the test came back from the lab... She has tested positive for 3 things : Calicivirus, Chlamydia, and Mycoplasma.

Has anyone dealt with these 3 things before? Was treatment able to clear everything up? She will be starting the antibiotics for Mycoplasma as soon as the vets get them in, probably by Friday.
Oh my Peaches,

My cat was also diagnosed with those three things recently!   My Rufus had sneezing since I got him, the vet said it was a presumed herpes virus.  Thank goodness I had the tests done to confirm what was really going on. He was put on Azithromycin and it worked almost immediately in clearing up the symptoms.  He is also on Viralys Oral Gel lysine.  We have a follow up vet appointment this afternoon, where I will find out more about long term.  The vet did say this was manageable and better news than herpes virus.

I also have a 13 yo who has never been ill.  I was devastated that I might have exposed Cricket to herpes (or now these other things),  They share a water fountain and sometimes food bowls. Vet told me Cricket probably had left over immunity from his kitten shots.  The vet did give him one booster for upper respiratory disease, just to be on the safe side.

Good luck and keep us posted
 

tobytyler

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Correction:  Rufus was negative for Chlamydia,  the third one was Bordatella.  I will post after vet appointment what the long term prognosis is and his recommendations. Meanwhile with the antibiotics he is completely symptom free.  And 13 yo Cricket has never exhibited any symptoms whatsoever. 
 
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peachesxo

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Thanks. I knew she wasn't in perfect shape when I adopted her but didn't expect her to be as sick as she was. I've spent quite a bit more now since my first post between the rest of the medications for her and booster shots/check up for the resident cat, but oh well, gotta do what you gotta do, no way I was going to return her just because she was sick, when it comes to kitties, once I'm in I'm in... I did let the shelter know that she was sick/what with, she was in a community cat room there so hopefully they are looking out to see if any of the others picked it up, the girl I talked to didn't seem too surprised about it when I told her on the phone though =/

In regards to the resident cat, I have calmed down a lot with the paranoia of him catching it and am thinking the same as you all in regards to him showing signs by now if he had caught it. I probably will skip on the carpet cleaning, I have some antibacterial pet-friendly fabric spray that I will douse the room with once the kitten is out of there, wash all my sheets and everything, and hope for the best before resident kitty is allowed back in there, but yeah, I'm not too worried on that end anymore. He had his updated shots against all those things about a week or so ago and he is in good health all around and doesn't seem to have caught anything from her. Kitten is still on antibiotics for the mycoplasma so until those are finished she will stay quarantined (another 2 weeks or so I believe) but after that is done the vet thinks it'll be fine to introduce them. I'll be bringing her in for a checkup beforehand to get the final go-ahead from him, though. As far as I know the chlamydia and the calicivirus is all cleared up for now and incubation period should be over once the mycoplasma treatment is finished. The big lesion on her tongue is fully healed and gone and she seems to have made a full recovery. She has put on a lot of weight already (she was so skinny before because she could barely eat dryfood due to the tongue lesion and that's all they gave her at the shelter) and is full of energy, the eye discharge has stopped, so I think the worst is all over with. Honestly the hardest thing to deal with right now is how frustrated my resident cat is, he wants to see her sooo badly and purrs and meows and rolls around outside her door, and they both try to play underneath it. On the bright side though I am positive they are going to get along very well once they do meet, just gotta play the waiting game for now.

Goodluck with Rufus at the vet today, Toby, it's definitely reassuring to me that your two have been together and sharing bowls without any transmission. I was so paranoid I would get my resident cat sick by bringing this kitten in even if she was in another room but I think everything is gonna be fine. Phew.

Oh yeah, for future update posts so I can actually use their names without confusion lol, my resident cat is Bentley and the kitten is Bitsy.
 

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my resident cat is Bentley and the kitten is Bitsy
What adorable names.  It's so sweet that Bentley is so eager to meet her.  I'm glad to read that her health is improving.
 

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Just got home from the vet.  

I actually got two kittens at the same time, Rufus and Clancy.  Clancy is three weeks older than Rufus and showed only mild symptoms.  We only tested Rufus using the Real PCR/URD test.  We assumed Clancy to have what ever Rufus showed positive for.  As mentioned, his test came back negative for Herpes Virus and Chlamydia, but positive for Bordatella, Mycoplasma, and Calici Virus. 

We had tried 3 diff. antibiotics before the test to no avail.  Finally, in our case the drug that has seemed to work is Azithromycin. 

Today's visit went great.  In fact the vet said Rufus made his day! 
He put on 3/4 pound in just two weeks, and his gums are "80% improved".  We are going to finish the course of Zithromax.  He may want to put him on Doxycycline if his gums don't completely clear up.

Long term:  Bordatella and Mycoplasma are now considered cured with the antibiotics.  Calici, however, can reappear during times of weakened immunity, much like Herpes Virus.  However, he said it typically isn't as severe as Herpes.  Cats can become carriers, and there is also a severe systemic form.  

The most important thing he said is to watch his teeth and gums.  Calici (like herpes virus) positive cats need to have their oral care put on high priority as they tend to have dental problems as a result of the virus.   I am using a small piece of gauze wrapped on my finger to brush his teeth. 

It's also important to do everything to strengthen their immunity and keep stress to a minimum.  A high quality diet is important.  I am not sure what you are feeding now?  Personally, I just switched to a raw diet and the vet kept going on and on about how good they looked and what a great job I had done.
(he is supporting me in my decision, but he is not necessarily pro raw) The tech kept saying how shiny and soft his coat was. Even as I was paying the bill, the vet popped his head out once again and said how good Rufus was doing and how happy he was.

So good luck with little Bitsy.  How cute they are playing under the door.  I really don't think you need to knock yourself out with the cleaning either.  My understanding is none of these can be transmitted to humans.  I read that Mycoplasma can be, but the vet told me the feline version isn't contagious between cats and humans.  I was never even advised to quarantine.  The only time they were ever separate was during the initial introduction period and Cricket has had nary a sneeze


Please continue to keep us posted.
 

tobytyler

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 I'm unclear on whether it helps with calici.  Maybe someone else here knows....or your vet may know. 
That was something I meant to ask and forgot.  I will probably keep mine on it for now, at least Rufus.  Cricket never was on lysine. 
 

txcatmom

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That was something I meant to ask and forgot.
I did ask my vet just the other day.  He said that lysine does not help combat the calici virus, just the herpes virus.  It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion on that.  We'll probably keep using it just because we didn't have the testing done and aren't sure which virus we are dealing with.
 

tobytyler

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I did ask my vet just the other day.  He said that lysine does not help combat the calici virus, just the herpes virus.  It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion on that.  We'll probably keep using it just because we didn't have the testing done and aren't sure which virus we are dealing with.
That is good to know.  I don't think it could hurt no matter what, as you know it's a nutritional supplement.  Interesting though that it targets the replication of the herpes virus but not calici virus.
 
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peachesxo

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Alright... I think I need some more opinions =(

I think my resident cat has now somehow caught something from the kitten despite their separation. Either that or he is fighting it off. He was able to break into the room I have her in once or twice during this time so they were briefly in contact with eachother...  He is not showing any signs of being "sick" persay but his third eyelid has become more noticeable, it is not coming up a whole lot or at a truly worrysome level but it is there in the corners of his eyes in a much more noticeable fashion than before. Any suggestions, and should this clear by itself? I have been watching it closely and will be letting the vet know about it but I am not sure if I should actually bring him in or anything... He just had his checkup/updated shots 2 weeks ago and as mentioned he is not displaying any other signs of being sick, the white of the membrane in the corner of his eyes is somewhat noticeable and that's it. I will be bringing the kitten into the vet again in the next week or so and am thinking I should just let my vet know what is going on with resident kitty then and see if he sends me home with anything for him... but since I am totally paranoid, I'm not sure what to do/what this means/how much I should be worrying about it. =/
 

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Alright... I think I need some more opinions =(

I think my resident cat has now somehow caught something from the kitten despite their separation. Either that or he is fighting it off. He was able to break into the room I have her in once or twice during this time so they were briefly in contact with eachother...  He is not showing any signs of being "sick" persay but his third eyelid has become more noticeable, it is not coming up a whole lot or at a truly worrysome level but it is there in the corners of his eyes in a much more noticeable fashion than before. Any suggestions, and should this clear by itself? I have been watching it closely and will be letting the vet know about it but I am not sure if I should actually bring him in or anything... He just had his checkup/updated shots 2 weeks ago and as mentioned he is not displaying any other signs of being sick, the white of the membrane in the corner of his eyes is somewhat noticeable and that's it. I will be bringing the kitten into the vet again in the next week or so and am thinking I should just let my vet know what is going on with resident kitty then and see if he sends me home with anything for him... but since I am totally paranoid, I'm not sure what to do/what this means/how much I should be worrying about it. =/
First, don't panic, it sometimes happens and is a good clue they aren't feeling well or are dehydrated. When did you first notice this?  Has he been getting enough water and eating?  Since you are going to the vet soon anyway, you could call and tell them and see if maybe he should come in earlier.  It's not uncommon, just something to watch for sure. 

You really can't keep them apart forever, I think you have gone above and beyond in handling this situation.
  Others may correct me, but I've never seen third eye lid prolapse with upper respiratory disease. You would be probably seeing sneezing or a discharge from the nose.  Keep us posted on any questions and let us know!
 
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