Calicivirus

We just came home from the vet - our new babies, Klaus and Anika both probably have calicivirus. I knew they had colds but now I'm being told this.

We just lost our first baby - 1 year old - to feline leukemia 2 months ago.

We are really scared. I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has experience with this. We feed our kittens, wet food - Avoderm with no dry food. What else should we do?

What is the prognosis? They both have little ulcers on their tongues but have recovered from their cold symptoms.

I know I'm rambling but we are so scared. We've had them one week and have already fallen in love with them.

Thanks,
Debbie

I have had a cat with calicivirus and can say that he recovered well from it. It lingered in his mouth and throat and he had to have teeth removed in the end. I'm no expert so I don't know if this is a normal thing to happen. He has allergies that are unrelated to the calicivirus so has to have steroids, but he charges round the house like a young kitten and is the most affectionate cat you could wish for. Hang on in there - hopefully all will be well.

Hi Tennis girl - not sure which country you are but if uk the Feline Advisory Bureau has a good website for info on calici - both my boys caught this = one at a show and the other from him , they did only have it mildly and recovered quite quickly without antibiotics , we were told by our vet that just think how you feel with flu and that is how they feel. Jacki may be able to give you better advise as i am sure she must have come across this quite a bit im her job. Both my boys are fine now ( they were 25 weeks when they got it ) I believe if they have no underlying health problems and have been vacinated with lots of TLC , they will shake this off. Warm, love, space to feel miserable and smelly food and only meds they had was bisolvin did it for ours. Good luck and keep us posted x

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Originally Posted by tennisgirlsc

We just came home from the vet - our new babies, Klaus and Anika both probably have calicivirus. I knew they had colds but now I'm being told this.

We just lost our first baby - 1 year old - to feline leukemia 2 months ago.

We are really scared. I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has experience with this. We feed our kittens, wet food - Avoderm with no dry food. What else should we do?

What is the prognosis? They both have little ulcers on their tongues but have recovered from their cold symptoms.

I know I'm rambling but we are so scared. We've had them one week and have already fallen in love with them.

Thanks,
Debbie

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Lots of good advice from people on here who have had to deal with the same problem,the fact that they have all ready recovered from their cold symptoms is a good sign bless them make sure they are getting plenty of fluids as their tongues are still sore,its always handy asking for a syringe to have on standby so you can dribble extra fluids into the side of the mouth if required & as everyone else says plenty of TLC. Can understand your panic loosing a cat to feline leukemia must have been devastating & although there can be a nasty side to calicivirus I have to say its been a long long time since I have seen one mostly the ones I can remember have gone on to make very good recoveries or at the worst slight flare ups occasionaly so along with everyone else fingers crossed for you & your babies...x

Thanks to everyone for your advice and support.

They did not tell me which strain it was but they are running around the house and are showing no signs of illness other than the ulcers on their tongues.

As far as the lysine goes, I am calling the vet in the morning - she mentioned a lysine powder that goes into their food yesterday. I will pick this up tomorrow.

They look wonderful and are so sweet!!!!! I've never had kittens that are so sweet before! They have already won our hearts!!!

Once again, thanks so much to all of you for your kind words and support. It is scary after losing our last kitten but I feel confident that these two are on the upswing :smile:

Picked up lysine from the vet today. The vet prescribed 2 doses of 250mg twice daily.

Does this sound like too much? I do NOT want loose stools.....

I'm hoping this helps with the mouth ulcers.

I'm happy to report that the lysine worked magic! Thanks so much for the tip :-) They are doing so well! Another question - since they have had calicivirus, should they receive the next booster which contains this virus? I'm very scared of giving vaccines to kittens who have compromised immune systems. Also, when should I take them for their spay/neuter? I was thinking 4 months? I want to build up their immune systems before so obviously, IF they receive the booster shots, the timing comes into play. Thanks so much to everyone for your help and concern :-) Merry Christmas to everyone!

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Originally Posted by candes

Glad it worked so well. You certain they didn't have herpes also? That responds really well to lysine. You never know, they could have had 2 viruses. They did come from a shelter, and the more cats, the more likely this can happen. As for vaccinations, that is your vets call. Spay/neuter I feel 6 months is best. Since yours aren't pure breed, I don't feel facial boning is an issue for your male. And you get any later than 6 months, you can see some hormonal behaviors. I feel 4 months is too eary, but that is my opinion.

My allergic Teddy Bearz has been shut off vacinations by me. And 2 vets had nothing to say about that either. They know... Even with special preparations you can still lose your cat. Allergies get worse each time. The last time, I didn't even want to attempt more than one shot at a time due to his allergies. He ended up with anaphylaxis from his rabies shot. Just imagine if I gave him more than one (along with his rabies) what could have happened. Now my Teddy is not the norm. Sasha, will be getting hers though.

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I'm a little confused by the facial boning? What does that mean exactly? I certainly don't want his bones growing in crazy! haha

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Originally Posted by candes

The male jowls. A big tom cat face. Trying it with a moggie is dangerous since male behaviors are a certain. Maine Coons are slow developers, so they may not spray or show dominant male behaviors as quickly. Thus some folks will allow the male face to develop before neutering. That is just for folks that like a macho looking face. I could be wrong but I think there is no in between for show cats. Either you have a neuter or not. Their looks can't be mixed.

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Thanks for your help. I will probably take them both after they are 4 months old. I'm terrified of the two of them finding each other "attractive" haha

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Originally Posted by candes

Well I never had oppositie sex kittens the same age. Yeah I would be nervouse also. Not sure what I would do since I am not in your shoes. My own vet advises waiting to spay/neuter at around 6 months. Now this surprises me since many shelters do it when kittens are very young. And feel it is totally harmless. I think there would have to be some later problems from this. I wonder if this would cause small head size in males. And perhaps urological problems in females. Dunno... Studies can always be slanted one way or another. So I would prefer not chancing it. Perhaps this is a good vet question also?

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In general terms...what is the earliest that Klaus might approach Anika and well......ask for a date ;-)

Candes how old was teddy bearz when you neutered him? I am supposed to neuter my Pouncy next friday he will be almost 5 months but I am thinking
about waiting a little longer...Im not sure

It is a very difficult decision ... our 3 are from the same litter & our vet said wait until they are 6 months old at least - preferably longer - and try to do them all together. However Tess was done at 5.5 months as the boys were increasingly finding her trousers absolutely fascinating! Our vet was quite happy to do her and Tess recovered incredibly well. I was a fussing Mum when we collected her and all she wanted to do was play with her brothers - she even kept her dressing on until she went to have her stitches out, bless her :smile:

Finn & Marco were 'done' just shy of 7 months as they were getting very boisterous, and Marco in particular was wanting to go out more and seek a lady friend :koolkat:. Again Mum fussed and they were absolutely fine - playing the same evening. Finn calmed down within a couple of weeks whereas Marco took longer - in fact he still lives up to his name and is a real adventure seeker! We live in an extremely rural area and he loves exploring the small wooded area behind the house - usually bringing back little furry presents for Mum & Dad - something that Tigger taught him how to do!!

Anyway, they all calmed down and were more loving and cuddly within a short while, they've grown & matured well so we have no regrets that they were done when they were. As others say, IMHO I would be guided by your vet and your instincts - only you can see how they interact with each other and see any changes in their boy / girl behaviour.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I will wait as long as possible for the spay/neuter - definitely not before 4 months and hopefully closer to 6. I'll have to keep a close eye on the two of them.....they are not left alone very often so we should be ok.

Hi, Calici is a shedding virus that is found on most cats and is usually stress activated in kittens by moving homes, vaccinations etc...extra vitamins can help their immune system to develop which are usually found in top of the range dry cat foods or as additional supplements...it can be a mild cold/flu or more serious in some cats. If they are eating, drinking playing etc, then that is a very good sign they will shake it off themselves. Sometimes a mild dose of broad spectrum antibiotics will be needed for a few days but your vet will tell you if they need it. When they are due their boosters don't worry, they can get it more than once in their life and it is usually only a mild sniffle the same as we get common colds. Ulcers in the mouth is common and helps to identify it easily, if they are there after about a week contact your vet again and let him know. URI are relatively common in pedigree breeds but their immune systems usually cope with it, so don't worry too much...remember, if they eat, drink and play then they are keeping well, if it's the opposite, then contact your vet immediately. Hope this helps a bit :)

I had Rasputin done about 5.5 months, he's not the manliest round the face but I'm not convinced leaving him longer would've been worth my stressing about the possibility of spraying or other manly activities!

Sorry to hear about your problems with your babies xx

When I got our two girls back from BSB Zech, both girls had calici, they had a 3 week course of Antibiotics, they also had other problems as well!! ( so extra precations ) they recovered and they have never looked back.. Fingers crossed, touch would etc etc, they have never been sick again... with ANYTHING!!

All my cats get L-Lycine, which I buy from the internet in their food everyday.. and this works a treat!

I am just getting my little girl tested for both herpes and calci. I thought once they had these viruses they had them for life. Do you mean when you say they recovered that they weren't shedding the virus? I'm worried that she has one of them and I've just put her on lysine, but am I worrying more than I need to? She is still eating and acting like a normal kitten. She is not ill with it, except for sneezing and a bit of eye discharge. I want to get another kitten soon but I'm not sure if any breeder will sell me anything knowing that I already have a cat with either virus.