CAN I TEST MY CAT FOR VIRUSES WITHOUT MY VET?

[AbbeyRoad]

Is there a way to have my cat tested for common viruses without having to take her to the vet? Similar to a PCR test?
Can I order a test and have it sent to a lab, as to cut out the middle man (aka the Vet) which costs money just to have an appointment?
I would like to test my cat for FVR / FHV-1.

 

[Willowy]

Hmm, yeah, it looks like you can: Genomia: Testing of cats: FHV-1 Feline Herpes Virus

Idk how accurate the mucosal swabs are vs a blood draw, but they'd probably answer your questions if you contact them.

 

[lutece]

Where are you located? If you are in the US, you can run a respiratory panel PCR test through Zoologix. It costs about $100 for the test, email them for more information.

https://www.zoologix.com/dogcat/Datasheets/FelineRespiratoryPanel.htm

However, I would only do your own testing if the condition is not serious and you are just trying to figure out what respiratory virus is involved. If you are talking about the kitten with cloudy eyes that you mentioned in this post, she definitely needs to be under the care of a vet. Cloudy eyes can be a symptom of serious illness.

CLOUDY EYE

My 5 month old kitten developed a cloudy eye when she was about 3 months old. To describe it, it looks almost like a cloud of smoke covering her cornea. Within a week or 2 the other eye became cloudy as well, which made her vision impaired. We suspected it could be from an infection, and I was...

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