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- Oct 26, 2012
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Oh gosh, where to start.
I have owned cats my whole life and have never heard of this Calicivirus. I now live alone and have one cat who I adopted as an adult about a year ago, so he is approximately 2.5 years old now. On Wednesday I adopted a kitten from the SPCA, prior to being there she had been at a Satellite adoption centre in a store (where I originally went to see her) and she had had a bit of a cold, so they sent her back to the SPCA before adopting her out to me. When I talked to them the SPCA people said she seemed fine and had maybe just had a little cold but she'd be over it soon, so they cleared her for adoption to me the next day.
SO. I bring her home and have her set up in my bedroom. I have her seperated from my older (resident) cat, but did begin "scent swapping" between them with socks (bad idea)... luckily that was the only possible exchange of smell/contact between them (socks are now removed). The SPCA told me she was just getting over a little cold so I expected her to be a little sleepy and such. Symptoms included : bad breath, goopy eyes, not eating much, opening her mouth oddly, SLEEPING SOO MUCH, and not very interested in playing... Then when I woke up this morning she had crusties around her mouth, obviously things weren't getting any better and she wasn't "getting over" anything so I called the vet right away and took her in this afternoon.
Almost $500 of check-ups, tests, and medicine later the vet is almost positive she has Calicivirus, and she has a big lesion on the end of her tongue. Now I'm just waiting on the official results of what strain, along with the feline leukemia/feline AIDS test. He has prescribed her Clavamox drops and RxVitamins Immuno liquid for now and wants to see her again next week, and has let me know that at this stage the virus can be easily spread to my other cat and to keep them away from eachother/take all the necessary precautions, ect. (Apolgies for this being such an novel)
I am doing everything to seperate them and they have been seperated anyways out of paranoia since I first brought her home, minus one quick sniff they exchanged through the door and the sock thing mentioned earlier which i removed. She is in an entirely different room with her own water/litter/food and everything that the resident cat cannot go into or get in contact with and vice versa. Now that I know she has this contagious virus I am being super careful/washing hands/ect but I am still soo worried she could transfer this to him somehow or already has (even thought he shows absolutely no signs of illness and everything is business as usual, still possible). Besides the breakdown from the vet today I know nothing of this disease, but he said in time once it is no longer "active" and she is all better they will be able to be introducted, ect.
I guess my question is... Has anyone dealt with a kitten (or cat) who had Calicivirus whom also had and lived with a resident cat that did not? Is it manageable. As much as I wanted to save/adopt a kitten from the shelter I don't want to put the health of my other cat at risk in any way and feel like just having the kitten here is doing that since I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Kitten is quarantined in my bedroom and my resident cat has the rest of the place. I am really lost at what to do or what to expect, and I guess just need some reassurance (or cold direct advice). I'll take anything at this point. And if you read all of this, thank you.
I have owned cats my whole life and have never heard of this Calicivirus. I now live alone and have one cat who I adopted as an adult about a year ago, so he is approximately 2.5 years old now. On Wednesday I adopted a kitten from the SPCA, prior to being there she had been at a Satellite adoption centre in a store (where I originally went to see her) and she had had a bit of a cold, so they sent her back to the SPCA before adopting her out to me. When I talked to them the SPCA people said she seemed fine and had maybe just had a little cold but she'd be over it soon, so they cleared her for adoption to me the next day.
SO. I bring her home and have her set up in my bedroom. I have her seperated from my older (resident) cat, but did begin "scent swapping" between them with socks (bad idea)... luckily that was the only possible exchange of smell/contact between them (socks are now removed). The SPCA told me she was just getting over a little cold so I expected her to be a little sleepy and such. Symptoms included : bad breath, goopy eyes, not eating much, opening her mouth oddly, SLEEPING SOO MUCH, and not very interested in playing... Then when I woke up this morning she had crusties around her mouth, obviously things weren't getting any better and she wasn't "getting over" anything so I called the vet right away and took her in this afternoon.
Almost $500 of check-ups, tests, and medicine later the vet is almost positive she has Calicivirus, and she has a big lesion on the end of her tongue. Now I'm just waiting on the official results of what strain, along with the feline leukemia/feline AIDS test. He has prescribed her Clavamox drops and RxVitamins Immuno liquid for now and wants to see her again next week, and has let me know that at this stage the virus can be easily spread to my other cat and to keep them away from eachother/take all the necessary precautions, ect. (Apolgies for this being such an novel)
I am doing everything to seperate them and they have been seperated anyways out of paranoia since I first brought her home, minus one quick sniff they exchanged through the door and the sock thing mentioned earlier which i removed. She is in an entirely different room with her own water/litter/food and everything that the resident cat cannot go into or get in contact with and vice versa. Now that I know she has this contagious virus I am being super careful/washing hands/ect but I am still soo worried she could transfer this to him somehow or already has (even thought he shows absolutely no signs of illness and everything is business as usual, still possible). Besides the breakdown from the vet today I know nothing of this disease, but he said in time once it is no longer "active" and she is all better they will be able to be introducted, ect.
I guess my question is... Has anyone dealt with a kitten (or cat) who had Calicivirus whom also had and lived with a resident cat that did not? Is it manageable. As much as I wanted to save/adopt a kitten from the shelter I don't want to put the health of my other cat at risk in any way and feel like just having the kitten here is doing that since I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Kitten is quarantined in my bedroom and my resident cat has the rest of the place. I am really lost at what to do or what to expect, and I guess just need some reassurance (or cold direct advice). I'll take anything at this point. And if you read all of this, thank you.
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