Hi everyone
Mika started at 3 months old sneezing and a sore eye which we just thought our other cat had caught while playing but to be on the safe side we took her to the vets to my shock he suggested she may have all these things,so tests were done and to my horror she had all 3 of these i was devastated the vet said it must of been pressent at the breeders and her cats will be affected so i got in touch with the breeder she couldn't care less as long as she had my money she wasn't bothered about the welfare of the cats.
Since mika got this ive found out that other people have lost kittens and have the same viruses this breeder as accolades coming out of her ears but her house is discusting and i don't think she knew what a vacume cleaner was meant for i wish breeders would think about the heartach that they make us suffer.
Mika as to have bloodtests every 3 months and shes loosing weight so shes on malted kelp to increase her appetite and kitten food to give her more protein but she doesn't seem to be gaining any weight my poor mika is only 2 and shes been through so much and will have to go through much more in her life its not fair.[/b][/size]
That is ashamed. Ours had the eye thing but nothing but a viral infection and then our Zeke, flame, got it and it took forever to heal.
Some breeders but not all may be like that and I am sorry you got one. The main thing now is for you to take as good care of your baby as you can. Know we are here for you if you need us.
Give your baby kisses from us.
Awww!!! I'm so sorry Lizzy,I don't have any experence with this but ,,,,I'm sure Janh will comment and alot of are better educated forum people will all so.
Hopefully she will get on her meds and have a long happy life with you.
Oh no, I really feel for you. poor Mika, at least she has you to love her lots and give her a good quality of life.
All three of these viruses are extremely common in cats, that is why calici and rhino are included in 3/1 shots. CV exposure affects from about 70% to the upper 90% of cats. Most cats, particularly if vaccinated, rather easily fight off these infections. The purpose of having titer tests is to try and find out what a problematic infection is. Just based on vaccinations, cats will have titers for rhino and calici.
IF the active virus is rhino, then there are meds one can give for it. Calici and CV - and mild rhino - are usually dealt with by providing support and perhaps giving clavamox to avoid a bacterial infection kicking up.
It seems the vet was just interested in frightening you. These things are like cat flu. They CAN be dangerous, but usually are not. Perhaps you need a feline vet. If the rhino is a bad case, consider seeing a vet ophthalmologist. The battery of meds are often viroptic drops, feline interferon, L Lysine, clavamox and trioptic ointment. Most cases do not need all that firepower.
Cats with URIs often go off food because they cannot smell. Make sure she gets enough food and moisture. You can syringe feed Hills AD food with an equal amount of water or Pedialyte. Have your vet show you how to tent the skin over her shoulders to make sure she remains hydrated. She may also need sub q fluids, which you can learn to do yourself if she needs it often. If she cannot breathe, that needs emergency attention and she may need to be hospitalized to be provided oxygen and warmth. (Keep her in a warm moist environment to ease breathing - a bathroom that you fog with a hot shower is one way to do it.)
The breeder may be a bad apple and may have increased the chance of this infection, but it - and even they - sadly are common in cats and most vets will know how to handle even bad cases. I see no reason for repeated testing. You will see improvements before you will see titer changes, which seem to me a useless expense once a diagnosis is made.
I am so sorry that you're going through this. I believe that many cats have the herpes and corona virus, but it seems to effect them differently. Usually in times of stress is when it breaks out. There are some supplements I know that you can give to really help with the herpes. One of them is L-lysine. While it's available in a paste form that is supposed to taste like something cats like, I actually ended up with Simon having it compounded into a treat for him. It was kind of expensive, but worth it to keep him taking it. Another is Co-enzyme q10 (
http://www.wellvet.com/coq10.html - Just a link - I'm not promoting this site or the actual product shown). Hopefully you'll find that you can manage the problems - and we're all here for you if you need us.
We need a Board specifically for complaints about breeders to help prevent further victims.
Lizzy if the breeder is in California, please tell me who it is. Thanks.
By the way, what meds is she on?
Mika is on L-lysine paste and the malted kelp which boosts her vitamin intake and gives her a better appetite,the breeder is in the uk,these bad breeders should be banned from owning animals they make me so mad.
The vet is trying a new test to test for shedding through her poo to see if the virus is mutateing and i have just got mika's results back and she is shedding it which the vet was hoping she wasn't so ive to repeat the test in a months time so they can build up a profile on her levels,there useing her as a guinea pig but im not bothered if it helps cats in the future plus its no stress to mika.
(05-12-2010 02:30 PM)Laura Wrote: [ -> ]We need a Board specifically for complaints about breeders to help prevent further victims.
Agreed!!