Feline Herpes Virus

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A friend of mine has 3 Kitties with Herpes Virus. They came from a cattery. Two of the kitties were retired show kitties. One she purchased from the same cattery. If anyone knows anything about this Virus I would like to know. One Dr. said it is Bordetella which is like Kennel Cough in Dogs. Two other Dr.'s she went to said they had never heard of Bordetella being in Cats. The Dr. she is going to now says they will always be sick. Just wondering. Bless the Beast & the Children & the USA
 

donna

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US CATS,

I have a Sphynx that has a herpes virus in his eyes. It caused scar tissue to his corneas. He is partially blind in one eye and can see shadows in the other. They performed surgery on him once to removed some of the scar tissue. They were going to do it again till I took him to an opthalmology specialist. That doctor told me that the herpes virus in his eyes is dormant(in other words it is not active) and herpes can be brought on by stress. He said another surgical procedure would only aggravate things. By that he meant, the herpes would come back and he'd end up with scar tissue on top of the scar tissue he already has and his eyesight would be effected even more. So basically, he said what you see is what you get. His eyes are very cloudy. He was treated with steroid drops which helped but he couldn't stay on them forever because of side effects. I love MooShoo alot and he is the best cat in the world. His poor eyesight doesn't effect him in the least.

I would get another opinion if I were your friend. It couldn't hurt. And I would also call the owner of the cattery and either ask for half the money back or see if they're willing to foot part of the vet bill.

Good luck and keep me post. I'd be interested to know. BTW, what kinds of cats are they?

Donna
 

sandie

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Here is a good link giving the rund down on the herpes virus.http://www.flash.net/~anmleyz/herpes.htm

Bordatella is most common in dogs at this point. Vets have found that cats can get something similar, but it has not been proven it's the same infection. Bordatella is the same as kennel cough. Depending on the symptoms, my guess it could be a few things.
 
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The kitties in question are all Cornish Rex. One does have eye problems. His eyes just run all the time. She is getting him treated now. All have been to the vet in the last 2 weeks. The treatment he is doing on them is a nasal medication. They do seem to get sick when they are stressed. Good luck with your kitty. God Bless
 

vjoy

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I was told various things about my new kitty. She has a chronic red puffy eye condition, with lots of tearing. At the shelter, the had tried different drops, creams on her. Just before I got her, the Vet there said all I had to do was wipe her eyes with a wet cotton.
A person who works there and has over 20 cats said sometimes this is caused by sinus problems, and the fluids back up into the eyes or sometimes the ears.

I am leary about what is causing it. In the very near future, I am going to take her to MY vet, and get a diagnosis. (I am just waiting because she is still getting adjusted to her environment, and I want her to get a bit more trusting and comfortable before I haul her off to a vet)....but I want the Vet to tell me what should be done to her eyes, and what could be causing it.

If she needs meds, then I will administer. If he determines it is probably the herpes, then I know there are treatments, (oral) that are supposed to reduce episodes of the flareup.


I read somewhere that 85-90% of cats have the herpes virus, just like humans have it. In some, it lays dormant all their lives and never shows symptoms. In some others, it manifests.
I definately heard that stress can aggravate the condition, whatever the cause.
 
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