Ok i know the first thing everyone is going to think is that i need to go to the vet.... but i have been 8 times!

We got Eric at 7 weeks old, he'd been neglected and had a very bad case of cat flu... we took him straight to the vet that night and he was given antibiotics. He recovered well and then a week after the antibiotics stopped he became ill again. we went back to the vet and repeated the process of antibiotics and eye drops etc.... this continued to happen and we repeated this process a total of 4 times.

Last month he got the flu again and the vet placed him on a 30 day course of antibiotics..... its now 5 days since he finished this course and he has it again. The vet doesnt seem to know what to do now as Eric had the virus before he was vaccinated (he is fully vaccinated etc... he is like my baby.... treated better than my family)

I've tried everything, i bath his eyes with salt water, he comes into the bathroom with me so that the steam clears his nose....

I dont know what else to do.

He is eating and drinking and is still active etc

thanks
danielle:

i forgot to say he is 6 months old tomorrow so this has been going on for some time

Hi hun I had the same problem with 2 of my cats when I was living with my mum. Their cat flu went on for the amount of time too. The vet thought they may have had feline FIV (a cat version of AIDS I believe) and when we booked them in to be neutered we did the test at the same time.

It may be worth talking to your vet about this. A test for FIV costs around £50 I believe. I'm not sure about the treatment - if there is much of one. Our vet told us that if my 2 cats did have it there was no point in them coming home to us.

Thankfully they did not have it and did not have another bout of cat flu afterwards - their immune system wasn't too good but got better as they grew.

Hope it helps

oh..... christ you've scared me now.... does FIV have the same symptoms??

Thanks

also is this hereditary? The girl i got them from had 2 house cats so they never went outside and Eric is still a virgin as he hasn't left our house (he's too young)

No it doesn't, though those which have FIV may have recurrent issues as they do not have a fully functioning immune system.

Have your vets tested for Chlamydia?

ETA: FIV is transmitted by biting & fighting not by sexual contact.

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I don't mean to scare you, just telling you what happened to me x

I'm not sure if it is hereditary - it was a few years ago and I never looked into it. I know they got the cat flu from their mother though so it could be that your kitty just has a weak immune system which will strengthen in time.

My 2 never left the house either

Your best bet is to ask your vet - there could be loads of reasons why it keeps coming back.

He hasnt been tested for anything i dont think.... he's been to get diagnosed as having cat flu and has had his vaccinations but i ont think they have officially tested for anything - they havent taken blood or swabs etc.... thanks ladies

If a cat has caught flu (either type - FHV or FCV) from its carrier mother then the vaccinations will do nothing and cannot cure it. The most they can do is protect against the other type (as in, kitten has caught FCV from its mum but not FHV). But there are minor strains of flu that can't be protected against.

The worst is FCV which can be fatal, I think if yours had this you might be aware by now. Ulcers in the mouth are definitive plus very sick kittens, and as I said, this one can kill.

Chlamydia is also a respiratory problem and can be very easily cured but only with the right antibiotics. Cats can recover from Clamydia but be reinfected as the immunity doesn't last long. Treatment includes Doxycycline as one of the few that's available in the UK that will knock it out.

Good feeding will help as will supplements designed to boost the immune system. I have heard L-Lysine can help with cases of FHV.

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Ok well the vet has tried him on 2 types of antibiotic so far... I'll ask about the testing, he's on the Hills science Plan food wet twice a day and dry is out all of the time. He doesn't have ulcers and seems to be eating and drinking as normal.

I'm unsure of what the antibiotics were called he has been on tablets 3 times and a liquid that had to be refrigerated for one week.

I might ask if i can see another vet?? Our practice is a veterinary hospital so they should be able to accommodate my wishes.... hopefully.

The only other pain is his treatment as he's insured but this may be treated as a pre-existing condition as he had cat flu when we first got him and he was diagnosed within the first 14 days of his policy....

It's just a pain.... our other cat Denis has a heart murmur and it cost us 570 pounds to get that diagnosed as that was also a pre existing condition.