I Don’t know what to do.

moxiewild

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How was Oreo diagnosed? By physical exam? Were mouth ulcers identified?
 

moxiewild

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I would work on disinfecting your home. 1:32 bleach solution (1 part bleach to 32 parts water) is fairly effective at killing Calici. Wipe down any surface you can with it, and wash any blankets or bedding with a bit of bleach that you can (and do a couple extra rinse cycles to ensure the bleach is thoroughly washed out).

The vaccines + disinfecting will drastically reduce your other cats risk of exposure.

Wash your hands thoroughly and properly before and after visiting Oreo. Look up what I mean by properly if you aren’t sure.

All bowls, toys, scratchers, bedding, litter stuff, etc that is Oreo’s need to be Oreo’s alone for now. No sharing!

If you want to be extra cautious, you can also have a change of clothes that you change in and out of when visiting Oreo (but wash those periodically too in order to decrease the risk of re-exposing Oreo).

Calici is highly contagious, but your cats already have a good amount of protection, so try not to panic. Some cats get over this in a few days, and for others it takes a little longer.

Familiarize yourself with symptoms of pneumonia so you know what to look out for, as that is usually when Calici develops into something more dangerous. Otherwise, it is mostly just an uncomfortable nuisance.

Prepare to quarantine Oreo for at least 3 weeks, longer depending on how things progress.

Please don’t put him back outside. He very likely won’t survive this usually benign virus while out on the streets. He will also continue shedding the virus and exposing other cats who do not have the protection from vaccinations like yours do, and whose susceptibility is further increased due to the stress of living outside and being homeless :(

I know it’s scary, but this is rarely life threatening, especially for healthy, vaccinated cats. Even your kitten is largely old enough to be out of the “highly vulnerable” range.
 
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Maria Bayote

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How many other cats do you have and what are their ages? Do they have any other illnesses like FIV or chronic kidney disease or anything else?

Are you absolutely sure your kitten received all rounds of her core/combo vaccines or “kitten shots”?
I have with me Barley (4 years old), Bourbon (3 years old) and Graham (7 months old). Pepsi is in the Philippines.

My Graham as with my adult cats are fully vaccinated.

As far as I know of, as per vet checks, my cats have no other illness, except for Bourbon who has asthma.
 
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Maria Bayote

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How was Oreo diagnosed? By physical exam? Were mouth ulcers identified?
Yes, ulcers were observed by the vet. :(

His earmites was seen through an otoscope (did I get it right?).
 

moxiewild

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I would classify Bourbon as your most vulnerable then, not Graham. It’s not necessarily that she’s more susceptible, but contracting a URI for an asthmatic cat is something we really want to avoid.

Do you have or have access to purchasing an air purifier?

Your cats are at really good, healthy ages otherwise! The odds are really in their favor - and primarily due to YOU being a responsible owner and keeping them up to date on vaccinations. So don’t beat yourself up over this.
 
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Maria Bayote

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Watch your 7 month old for any respiratory, sneezing, runny nose etc. Personally, I would not feel the need to put Oreo back outside.
I was torn, but all your assurances made me change my mind to return him back outside.

How do you know if any of your cats are infected? Is there any way in advance I can find out except for the sneezing etc?
I am so sorry for these questions, seemingly stupid, but I am really so worried.
 

moxiewild

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Yes, ulcers were observed by the vet. :(

His earmites was seen through an otoscope (did I get it right?).
Do you know if Herpes was tested for/eliminated?

Your will likely need to treat your other cats for the mites, but mites are no big deal and easy to treat, especially if you get ahead of it.
 
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Maria Bayote

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I would classify Bourbon as your most vulnerable then, not Graham. It’s not necessarily that he’s more susceptible, but contracting a URI for an asthmatic cat is something we really want to avoid.
Oh no. :(
Not my special girl. :(

Yes I will get an air purifier later today.
 
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Maria Bayote

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Do you know if Herpes was tested for/eliminated?
I don't think that herpes was tested. When he gets back to the vet I will have him tested for that. Thanks for this.
 

moxiewild

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I was torn, but all your assurances made me change my mind to return him back outside.

How do you know if any of your cats are infected? Is there any way in advance I can find out except for the sneezing etc?
I am so sorry for these questions, seemingly stupid, but I am really so worried.
Not stupid at all!

Honestly, not that I’m personally aware of. If there is, it is not usually recommended - probably due to cost and/or reliability in such a test.

Just quarantine appropriately and everything should be okay :)

Did he vet give you anything in terms of treatment for Oreo?

If Herpes was not eliminated, then it could be possible it is that and not Calici. Both have very similar presentations, and herpes is usually faster/easier/cheaper to test, so it’s recommended to rule that out first.
 
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Maria Bayote

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Not stupid at all!

Honestly, not that I’m personally aware of. If there is, it is not usually recommended - probably due to cost and/or reliability in such a test.

Just quarantine appropriately and everything should be okay :)

Did he vet give you anything in terms of treatment for Oreo?

If Herpes was not eliminated, then it could be possible it is that and not Calici. Both have very similar presentations, and herpes is usually faster/easier/cheaper to test, so it’s recommended to rule that out first.
I will keep you guys updated of Oreo's status, and will bear to mind all your advice.

Thank you all. Sorry if I panicked. Have always been this way with my cats and dogs.
 

moxiewild

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I will keep you guys updated of Oreo's status, and will bear to mind all your advice.

Thank you all. Sorry if I panicked. Have always been this way with my cats and dogs.
I am too, don’t worry!

Trust me, I am far more objective when advising others than I am when in comes to animals in my own care :lol:
 

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Most cats have been exposed to calicivirus, and as many as 40% are chronic carriers. It's unpleasant but not the end of the world. I would be concerned about the asthmatic kitty, just because any kind of respiratory issue will be worse for her, but as long as you work with the vet she should be fine. The vaccine offers some protection but not 100% (like the flu shot for humans). Here's the Cornell fact sheet: Feline Calicivirus
 

lavishsqualor

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Aside from taking the precautions suggested by others I honestly wouldn't dwell too much on this, especially if your cats are vaccinated. And Oreo should be vaccinated too, if he hasn't been. Calicivirus is hugely prevalent among cats in the United States. You and your husband are wonderful to help little Oreo. He's very lucky to have you!
 

jefferd18

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Just sharing.

I have been seeing this kitty for days and been feeding it outside my door. Since I have a soft spot for tuxedo cats I took it inside the house as this morning I found it under a car and refusing to budge. I was afraid it would get run over. So now it is in my house but I am staring at it for an hour now. Don’t know what to do with this kitty. It seems young, maybe as old as my Graham. I don’t know the gender. And his face seems having a lot of dried wounds, not sure. It is a very quiet kitty, very friendly to humans but shy to my cats. Not interested to play, but never heard it hiss or growl. I am afraid if I take it back out it may not survive. But I also cannot take another one in. I am torn.
View attachment 309966View attachment 309967

For now I named it Oreo.

Oh wow, he looks like he has been put through a lot. I don't know if he is really young with all of those wounds- looks more like some beaten up old tom kitty. :( Thank you for taking an interest in him.
 
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Maria Bayote

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Most cats have been exposed to calicivirus, and as many as 40% are chronic carriers. It's unpleasant but not the end of the world. I would be concerned about the asthmatic kitty, just because any kind of respiratory issue will be worse for her, but as long as you work with the vet she should be fine. The vaccine offers some protection but not 100% (like the flu shot for humans). Here's the Cornell fact sheet: Feline Calicivirus
I am sorry for asking too many questions, but I have an additional concern. Please bear with me as this may be quite long:

All my 3 cats are with me here in Doha, but they all have papers and will be going home with me to the Philippines when my husband and I decide to return home for good. Now my worry is, what if they get infected with calici virus? Somebody told me that once infected my cats or any of my cats CANNOT be allowed to travel anymore as they would be potential carriers. Is this true? If yes, I want to die now. There is no way I will be leaving behind any of my cats, especially my Bourbon!

Also, even if none of my cats get infected, what will happen to Oreo now if he also can't come home with me to our home country? I also can't leave him behind.

Please tell me if this is true or somebody just wants to kill me with worry and stress. :(
 

will2002

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Most things that we worry about soooooooo much, never happen. Now that might not be true in this situation, however MOST of the time it is. Please do not beat yourself up any longer over this. You are doing something very kind and beautiful for Oreo, and you would hope someone would care for one of your cats if they were in Oreo's situation. All the best to you, and yours.
 

moxiewild

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I have never heard of cats being denied travel due to Calici, and I would find it very odd if there actually was a stipulation about that given that it is a very normal, common illness with mostly mild-moderate symptoms that resolves its own in most cats. It would be like barring humans if they’ve had a cold before, or maybe a any strain of the flu.

International flight in particular requires vaccinations which largely protect other cats from carrier cats, anyway.

But i’ll be honest, I’ve never really traveled with an animal before, and every country has different requirements, so I don’t know. I do find it very highly unlikely.

Do what you can to find out now, so that you can get out of your own head about this as soon as possible!
 
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