[livingwith]

I have 2 cats. Max a Persian, age 22 months and Misty a Ragdoll age 3.
I housed them at an Animal Clinic
while I was on a vacation.

When I returned, both were ill. I took
them to another Animal Clinic for a
second opinion. That vet diagnosed
Herpes. Today, it was confirmed by
a vet that they both indeed have Herpes. (Lab Test: Colorado)
I am shocked ! I subscribe to Cat Fancy and I thought I knew everything about
cats. My precious cats have never been ill; are current with their shots and...Read the full article

[Vicky]

Hi Jan! I adopted a cat from a shelter in June that we believe has feline herpes. Lysine is the big advice for this illness. That and low stress environment. My guy was adopted, declawed and promptly returned to the shelter and then adopted by us. The whole thing freaked him out to an unimaginable degree. That is enough to turn on an latent virus. Your guys could have freaked out at being left for boarding and what was a dormant virus suddenly then became active. Research on-line. That's what I'm doing -- I'm now a little nervous because I see what seems to be a blister coming out on his lip. What next???!!! These things require patience and an attitude of "O.K. we're going to get through this." Otherwise, you'll drive yourself crazy. My guy has the eye flare up also going on right now and he seems allergic to certain antibiotics -- there's an infection there, too!!! He also seems to have some food allergies... Dear Lord! And, I might add, I have my two precious kitties that are long time residents -- will they catch something???? My doctor said that most cats have been in contact with this virus and are therefore exposed. She was not opposed to him being in the mix. So far, no one has caught anything from him. But when I first discovered all of this, I stood there paralyzed with a "what have I done???" scream coming to my mind. I don't know, I think God teaches us things through our experiences. Maybe what you learn will help in another situation. Just hang on and you'll find your way through all of this. That's one lesson I've learned and I know it will serve me well in other life experiences! God bless! Vicky