[kramert]

Hello everyone,
Have brought home a new kitty that I've been told by my vet has feline herpesvirus. Have only had the kitty for a few weeks and haven't let her out of her separate room to integrate with other cats yet (I have six other cats). Was wondering if anyone out there has a situation like mine & if so, how you manage keeping everyone healthy. Have been told by my vet to keep the cats separated from each other as much as possible and am wondering if the best thing for everyone would be to find a single-cat home for the afflicted kitty. Her condition doesn't seem severe, by any means - just has weepy eyes at this point, but don't want to endanger my other cats either. Of course, being the crazy cat lady that I am, am already attached to the new kitty and am trying to balance that with doing what's best for all concerned.
Am treating the kitty with Lysine, an antibiotic, and drops for her ears. In all other respects than the weepy eyes, she seems fine. She's active, eats, uses the litter box.
Would welcome any feedback.
Tara L. Kramer

[Carly9457]

I have a multi cat household and do a lot of rescue. I make sure all my cats are vaccinated to help prevent the spread of certain viruses, like herpes. Most of my adult cats seem immune, but if they start ot show symptoms, I administer antibiotics and eye ointment immediately and that has always contained it. Don't panic, it really shouldn't be that bad.

[emily2kittens]

What type of eye cream are you using, I brought home a new kitten who infected my other kitten, his eyes are very red and he has lost his zest compleatly. Both have been to the vet and the new one finished his antibiodics and the one at home has been on them 7 days. The new kitten has improved greatly but still has a runny nose and snezzes all the time. I feel so bad for exposing my other healthy kitten to this. I wipe his eyes with a warm wet cloth and put both in steamed bathroom 2 times a day. How long will it take for any total recovery??? I also give them the lyson powder. It semms this has been going on to long and was going to bring the kitten with the bad eyes back to vet tomarow. Any other tips?

[Shuggie]

I adopted an adult cat that ended up with HPV showing up in infected eyes. This cat was brought into a home of 4 other adult cats that never contracted the virus. The virus has show up again in the cat (inflamed right nostril) and I will not separate him from the others. Not sure if separating your cat from the others was a precaution by your Vet but I have never been told that by any Vets. Maybe you should get a second opinion from another Dr. about this concern?

[gailarden]

We have a multi cat household also. We have our 5013c status as a sanctuary, mostly for dogs that are unadoptable. We have a bedroom turned into a cat room. We found "Cricket" a little yellow kitten outside a store. An employee said someone drove by & put her out of the car. She was sick. We brought her home & got her to the vet right away like the next day. Our vet isnt a cat specialist and we live in the country so he treats everything from dogs, cats to cows. We took her to 2 more vets trying to find out exactly what it was that she had. finally went to a board certified cat doctor who took one look & said Rhinotracheitis. She said to keep her in isolation. We had kept her away from the others but I was not aware of the fact that I would have to be very careful to wash my hands before handling other cats. This vet said Cricket is chronic. she will never be any better. she is on Interferon for her immune system and clavamox antibiotic. I have tried lysine & ordered another drug over internet. Nothing really helps. Cricket lives in the master bedroom & bathroom & my huge walk in closet which is like a small room. Every night I fix the vaporizor for her near her bed.
Because I was not aware of how careful I had to be at the beginning the other cats have come down with cold like symtoms but since they had their shots they are not chronic. Cricket weighs 4 lbs & we've had her 5 yrs.
Do Not let your cat mix with the others. Even if they had their shots they might have some of the symtoms & pass the disease around. If they havent had all their shots they will come down with it.
The vet who diagnosed it correctly wanted me to wear "scrubs" clothing when I tend to Cricket.
I just am very careful to wash my hands & stay away from touching the others even your clothing can carry the virus to another cat. One thing I am concerned about is what will happen to her if she outlives me. any shelter will euthanize a cat with the disease. I would like to find someone who has a cat with it who would take Cricket as a companion to theirs if that happens.
I wish someone had told me all this. Good luck. gailarden

[mysoadhilldrop]

It is kind of a tough call. I think that it also has a lot to do with what kind of outbreaks your cat is having. I adopted a cat that was about to be put to sleep because no one wants to take the effort to adopt a sick cat and have to give it medications all the time. He also has feline herpes virus. I have him living in a multiple cat home, and none of my other cat's have been vaccinated. I treat him every day with the lysine and keep a bottle of ocular antibiotics for when his eye (which has had surgery due to an ulcer) flares up. Sometimes he gets a little sneezy, but for the most part he is fine. I would say that treat it like you would if it was a human virus. If it is really scary keep him apart from the others, but if all of their body fluids are in check then you really shouldn't have a problem. I have had him hear with my other cats for 3 years now and they haven't shown as much as a sneeze.

[gailarden]

Thats amazing. When was it you had him tested? Cricket never gets over a running nose. She sneezes and theres mucus running down the walls. I have to constantly clean it,disinfect it. she is so tiny.
She has never had any problems with her eyes tho.
We took a cat from a man who got our phone number (we do not advertise that we take animals) from the vet. He was moving that day & had an outside cat he had to find a home for so we found his place & took the cat. something told me not to take him home but to vet. He got his shots & tested positive for Leukemia. so, we took him home and he lived in our 2nd bath room, dressing area since Cricket is in my bath & walkin closet. after few months we had him re tested. He was negative. so now he has joined the cats in a bedroom converted to a "cat room". If we had done what most people wouldve done, we wouldve had him put to sleep. He is beautiful. beige with blue eyes.
The moral of the story is, that everything is different. You have to kinda play it by ear.
And since some of our cats tho isolated from Cricket have had some of her symptoms maybe her case is more severe somehow and I will keep them separated from her.
Oh is your cat very small like Cricket? all of the others are about 15 lbs.
gailarden

[pandg]

Hi Tara
How did you get on with your kitty? a friend of mine has problems with this virus as well, any advie would be good. Thanks pandg

[kramert]

My kitty is doing fine, and none of the other cats have become symptomatic, so I guess I'm very lucky. Mindy also seems to have one of the milder cases of feline herpes, if she even has it at all since the only way to be absolutely sure is to spend hundreds of dollars on very expensive and specific tests, one of those being something called a PCR (polymerase chain reaction). So I occasionally put lysine granules in her food and wipe her eyes regularly since her eyes are chronically watery, and everything seems okay. I do keep a close watch on whether her eyes look like they might be getting corneal ulcers or anything like that, and I pay attention to whether she sneezes or has a runny nose, but up till now the only obvious symptom she shows is the watery eyes.
Don't know if this helps, but good luck with your situation.
Tara