Buy Kitten with suspected FHV-1?

2338 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by doodlebug, May 26, 2012

BurmBlue

Discussion Starter · May 25, 2012

Hi all,

I have posted this in the "Intoduce yourself" forum but didn't get any replies as i don't know how many of you actually visit that section.
So i thought i would post here if OK?

I am close to picking up a new Burmese Kitten. I think he is either the runt of the litter or it is just a small litter, the sister is just a bit bigger then him. He is around 12 weeks and weighs just about 1kg.

Anyway i was going to pick him up when i received a call the night before from the breeder advising that the vet found some minor discharge from the eye and he is on Antibiotics. He hasn't had his second shot because of this. His sibling has the same issue.
I went and visited and he still looks fully healthy, coat is nice and clean, no nose and eye discharge that i could see and no sneezing while i was there. I think he most likely has FHV-1 or one of the others that causes Cat Flu, now i dont know if i should still take him.

I have lots of toys for him as i work full time and he will be home alone for most of Monday to Friday (mum is close to retirement so is at work 4 days a week but not as long some days), so i dont know if the symptoms will flare up.
Does anyone have a cat with FHV-1? Should i still take him?

Thanks for you help.

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doodlebug

· #2 · May 25, 2012

It's estimated that somewhere around 80-90% of cats have been exposed to the herpes virus. It's nearly unavoidable...get the cat. Typically the virus becomes dormant in adult cats but may flare up in times of stress. 500mg of l-lysine per day will usually keep it under control, l-lysine is available OTC and is inexpensive. If he's one of the few that has some chronic symptoms you can use 250 mg of l-lysine per day for maintenance.

Kobi had a URI as a kitten...he's now 11 and never had it again.

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ashlee

· #3 · May 25, 2012

Yeah, definitely get him! I'm fairly sure at least one of my cats has FHV and she's always happy; breakouts are rare for her but when she does get them its no more than a little bit of eye discharge and sneezing.

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Penny135

· #4 · May 25, 2012

Mia had a "cold" and she had some stuff (just a little) in her eyes when I got her at 7 weeks old. They gave me 10days of antibiotics at the shelter and it all cleared up quickly and she has been healthy sence.

I would go for it.

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Dave_ph

· #5 · May 25, 2012

Fay and Buddy have had the eye discharge. No big deal. i usually just wipe the eye off and let it run its course, keeping my eye on it.

Thank the breader for doing the antibiotic eye drops for you. Try and get a cat not to blink when you put drops in the eye.

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love.my.cats

· #6 · May 25, 2012

Jett was recovering from cat flu when we adopted him. He came to us with antibiotics to finish off. I'm not sure exactly what it was that caused the cat flu but if it was FHV, I'm really bot bothered. So many cats have been exposed to it. He's about 8 months old now and he occasionally gets watery eyes but we've had no issues since then. I wouldn't hesitate to adopt another cat that I know has FHV. But I'm not sure how I would feel about purchasing a pure bred cat that I knew had a health issue. I would still consider it but with a pure bred, it's a lot more money and I don't feel I'd spend that much money on purchasing a cat even if it were in perfect health.

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BurmBlue

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 26, 2012

Thanks for the replies.
The antibiotics are in tablet form, not drops.

I also feel the same way "love my cats" if it wasn't purebred I don't think it would bother me as much.

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doodlebug

· #8 · May 26, 2012

Purebred does not mean it will never get sick. As I said above, the herpes virus is extremely common and really can't be avoided especially if the breeder shows. The fact that it's mild and was immediately treated bodes well for the current health of the kitten and for the future, and speaks well for breeder's care of her cats. If you give up this kitten for this reason, you might as well give up the idea of getting a purebred as you will find it near impossible to find a breeder that never had herpes in their cattery. Adult cats can shed it and be completely asymptomatic. Kittens can then pick it up and may or may not have symptoms while at the breeder. Or the symptoms could appear a few days after you take him/her home due to re-homing stress.

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