What Can You Do If Your Cat Has Feline Herpes Virus?

People always say "Prevention is better than cure." About 80% of cats have been exposed to FHV at some point in their life. It is difficult to prevent infections. Vaccination is available for FHV, however it is not 100% protective. Vaccinations can only help to reduce the severity of the cat flu and conjunctivitis. The normal 4-in-1 or 3-in-1 vaccination that your cat receives does cover FHV along with other viruses.

To attempt to lessen the severity of viral cat flu in cats, it is recommended that all kittens receive their three kitten vaccinations starting from 6 to 8 weeks of age and an adult booster vaccination 1 year after the last kitten vaccination. The subsequent booster vaccinations frequency can then be determined by the vet based on the risk of infection.

If there is low risk of infection by the viruses that the veterinarians vaccinate against, then it be best to give a booster vaccination every 3 years instead of yearly vaccinations.

Can I catch herpes from my cat?
No, only domesticated cats and their close relatives can catch Feline Herpes Virus.

Cat flu has many causes apart from FHV. Please seek veterinary attention should your cat develop cat flu and/or conjunctivitis. Do not attempt to self-medicate at the detriment of your cat or kitten.

Read More On Related Topics:

1. What Is Feline Herpes Virus Infection?
2. Is There Any Cure For Feline Herpes Virus?
3. What Are The Treatments For Feline Herpes Virus?
4. What Can You Do If Your Cat Has Feline Herpes Virus?

The What, the Why, and the Benefits of Sterilizing Our Pets

Sterilizing a pet involves a one-time surgical procedure to remove part of its reproductive organs. This permanently prevents the pet from reproducing.

Sterilization is most commonly carried out on dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs from the age of six months and upwards. Males have their testicles removed; females have their ovaries and uterus removed.

The surgery is performed by licensed veterinarians, and the animal is under general anesthesia throughout. Most are back to normal in 24 to 48 hours after surgery.

Why Do We Sterilize Our Pets?

The most pressing reason for sterilization is to prevent unwanted young from being born. There are already more than enough abandoned animals in the world, so sterilizing pets helps control the situation.

You may be responsible owner with no intention of breeding your pet, but "accidents" do happen. Your pet may escape from home and mate outside; another animal may enter your home without your knowledge; or it may mate with someone else's pet at a pets-and-owners gathering!

The Benefits and Precautions

Besides preventing unwanted litters, sterilization affects pets' hormones so they become less likely to wander in search of a mate or behave aggressively. They are also less prone to disease such as womb infections, and mammary and testicular cancers.

Because sterilized pets often become more home-loving, they may gain weight because owners do not correspondingly reduce their feeds! So control your pet's food intake and give it more exercise. And watch for complications like loss of bladder control in older pets - this can be treated with medication.

What Are The Treatments For Feline Herpes Virus?

Like with most viral infections, a lot of the treatment is relied on the cat's own body immunity to fight the virus. The human antiviral medications used to treat human herpes viral infections can be used in cats but not without grave side effects and high costs. Therefore they are not routinely used unless in life-threatening situation.

The human alpha-interferon and a newer feline omega-interferon are alternative treatment drugs that may aid in the management of some cats. It is unlikely to lead to a cure but used only to try to lessen the severity of the clinical signs. Both are costly drugs with low success rates.

Some veterinarians would normally treat cats with suspected FHV-related cat flu or conjunctivitis with an oral L-Lysine supplement. L-Lysine is an amino acid (building block for protein) that has some antiviral properties and is very safe to use in cats with little or no side-effects at all.

It does not cure the cat of the virus but it helps to lessen the clinical signs of disease in the cat. In my opinion this is by far the best and most cost-effective "treatment" for FHV with favorable results obtained in many cats.

L-Lysine supplements come in several forms: from liquid syrups (usually together with other B vitamins in Children syrups) to tablets (GNC Lysine tablets) and recently a newly introduced paste form (Enisyl-F) specially formulated for cats have been introduced in many veterinary clinics.

If there is severe conjunctivitis or greenish nasal discharge, topical antibiotic eye drops or oral antibiotics may be prescribed concurrently. L-Lysine supplementation is also recommended in times of stress or illness even if the cat does not show signs of cat flu or have an eye problem yet.

Read More On Related Topics:

1. What Is Feline Herpes Virus Infection?
2. Is There Any Cure For Feline Herpes Virus?
3. What Are The Treatments For Feline Herpes Virus?
4. What Can You Do If Your Cat Has Feline Herpes Virus?

Building Trust With New Adult Pets

Because I raised my dog from puppyhood, I know him very well. I know his moods. I have no fear about rubbing noses with him, putting my face between his jaws to check his teeth, or touching foreheads and staring straight into his eyes (normally a sign of aggression).

However, I would never be so foolish as to try any of that with a dog I am unfamiliar with. And I know well not to startle even my pooch when he is in a jumpy mood. I could lose an eye - and knowing that it was an accident will be no consolation after the event!

When you adopt an adult pet, build trust slowly and patiently. A cat you reared from kittenhood may know you're being affectionate if you grab it and nuzzle its coat, but do the same to a new adult cat and it may think you're about to bite it. Facial lacerations (yours, not the cat's) should not be a surprising result of such an impulsive act.

You do not know what abuse the pet experienced before you rescued it; you do not know its trigger-points and fears. Always approach gently; when it is asleep, do not wake it suddenly; do not exhibit threatening behavior; speak calmly but authoritatively; spend time showing that you will never harm it.

Strictly supervise its interactions with children, visitors and other pets; you do not know if it has had bad experiences with kids, strangers or other animals before, and if it will react aggressively to them.

What Is Feline Herpes Virus Infection?

Feline Herpes Virus of FHV is one of the most common viruses infecting cats all around the world. The word "herpes" brings a shudder to many people as we immediately think of genital warts or cold sores in our human counterparts. Do not panic for your beloved cats as these feared disease conditions do not occur in the cat.

Instead, FHV is one of the two most common viral causes of the cat flu and conjunctivitis (eye infection) in our feline friends. Affected cats often present with sneezing, nasal discharge and can have concurrent conjunctivitis. The virus usually affects only one eye in the cat. Corneal ulcers may also be present in the affected eye. These clinical signs of a FHV infection can range from being very mild to very severe and may be self-limiting in some cats. The more severe clinical signs are often seen in the young and old cats with compromised immune systems.

Diagnosis of FHV cannot be confirmed through routine diagnostic tests like a blood test. The virus may be documented by testing conjunctival samples through complicated laboratory testing however these diagnostic tests are not available in some cities. Therefore diagnosis of a FHV infection in the cat is often one of a presumptive diagnosis based on history and clinical signs.

Read More On Related Topics:

1. What Is Feline Herpes Virus Infection?
2. Is There Any Cure For Feline Herpes Virus?
3. What Are The Treatments For Feline Herpes Virus?
4. What Can You Do If Your Cat Has Feline Herpes Virus?

Special Grooming Needs For Cats

An old cat may be less flexible, and less able to groom the hard to reach bits. Compare it with a young cat that cleans itself all over several times a day, in addition to being groomed by owners, and you will understand why you should groom older cats more often.

These are not the only cats that need extra grooming.

If you keep a few cats, and one loves to groom the others, it will naturally swallow much more hair than a cat that only cleans itself. You should thus keep all your cats well brushed to remove loose hairs. This prevents any cat from swallowing more hair than absolutely necessary and developing a hairball problem as a result.

Long-haired breeds must be groomed at least daily. Otherwise, their fur gets matted. Once this happens, you usually have no choice but to cut off the matted fur, leaving temporary bald patches on your beautiful kitty.

If it's shedding or molting, it must be groomed daily too, or those hairs will end up inside it. If it is recovering from an illness, it may also have neglected its grooming, so you'll have to help.

Finally, if a cat has fallen into or brushed against a substance that should not be swallowed, brush, wipe, bathe the stuff off before it makes itself sick by licking it off.

Grooming Your Cat's Tummy and Tail

Over time, as the cat comes to trust you and enjoy these grooming sessions, place a soft brush nearby each time to accustom the cat to it. Depending on the cat, this could take days or months! If it tries to swat the brush or bite it, remove the brush so the cat doesn't think it's a toy.

Once it allows you to pick up the brush without batting or biting, start brushing at areas where it enjoys being scratched. Many cats love to be scratched under the chin, around the ears or the middle of the spine.

Areas many cats feel defensive about include the tail and belly. If the cat is upside down and you stroke its tummy, it feels it's being attacked, so it may scratch or bite. Groom its tummy and tail only when it trusts you perfectly.

Using Grooming Tools On Cats

Choose the right brush or comb for your cat's coat, with advice from a pet shop or professional groomer. Consider your individual pet too. Some cats have very sensitive skin, so use sharp-toothed combs or brushes sparingly, and always be gentle.

If your cat is short-haired, bristle brush (natural bristles are better) will work fine. Many cats also like those rubber brushes that both neaten the fur and massage the body.

If yours is a long-haired cat, you'll need a metal-toothed comb - look for one with long and short teeth, and with blunt tips that don't scratch.

Slicker brushes (those with very thin, fine metal wires covering the whole surface) are mainly used on dogs with thick, dense fur that sometimes traps loose hairs under the top coat. Most cats don't need slicker brushes, but if yours does, be careful not to nick its skin with the sharp metal tips.

Whether you are using a brush or comb, if at any point you encounter a tangle matt or knot in the fur, don't pull at it. This will hurt your cat and may put it off being groomed. Examine the obstruction closely to see if you can unknot it with your fingers without tugging at the cat's skin.

If you can't, take a pair of blunt-tipped scissors and very carefully cut off the knot or tangle, even if this means leaving a bald patch. Matts and knots must be removed, because their tightness pulls on the cat's skin all the time, giving discomfort to your pet.

Brushing Your Cat

Brushing or combing your cat regularly helps remove all the loose hairs that it would otherwise swallow when it grooms itself. Swallowing too much of its own or other cats' hair will give your pet hairballs, which it may have to throw up in some discomfort.

Generally speaking, short-haired cats need not be broomed as often as long-haired ones. A weekly brushing is theoretically sufficient for short-haired cats, while long-haired felines needs daily combing.

However, grooming can be such a pleasurable bonding experience between cat and owner that even the short-haired should be gently brushed daily if both pet and human enjoy it.

Unfortunately some cats have had bad grooming experiences, with previous owners who hit it with brushes or did not know how to groom it properly. If you adopt such a cat, it may initially be very wary of anything associated with grooming.

In such cases, start only with your hands, by gently runni8ng them over the cat - always in the direction of hair growth. Cats do not like having their hair rubbed the wrong way, Your hands alone, if very slightly dampened with water, will pick up quite a lot of the loose hairs so be prepared to vacuum or sweep them off your lap or the sofa afterwards.

Toys: Little Luxuries For Pets

Toys contribute to a pet's mental, emotional, and physical development, and play brightens up an animal's life too; so don't deprive your companion of the space, opportunity and tools for having fun.

Dogs and Cats

Dog or cat owners are lucky in the sense that pet stores are packed with toys for these two species. But as any human child can tell you, playing alone isn't always fun. Playtime means more to your pet if you join in, getting it to catch the toys, or search for hidden items. Use the toys as tools for fun interaction.

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, and Chinchillas

Although rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas may not want to play tug-of-war or find-the-catnip with you, but they do enjoy being encouraged to find new ways to play. Offer them boxes to hide in and cardboard rolls to hop through, and be creative with enclose panels to set up a playpen that has different sections or levels to explore.

Hamsters, Gerbils, and Mice

Hamster, gerbils, and mice enjoy exercise wheels, roller balls, tube trails and even the cardboard core left behind after you finish a roll of toilet paper. Different levels and sections in the cages also give them opportunities to climb up and down.

Birds

Birds like a variety of perches set at different heights. Some also enjoy swinging by their beaks from rings or bars. Very tame birds can be let it out into a safe room daily for more exercise; otherwise, provide the largest enclosure possible.