Hi guys

The vet thinks one of my new queens has calicivirus and when I asked how she would have gotten it I was told from her mother before her vaccinations would have been given.
I asked her if I was unable to breed from her and she told me that it would be fine.

Now im worried because if she caught it from her mum, then her kittens will catch it as well wont they?
When I read about it on the net it says its highly contagious??? Also will my other cats be at risk? Their vaccinations are kept up to date?

When I told her breeder she told me that 2 thirds of pedigree cats have this and its quite common – anyone else think this is true or is it rubbish??

Sorry for all the questions

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Breeders of Burmese & Siamese Cats
www.purrfactor.com

Unfortunately it is quite common, not sure about 2/3 of cats having it but I'd bet a fairly high percentage!
It could be a risk to breed from her, but when you say your vet "thinks" she has it, why not actually do a test if you want to be certain?

Calici infected cats mostly clear the infection within 6 months or so, and then do not shed virus, but they can be reinfected at a later date, and vaccines are not very effective - hence it being so common.

There is an excellent article on the FAB website about the various types of cat flu.

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brilliant thanks naomi - feel bit better now! phew!
the vet has said i can do a test to make sure it is that - so think i will do that.
The vet also said that it cannot be treated as you say. But at least i will know either way.

Thanks for confirming!

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Breeders of Burmese & Siamese Cats
www.purrfactor.com

You might find these links useful


http://www.critterology.com/feline_calicivirus-110.html

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/cat_fl..._syndrome.html

http://www.cat-health-guide.org/feli...ici-virus.html

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Thanks for those links - its really useful

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Breeders of Burmese & Siamese Cats
www.purrfactor.com

I thought cats could have it for up to 18 months and some can be left carriers,i was told not to breed from "known" carriers as stress can flare outbreaks up.There is a test it determine if they are carriers,and normal vaccines dont protect from this strain,vaccinated cats however have lesser symptoms,new born kittens that pick this up from parents,or other cats rarley liveas the mucus build up prevents them feeding,its horrible,its highly contagious(when they are snotty and sneezing)and a nightmare to deal with when you have several cats,infected animals should be isolated until better.I had 7 cats come down with this at the beginning of last year,bought in from a new,un quarantined cat,cost me the best part of £1800 in vets fees!a tough lesson learnt.

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(formally clare7577)

As long as they only have a mild case, they tend to shed the virus for up to 75 days after contact and then they don't shed it any more and the majority of cats go on to make a full recovery. Some cats go on to be carriers but I do believe this is much more of a rarity. It is also worth remembering that if a kitten is stressed after it's vaccines, it can contract the virus from there too so it isn't always a case of it coming from another cat.

There is so much information about this virus, and I do believe that some of it is conflicting and the stuff on the American websites in particular is terrifying!

It is definately something that you need to be on your guard with but unfortunately, there are a lot of breeders out there that have it in their household and may not even realise, thus spreading the virus even further.

The real on to worry about is FHV as that is a nasty one that I don't think cats ever rid themselves of at all.

Its definatly a worry,the cat i bought in looked the picture of health,but after 4/5 days started sneezing,and it spread like wildfire,not only can it spread cat to cat,but from you and objects too!!you need to isolate and change clothes,wash bowls,hands etc.

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(formally clare7577)

I wasn't saying that you don't need to be careful - I was simply saying that with Calici, the cat can get better and clear the virus completely. Some never even show any symptoms at all. I would imagine the cat you had in was symptom free too until it came to you and the move would have made it stressed and then it started to show symptoms.

When I said the one to worry about was FHV, this is because it is a similar type of virus but you cannot clear it at all and it causes much worse symptoms than the FCV does.

I certainly wasn't trivialising calici at all.

I wouldn't breed from a cat who had had calici. Not worth the risk really.