Help with regards to studing to breeder

[Ambertiegan]

Hi, I have had a breeder of a small cattery ask if i would consider her using my male as a stud some point next year , this is my male i have for my own upcoming programme in future , i have said i will consider if i dont get my girls fast enough for him , the issue is , this lady messaged me saying she has imported a girl who came with cat flu, which im aware is easily contagious , she is saying she is on the mend etc , im rather concerned now as it can be possible cats still carry cat flu if im correct , i am thinking of telling the lady im no longer interested in the potential stud arrangement next year , she doesnt seem concerned so am i being over cautious is this something with breeder that isnt a concern? i am still learning so any advice would be useful

 

[lutece]

By "cat flu" do you mean upper respiratory illness? Did she say what it was specifically? Herpes virus? Calicivirus? Something else?

 

[Ambertiegan]

she said at first to me it was suspected calicivirus then after tests came back to me and said it was a “cat flu flare up” so im not even sure what it is she is saying her vet has called it cat flu

 

[lutece]

Maybe she means herpes virus, then? I would suggest that you ask her exactly what the tests showed.

 

[Ambertiegan]

I have just reread her message which i will copy in...

“When I spoke to the vet he said I can test her but basically it will be the 30 hour journey she had. He said most cats carry different virus and it only comes out when they are stressed so just give her supplements. People dont find out until their cats are stressed that they carry different things he said I can spend alot of money on testing but its like asking to cure the common cold (flu) or herpes (coldsores) you learn as you go along but I still think she was unwell when she left the breeder they are just denying it.”


so im gathering from that , the vets say the cat carries a virus that has flares up due to travelling but is recovering the symptoms which were . nasal discharge, red gums little blister on the gums, eye discharge and difficulty breathing , from the symptoms she told me it doesnt sound like its something minor or that i would want to breed my male with if she carries this but she doesnt seem like its an issue

 

[Ambertiegan]

this is her answer to me asking for the results, in guessing she doesnt want to pay for testing as its obvious its calici ..


No but viruses arent a death sentence untreated like HCM so their body will just fight it off. I have spoken to a few other breeders who have had experience with it and they said the same if its blisters then its calici. I could spend hundreds trying to find out which virus it is if the calici test comes back negative. The vet said I can find out but I am just wasting my money. It’s like going the doctors for a cold you would just wait for it to pass. He said if it was bacterial we could treat it but blisters is viral. Atleast I have learnt something new. She doesnt care at all but to be fair it could of come on the cat when she was in the van being transported. It is so easy to pick up so your cats could pick it up from the vets or if you friends cat had a cold. I have panicked and thought its life threatening

 

[lutece]

Generally, if you exchange cats with other breeders (including buying your initial breeding stock from other breeders), do stud service, and/or show your cats in exhibitions, your cats will eventually be exposed to feline herpes virus and calicivirus. It's also quite possible that your own cat was already exposed at his breeder's house before you got him.

An adult cat that has been vaccinated is not at high risk of becoming seriously ill from casual exposure to another cat, even if the other cat is an asymptomatic virus shedder. Vaccinations do not completely prevent a cat from getting a virus, but they do make it much less likely that a cat will become seriously ill.

If the other cat had mild upper respiratory symptoms and then becomes completely well before visiting your stud male, many breeders wouldn't worry a lot about that, since most adult vaccinated cats would be fine even if exposed to a little herpes or calici virus. However it is totally up to you whether to offer your male for stud service at all. Some breeders do stud service, while others do not want to take any risk with their males. It is up to you.

 

[She's a witch]

I’m not a breeder but I’ll add my two cents. My cat had a really really bad calici when he was a kitten, he almost died. Calicivirus mutated years ago and some of it is difficult to treat.
And as I agree that these viral diseases are very common and sometimes it’s not possible to avoid them, personally I’d do anything to try to, so I would never ever let my cat mate with another that is known to carry it. It also seems to me that the breeder you talk to is hardly educated in cats basic diseases and I wouldn’t personally trust her. Although it's great that she communicates with you openly.

After all, you’d want to sell your kittens for a good price, and from the prospective buyer perspective (very theoretical though in my case ), I’d want a 100% healthy kitten if I was going to spend lots of money on it.

So yeah, things happen, but in this case it seems you can prevent things from happening now

Edited to add: and no, these viruses (FCV&FHV) aren’t simply fought by the organism as she states, they stay in the cat forever, although not always actively. But if your cat gets calici virus from her, he’ll carry it from that day forever

 

[Ambertiegan]

Thankyou for your reply, when she came to me at first saying its suspected calici i instantly decided to withdraw, even tho the this cat was a potential mating , she has another female which the mating was more set on, but from what im aware calici is quiet contagious im sure all of her cats in her house could now be carriers ?

I questioned it here because she doesnt seem concerned and was still talking about future breeding for her , i think i would rather not risk him being a carrier of calici or any virus as we are starting up our own cattery the stud arrangement was a one off for this breeder but as you say its best to prevent being a carrier !

 

[lutece]

She's a witch , where are you getting your information about calicivirus being carried in all previously infected cats "forever"? My understanding from what I have read is that that the majority of infected cats clear calicivirus, and only a minority of infected cats become chronic carriers. Is there new research that I'm not aware of? I'd love to get links to any relevant research on this topic if you have them. Thanks!

 

[She's a witch]

She's a witch , where are you getting your information about calicivirus being carried in all previously infected cats "forever"? My understanding from what I have read is that that the majority of infected cats clear calicivirus, and only a minority of infected cats become chronic carriers. Is there new research that I'm not aware of? I'd love to get links to any relevant research on this topic if you have them. Thanks!

My mistake lutece , I have another cat with FHV and I often wrongly lump both viruses together. Plus my cat is probably unlucky minority so I'm biased. I'm sorry if I mislead you Ambertiegan . Having said so, I still stand by my original statement and I would avoid the risk, after all, she may become a carrier.

 

[Ambertiegan]

No problem thanks for clarifying it ! yes im thinking the same thing as i know there is a chance a cat can carry this for life even if small , even if my boy doesnt catch this but kittens are born more likely to get these same flare ups and his name is down on their papers i dont think that is going to do me any good in the breeding world , ive put a lot into this breeding male so i think i may stay closed with the risks of pairing with queens i dont know their 100% background

 

[lutece]

It is totally up to you whether you want to make your male available for stud, and it is totally up to you to choose the breeders that you want to work with. However just be aware that just because someone else tells you that their cat or kitten is healthy, doesn't mean they have never been ill or exposed to virus.

For example since you imported your male from Russia, and it's difficult to know every detail about a cattery so far away, you don't really know whether your male has already been exposed to these viruses; he may himself already be an asymptomatic carrier of herpes virus and/or calicivirus (and/or coronavirus and possibly other things).

Every time we bring a kitten or cat into our homes or work with another breeder, we balance risk against potential benefits. It's not really possible to know "100% background" with any cats that you bring in to your household.