Living with cats and Feline Herpes

My "kids", I have 3 have , were recently diagnosed with the Feline Herpes. I've read several Q and A's so far and it's all confusing. I'm on day 3 of treatment with Famciclovir 125mg. twice a day.The sneezing has subsided greatly but they are all sleeping constantly. I'm not used to seeing them this way and it makes me nervous because they can't tell me how they are feeling.  Any help, advice?

I'm not acquainted with that drug.  L-lysine, an easily-available supplement, is often used on a daily basis with cats with feline herpes and can be used on a maintenance dosage.

I hope someone else jumps in who has more specific experience. 

By the way, the majority of cats test positive for feline herpes; it's extremely common, some even say ubiquitous.
 

Thanks for your reply!

I never heard of L-lysine but this is a new experience for me so I GOOGLED it. I have to make an appointment for Mac so I will ask the Vet about it then.

 I have been lucky. I've had many cats over the years but never had one with a disease, now I have 3!

Yes, Mike is right. L-lysine is the supplement most use. The usual maintenance dose is 250 mg. 2XS/day in food.  When they are having an

"outbreak," (sneezing, seeing the "third eye lid" in the inner corners & or the eyes looking pink,, etc..) it's increased to 500 mg. 2XS/day, until symptoms subside, or a couple of weeks.  Another member who is knowledgeable about this is stephanietx, but I haven't seen her around here in a while.

I have read mixed reviews on the Famciclovir for herpes cats.  I have a kitty that's herpes positive and sneezing is a part of life with her, BUT it's important that you rule out the possibility of a secondary infection causing the sneezing.  Is the sneeze producing any discolored nasal discharge?

I give my kitties Lysine twice daily, which is important because the body sheds the lysine when the kitty urinates.  For the lysine to work effectively, it must stay in their blood stream so the twice a day dose helps with that.  Also, going to a grain-free diet will help.  You can also give 1/4 - 1/2 of a Claritin (plain, not the "D" kind) once daily.  I use the generic from Wal-Mart or Sam's.  Just grind it up between two spoons and mix it into canned food.  One other thing that I do that's tremendously helpful is keep my routine as regular as possible and run a Feliway diffuser 24/7.  Herpes flare ups are often caused my stress.

 Hi steph, there you are!   That's good to know about the Claritin. I also give Angel 1/2 a generic one, but it was more for his itchy skin.

I just put it in a little piece of pill pocket, it's his "night, night treat" before we go to bed. Good to know it helps the herpes too.

Two of my three cats have calicivirus and feline herpes. I never heard of using Claritin in cats. I try to go the natural route whenever possible. L-Lysine is great and I use the same dosage amounts mentioned by Angels mommy above. I also use DMG, an amino acid, during a "flare." Vetri-Science has lysine treats with DMG already added, but it is more economical for me to purchase powdered lysine and liquid DMG separately using proper dosage amounts of each, which I put into their wet food. I used to get my lysine powder in a big container specifically made for cats, but I did not feel comfortable that there was no ingredient list stating active and inactive ingredients and a "rough estimate" of how many mg were in a scoop. I now get my lysine powder at a vitamin shop for humans, which states exactly what's in it (just lysine) and exactly how many mg (1/2 tsp contains 1,000 mg, so I give them 1/8 tsp twice a day for their 500 mg daily maintenance). A little goes a long way!

A good diet is also very important to make sure they are getting enough nutrients.
 

Thanks. I'm going to get the L-lysine and try it out. A few weeks ago a friend moved in on a temporary basis and DID NOT tell me he was bringing a cat with him. Not soon after everyone broke out sneezing and Mabel got an infected eye. I thought my cats would sniff around him for awhile and accept him but they won't let him into their group at all. They take turns beating him up! I will be glad when they move out. Funny thing though...Mac and Mabel were my original 2 owners and L.J. was added 6 months later. L.J. was always the odd-cat out. The 3 have bonded against the other cat and L.J. is now in the clique!
 

I see I missed this thread.  Yes, I have 2 cats with FHV.  The oldest one, Silly, had it long enough that it caused her to have her right eye removed.  I give all 5 of my ladies 250mg morning and night, but when Silly and Julie have flare-ups, I increase that to 500mg twice a day for the one having the problem.

Ralph Waldo said:

Thanks. I'm going to get the L-lysine and try it out. A few weeks ago a friend moved in on a temporary basis and DID NOT tell me he was bringing a cat with him. Not soon after everyone broke out sneezing and Mabel got an infected eye. I thought my cats would sniff around him for awhile and accept him but they won't let him into their group at all. They take turns beating him up! I will be glad when they move out. Funny thing though...Mac and Mabel were my original 2 owners and L.J. was added 6 months later. L.J. was always the odd-cat out. The 3 have bonded against the other cat and L.J. is now in the clique!
 

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Sounds like a Feliway diffuser would be a really big help there. You can find them on amazon for much less than in the pet stores. (I've looked, retails for 49.99 in the stores, but I found one on amazon for 22.99!  Just make sure it's the diffuser & not just the refills).