URI in multi cat household ... Dumb question?

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andread

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All of my cats got sick after I brought a kitten home. I am happy to say that with fluids, antibiotics, force feedings, time and love, everyone is eating and drinking and pooping like normal.
Here is my question. I have read that cats can shed and be carriers of these viruses for months or years or forever, and they can reinfect cats. Since all of my cats have had this particular thing, and it moved throughout my four cat household like clockwork, if one of them is a carrier or still shedding virus, will it reinfect these particular cats? Or will they be ok since they all had the same thing?
 
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andread said:
All of my cats got sick after I brought a kitten home. I am happy to say that with fluids, antibiotics, force feedings, time and love, everyone is eating and drinking and pooping like normal.
Here is my question. I have read that cats can shed and be carriers of these viruses for months or years or forever, and they can reinfect cats. Since all of my cats have had this particular thing, and it moved throughout my four cat household like clockwork, if one of them is a carrier or still shedding virus, will it reinfect these particular cats? Or will they be ok since they all had the same thing?
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Chances are they will all be fine, unless the URI happened to be rhinotracheitis (feline herpes) as that is a chronic and recurring URI.

See: http://pets.webmd.com/cats/feline-herpes-symptoms-treatment 
 
stephanietx

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Most likely, you're fine.  It's common when you bring a new kitty into the home for this type of thing to happen due to stress mainly.  Once the stress level calms down, their immune systems should calm down.  I have a herpes positive kitty and she's never made any of the other kitties sick.  I also just added a stray kitten to the mix and she came down with an URI and none of my other kitties caught it even though they were all exposed.
 
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andread

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That's definiteky reassuring. Thank you both. I am pretty sure the original infectious agent wasn't herpes but one of my adult cats has s history of conjunctivitis that we suspect is herpes. So her uri was followed by a goopy eye flare up. That is the only symptom we are still treating, and everyone (including her) is eating/drinking. Whatever the new virus introduced was, I believe the stress and strain of it allowed her existing herpes to flare. Since everyone is on the mend, I am really hoping we are out of the woods.
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