Risk of cat flu in vaccinated cat

[GSKF]

Hello, we have a 3 year old cat (Ziggy) in fine health and up to date with all vaccines. On Tuesday we adopted a 10/11 week old kitten (Crumpet) from a local shelter foster family; he had a cloudy eye that the foster family had said had ben looked at by their vet, cared for with antibiotics and needed no further treatment. The next day, he started sneezing and we wanted a second opinion on the eye, so we took him to our vet, who says that his eye is still infected and that he has cat flu. He has remained in quarantine since he arrived at our home, and will remain so whilst we care for him. I've never had a cat with cat flu before, and only ever had single cats, so my question is: if Crumpet proves to be a cat flu carrier, what risk does he pose to Ziggy? We cannot keep Crumpet in quarantine forever, but at the same time I don't want to knowingly put Ziggy at risk of getting ill. I'd appreciate any advice you could share. Thanks in advance.

 

[di and bob]

Just like with people, it depends on how strong Ziggy's immune system is. It is VERY common for kittens to experience 'cat flu', I've had many litters of kittens that it spreads like wild fire through but never affected any of the older cats. The older cats have some resistance to it, and stronger immune systems, kittens have much weaker immune systems because they are just coming off their mother's protective antibodies that are passed on through her milk. I have had older cats get it to, and never spread to the other cats in the household. I'm sure it may be too that just like with grade school children, once they are on an antibiotic for three days, and have no fever, they can return to be with their schoolmates. The best thing to do is to call the vet and ask his opinion. my cats have leukemia and are very immunocompromised. I give them DMG mixed in a little liquid treat every day to try to help their immune systems. There are also supplements available on Amazon for immune health you might want to research. Good luck!

 

[molly92]

I assume the vet meant it's a feline herpes virus?

Kittens are prone to it, and while it doesn't ever "go away," the symptoms usually do as they grow and their immune system gets stronger. Symptoms might or might not flare up in times of stress.

The vaccine Ziggy's probably had (FVRCP) doesn't guarantee protection, but it does provide some. Plus, he's a healthy adult with a strong immune system. I would keep the kitten separate while she's having symptoms, but when they resolve they'll be fine to be together.

If Ziggy did manage to pick it up, though, it's not the end of the world. The virus is a relative of what causes cold sores in humans, and it works similarly. You can go a long time without having it, and if it does pop up, it's annoying but not the end of the world. A pretty large percentage of cats live with herpes virus and do just fine.

 

[Meowmee]

Hello, we have a 3 year old cat (Ziggy) in fine health and up to date with all vaccines. On Tuesday we adopted a 10/11 week old kitten (Crumpet) from a local shelter foster family; he had a cloudy eye that the foster family had said had ben looked at by their vet, cared for with antibiotics and needed no further treatment. The next day, he started sneezing and we wanted a second opinion on the eye, so we took him to our vet, who says that his eye is still infected and that he has cat flu. He has remained in quarantine since he arrived at our home, and will remain so whilst we care for him. I've never had a cat with cat flu before, and only ever had single cats, so my question is: if Crumpet proves to be a cat flu carrier, what risk does he pose to Ziggy? We cannot keep Crumpet in quarantine forever, but at the same time I don't want to knowingly put Ziggy at risk of getting ill. I'd appreciate any advice you could share. Thanks in advance.

Cat flu is just a general term used to inaccurately to refer to upper respiratory symptoms in cats which can be caused by different viruses but not by an influenza virus. Those viruses are covered in the vaccines your cat received as a kitten and then the boosters as an adult every 3 years. Ziggy could still get a touch of it but it would not be fatal if she is vaccinated. I would keep the new kitty isolated until her symptoms are better if you are super worried. If it is herpes, that flares up from time to time, it can be treated with daily lysine. Several of my cats I believe had chronic feline herpes virus and had minor flares from time to time but they had no serious issues.

Cat flu - Wikipedia

 

[GSKF]

Just like with people, it depends on how strong Ziggy's immune system is. It is VERY common for kittens to experience 'cat flu', I've had many litters of kittens that it spreads like wild fire through but never affected any of the older cats. The older cats have some resistance to it, and stronger immune systems, kittens have much weaker immune systems because they are just coming off their mother's protective antibodies that are passed on through her milk. I have had older cats get it to, and never spread to the other cats in the household. I'm sure it may be too that just like with grade school children, once they are on an antibiotic for three days, and have no fever, they can return to be with their schoolmates. The best thing to do is to call the vet and ask his opinion. my cats have leukemia and are very immunocompromised. I give them DMG mixed in a little liquid treat every day to try to help their immune systems. There are also supplements available on Amazon for immune health you might want to research. Good luck!

Thank you very much for your reply. I did speak again withour vet who said the same as you.

 

[GSKF]

I assume the vet meant it's a feline herpes virus?

Kittens are prone to it, and while it doesn't ever "go away," the symptoms usually do as they grow and their immune system gets stronger. Symptoms might or might not flare up in times of stress.

The vaccine Ziggy's probably had (FVRCP) doesn't guarantee protection, but it does provide some. Plus, he's a healthy adult with a strong immune system. I would keep the kitten separate while she's having symptoms, but when they resolve they'll be fine to be together.

If Ziggy did manage to pick it up, though, it's not the end of the world. The virus is a relative of what causes cold sores in humans, and it works similarly. You can go a long time without having it, and if it does pop up, it's annoying but not the end of the world. A pretty large percentage of cats live with herpes virus and do just fine.

Thanks for your reply. We don't yet know if Crumpet has feline herpes virus, but it seems likely. I've been abke to speak again to the vet and she agrees that the risk to Ziggy is not "the end of the world"!

 

[GSKF]

Cat flu is just a general term used to inaccurately to refer to upper respiratory symptoms in cats which can be caused by different viruses but not by an influenza virus. Those viruses are covered in the vaccines your cat received as a kitten and then the boosters as an adult every 3 years. Ziggy could still get a touch of it but it would not be fatal if she is vaccinated. I would keep the new kitty isolated until her symptoms are better if you are super worried. If it is herpes, that flares up from time to time, it can be treated with daily lysine. Several of my cats I believe had chronic feline herpes virus and had minor flares from time to time but they had no serious issues.

Cat flu - Wikipedia

Thank you for your reply. I've read and learnt a huge deal about cat flu over the past few days, and really appreciate your input! The vet says we should keep Crumpet isolated until he stops sneezing. He's already showing much improvement, eating well and being a typical playful kitten.

 

[Meowmee]

Thank you for your reply. I've read and learnt a huge deal about cat flu over the past few days, and really appreciate your input! The vet says we should keep Crumpet isolated until he stops sneezing. He's already showing much improvement, eating well and being a typical playful kitten.

That is great! I am glad he is doing well...glad I could help