Adopted cat with FHV but have two seemingly healthy cats

heatherm

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Hello all,
Two days ago my family adopted a lovable little boy from a foster that was less than clean to say the least. The woman "in charge" handed us our brand new kitty, two packages of eye drops, and some Lysine (which until two days ago I knew nothing about). She didn't mention what it was for. She just said it would help him transition and "reduce shedding". She failed to mention that she meant VIRAL shedding. We should have asked more questions, but until now we have never been exposed to FHV (we had two healthy cats for 14 years who just both passed away of different cancers in 2014).

This would not be a problem for us if he was the only kitty in our home, but unfortunately we have two beautiful girls (who we got from the same litter at the same time) who have never even shown signs of this illness (we've had them since they were 5/6 weeks old).

Anyway, we took the new boy to the vet today to make absolutely sure that's what he had and to see what this meant for the girls. The vet basically said that since the girls had an outside cat for a mother, that it was very likely they had already come in contact with the virus and are probably already carriers.

"Probably" and "likely" just don't cut it for me.

I'm already falling for our new boy, but I just can't shake the what ifs. What if the girls don't have it and I'm willingly infecting them and affecting their quality of life, but also, what if I take the new kitty back to that filthy shelter and he is worse for the wear?

Needless to say, I would do anything in my power to keep my cats healthy but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm going to be hurting my girls by adding him to the mix.

I guess my main question is: Is adding an FHV kitty to the home of (to my knowledge) healthy kitties a bad idea? Would I be negatively impacting their lives? Any and all advice would be so, so appreciated.

I'm well aware that FHV is highly contagious but also extremely common and that most cats come into contact with it at some point and I also know that it isn't a death sentence. It just feels pretty bad to infect potentially heathy cats, and it also feels bad to take a kitty who deserves all the love in the world back to a less than healthy environment.
 

stephanietx

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I have a FHV+ kitty and have added 3 cats to my family since we adopted her.  NONE of them have gotten it and only one came down with an URI after coming home to us.  Most likely, your resident kitties have already been exposed to the herpes virus and their immune systems are strong enough to handle being exposed to the new kitty.  IF you see anything in your resident kitties, it will most likely be an upper respiratory infection.  Get them to the vet if you see the signs.

As for the newbie, I would keep him separated from the residents until his eye is better and until you're sure he's comfortable with you and know he can use the box successfully and eats well.  I separate mine for a week to 10 days.  This gives him time to calm down, get used to you, the routine of the house and all the new sounds, smells, and people.  You also want to keep watch of his eye.  He might very well develop an upper respiratory infection due to the stress of the new environment, and you don't want that spreading. 

FHV isn't as contagious as you expect.  It spreads to kitties in highly stressful situations where their immune system is already stressed and they are malnourished.  If you want to spend the money, you can have all your kitties tested for FHV and know for sure if they are carriers or not.  Even if they're a carrier doesn't mean they'll have a flare up.  The best thing you can do for all of your kitties is to get them in the best health.  Just like with humans, the healthier you are, the more you're able to ward off infections.

Be sure to run a feliway diffuser or two to help the stress level for all your kitties. Also, give Lysine to ALL your kitties.  Just mix in wet food.
 
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catwoman707

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If your girls were fully vaccinated as kittens, they have been protected from FHV, that is the "R" in the FVRCP vaccine.

FHV is feline herpesvirus, which is it's nickname for Rhinotracheitis, the # 1 most common uri in cats.

They'll be fine, as long as they were vaccinated early on. This removes the 'if's'.
 
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heatherm

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If your girls were fully vaccinated as kittens, they have been protected from FHV, that is the "R" in the FVRCP vaccine.
FHV is feline herpesvirus, which is it's nickname for Rhinotracheitis, the # 1 most common uri in cats.

They'll be fine, as long as they were vaccinated early on. This removes the 'if's'.
If your girls were fully vaccinated as kittens, they have been protected from FHV, that is the "R" in the FVRCP vaccine.
FHV is feline herpesvirus, which is it's nickname for Rhinotracheitis, the # 1 most common uri in cats.

They'll be fine, as long as they were vaccinated early on. This removes the 'if's'.
I had read and been told that the vaccine does not prevent infection but rather simply reduces symptoms and severity of flare ups. I researched like crazy but many people have vastly different opinions everywhere I look.
 

catwoman707

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The vaccines protect against, they are not 100% but close, the very small percent who do get it that are vaccinated only show mild uri and usually just once and get over it for good.
 

stephanietx

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If your residents have been vaccinated, you probably won't even see any reaction to it.  If you do, it should be very minimal.  Herpes is very manageable.  The biggest problem would be giving him back to that filthy home.
 
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heatherm

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Thank you both, this has helped put my mind at least a bit more at ease. He really is such a sweet, lovable baby and if I had to give him away for the sake of the girls I wouldn't have done it without feeling terrible. But the girls are a little over a year now and they've already become really attached to us so I had to worry about their wellbeing.

But they they have been completely up to date on their shots since we've gotten them and we have them in a stable environment with little to no stressors (with the exception of the new cat), it is my hope that they, and they're new brother will live very happy, long lives together (once he comes out of the little quarantine he's been in since we got him). Hopefully this environment also helps make him more healthy, considering how thin he is and how incredibly unsanitary the foster home was-I think living here will be a welcome change for him.
 

stephanietx

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Anytime you bring in a new kitty, you risk upsetting the household.  It's very common for the stress to cause URIs in residents and new kitties, but after it all calms down and the introductions are done, your house will return to a new normal.  For your new kitty, I would recommend NOT getting the combo FVRCP shot because the "R" might cause him to flare up. Ask your vet to order the individual shots and give him the others, just not the rhino virus one.  I don't vaccinate my FHV kitty at all and haven't for the past 8 years.  Our vet is okay with this. 
 
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