Hello human.
Feline Herpes virus (FHV-1) is a virus that can cause ‘cat flu’ and symptoms including sneezing, coughing, nasal discharge, and eye discharge.
The day after kitten Kwazi came home from the humane society, he began sneezing and had a black gooey discharge from his eyes. Our humans took him back to see the vet and found out he had Feline Herpes. Kwazi likely had had the disease before he was brought to the shelter.
How much do you know about Feline Herpes? Answer these four questions to test your knowledge. The answers follow each question.
Your cat or kitten should see the vet if he has a discharge from his eye that is what color? 👀
A. Greenish-black
B. Yellow
C. Clear or pale tan
D. Either A or B
Dear human, if our eye discharge is deep yellow or greenish black , it can be a sign that we needs to see the vet. The answer is D.
True or False? 👿 Feline Herpes (FHV-1) is a contagious disease.
ANSWER: Dear human, Feline Herpes a contagious disease that causes an upper respiratory infections, and the answer is True. When symptoms are present, the disease can be contagious.
Symptoms include runny nose, clogged sinuses, inflamed corneas (of the eye), corneal ulcers (loss of epithelium on the surface of the cornea) and eye discharge.
.
True or False? 😼 Feline Herpes virus is cured by an ointment you can get from your veterinarian.
ANSWER: Dear human, The virus cannot be cured, so the answer is False. Flare-ups of the virus are commonly treated with ointments and/or eye drops. Some vets recommend additional treatments, such as giving amino acids and/or anti-viral drugs.
True or False? 😽 The Feline Herpes virus can be prevented.
ANSWER: Most important, dear human: Feline Herpes can be prevented by getting your kitten vaccinated at age six to eight weeks. When your cat is year old, the cat should begin receiving a booster shots every year, and the answer is True.
How did you do, dear human?
So now you know, once a cat has Feline Herpes, it can be treated but it can’t be cured.
How do you know if your cat has Feline Herpes? Only a vet can diagnose that. Cats normally have occasional eye discharge. We appreciate it when you gently wipe our goop away with a soft clean cloth. But, dear human, if we are sneezing, and/or have a lot of discharge, or the eye discharge is yellow or greenish black, it’s probably time to take us to the vet (whether we want to go or not).
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Every effort to educate humans about FH is important. Many folks are clueless about symptoms, preventions and medications. This is well written article with the key points.
Thank you Ginger.
Thank you for a great article. Very informative.