Cats with calicivirus :(

Rafaelavdneves

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After a long time lurking and gaining so much respect for the members and being thankful for everything I learned here, I feel like I need your help here.. I hope I will be able to help you too from now on.
So, I’m devastated. We have three cats in our house, and they all went to get a keyhole surgery, laparoscopic spay on Thursday. When they came back they were great, but cat 1 started making some noise sleeping, was extremely lethargic, stopped eating and developed mouth ulcers. The next that she went back to the vet and stayed hospitalized there. This was Friday night.
Now, on Monday, cat 2 started feeling a little bit lethargic , we went straight to the vet and they said it was probably calicivirus. Her case is not as severe, but she is having trouble eating and ate only three shrimps today , the food she loves the most. Is that enough? I’m taking her to the vet everyday to take the anti inflammatory. Do you know how long until she gets better?
Meanwhile, cat 3 is doing great! Do you believe she will get sick as well?
I’m devastated. They were all so healthy. It pains me so much to see them suffer….
 

mrsgreenjeens

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If it's really calcivirus, it could be from 2 - 3 weeks before it goes away, but just like with humans, it can differ by cat. Did the Vet tell you that it's very contagious and your 3rd cat might get it too? Did they have another cat at their clinic with it, is that why they suspect that's what it is? Did your cat's not get their kitten shots and boosters. Normally they are inoculated against this as kittens.

Anyway, are they congested as well as having mouth sores? If they are, you can try putting them in a steamy bathroom to help with that. Also, try heating up some stinky food so they can smell it. That may be why they aren't eating, aside from their mouths hurting. The Vet should be able to give you some pain meds for that, I would think. No, three shrimp is not enough, aside from the fact that they are not 100% nutritionally complete for a cat. For a day or two you can get by with that, but you really need to try to get them to eat more, and something that is nutritionally complete. So is cat #1 still in the hospital?

:vibes::vibes::vibes:for all three of them that they have a quick recovery.
 
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Rafaelavdneves

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If it's really calcivirus, it could be from 2 - 3 weeks before it goes away, but just like with humans, it can differ by cat. Did the Vet tell you that it's very contagious and your 3rd cat might get it too? Did they have another cat at their clinic with it, is that why they suspect that's what it is? Did your cat's not get their kitten shots and boosters. Normally they are inoculated against this as kittens.

Anyway, are they congested as well as having mouth sores? If they are, you can try putting them in a steamy bathroom to help with that. Also, try heating up some stinky food so they can smell it. That may be why they aren't eating, aside from their mouths hurting. The Vet should be able to give you some pain meds for that, I would think. No, three shrimp is not enough, aside from the fact that they are not 100% nutritionally complete for a cat. For a day or two you can get by with that, but you really need to try to get them to eat more, and something that is nutritionally complete. So is cat #1 still in the hospital?

:vibes::vibes::vibes:for all three of them that they have a quick recovery.
Thank you so much for answering! I finally got some sleep after these days.
Yes, they told me the 3rd cat is probably already infected, and in fact she started licking her mouth just yesterday, which is a sign of this disease, but everything else is still fine, so I hope it doesn’t progress much, but I took some days off, so I can be with them all the time.
They did get their shots, the vet told us they can still get the disease even with them, it just doesn’t progress to a dangerous state.
I don’t think any of them are congested, even the hospitalized cat (yes, she is still there). She does have many ulcers and inflammation though. Cat number 2 only has a little sore on the tip of her tongue, but I think due to the location, it’s already enough to stop her from eating and drinking. I took her to the vet last afternoon and she isn’t dehydrated, and I’ll be taking her again today for the shots - they told me not to worry unless she completely stops eating/drinking. I’m so sad, I was so happy when I saw her eating shrimp… I hope the ulcer doesn’t take to long to pass so she gets to eat as soon as possible. This is the biggest issue right now …
 

mrsgreenjeens

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It's true that vaccinations aren't 100% effective, but how strange that they didn't work on all three of you cats! I'm just glad that your Vet said it should lessen the amount of illness they get.

Hoping it doesn't last as long either. Maybe you could get a pate cat food that's kind of thick and put in on your finger (little at a time) and slide it on the roof of their mouths if they don't eat. That way it can bypass the tip of their tongues and also the outside gums. I wish I could explain this better, but just pull your finger with the food on it so that the back of their front teeth pulls the food off. Make sense?
 
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