Feline Herpesvirus or Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR)

FVR is an infectious viral disease with no cure. The virus is spread in the saliva and secretions from the eyes and nose of an infected cat. Symptoms are sneezing, nasal congestion and conjunctivitis and appear within 2-5 days. The cat is infectious during the incubation and active infection periods. Active infections can last 10-20 days. The virus can live in the environment as long as the secretion containing it is moist. References disagree on how many infected cats become carriers. Some say 100% and some say around 80%. Given that human herpes is a lifelong virus that can be passed to others and can have outbreaks, I'm going with the cat herpes being 100% as well. Stress and illness can cause the virus to become reactivated resulting in a community-wide outbreak. The virus may also cause keratitis which, in chronic or severe infections, can cause corneal ulcers leading to scarring and blindness. Sick cats often become infected with secondary bacterial infections which must then be treated with antibiotics. Whether the cat actually has a secondary bacterial infection is questionable since there is no difference in symptoms described, but there is no doubt that antibiotics or equivalent homeopathic remedies greatly improve the condition of a cat with symptoms of upper respiratory infection or conjunctivitis regardless of the cause.

Reactivation of the virus and severity of symptoms relate to age. Kittens are the most susceptible and symptoms may reoccur four or more times before they reach a year and a half old. Symptoms usually become less severe with each outbreak as the cat builds up antibodies, so cats outgrow susceptibility and most older cats rarely show signs of infection or the signs are mild and pass without treatment. The infections also occur seasonally with fall being the worst time of year.

There are two things that can happen to result in permanent damage. First is that feral kittens will not allow themselves to be seen or caught until they are very sick. They heal with treatment, but the damage is already done. Second is heredity which plays a large part in susceptibility. We have seen this in the increased incidence and severity of this virus in the cat population over the years to the point where some individuals do not respond well to treatment or can become chronic with short intervals between reactivations. Does this mean they aren't being treated? Of course not.

On the other hand, what about natural immunity? This is an important aspect of natural selection. Without it, a virus can wipe out an entire population. Natural immunity just recently appeared in this population with a cat who never showed symptoms and required no treatment. Or perhaps it reappeared, because we never had sick kittens like this many years ago. Every domesticated animal in the world is bred by human beings, not by nature. Human beings decide which traits will be allowed to come forward. Many of those traits are a mutation. Folded ears, short tails, kinked tails, extra toes, short legs and hairlessness to name a few. Some, like hairlessness, would never survive in the wild but we intentionally breed these animals as novelties. Breeding focus on a mutation will often make less desirable traits acceptable. Sphynx cats, for example, may develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a neurological disease called hereditary myopathy. Munchkin cats are likely to suffer the same medical issues as short-legged dogs. We intentionally create animals because we like the way they look and ignore the fact that we are also giving them medical problems. When possible, we should encourage populations of animals that will experience natural selection to ensure a diverse gene pool.

While I'm not intentionally breeding a population of cats, I have allowed the population to go on about their lives with minimal human interference. Since when did that become animal cruelty? I've never heard a complaint about these animals. They do not bother anyone and they do their job keeping rodents out of the animal feed. From time to time we give kittens away to people we know will give them good homes. They are lovely companion cats with great personalities.

It is not normal for us to have so many cats inside the house. We've actually never had more than a dozen special cats who stayed inside. This is an unusual situation created by a series of circumstances that I was working on resolving. The state did not need to bully their way into my life and make it more difficult with their destructive actions. Their idea of a resolution is most definitely not mine. The worst thing you can do to a population with the herpes virus is cause them stress. It's just senseless and cruel.

Whether my cats are single or multiple in a household, they will still have the virus, can still pass it on, and can still have outbreaks. Scattering them among households will only spread the virus to animals who maybe were never exposed. There is a very real risk to other cats. That risk became clear when one of the strange cats abandoned here by the state got outside and became very sick with virus symptoms. He was completely unsocialized and could not be approached. Every time I took medicated food out for him, he disappeared. He could not be caught until he became too ill to run away or fight me. By then he was emaciated. If this was one of my cats, he would never get this sick from the herpes virus. He clearly had little resistance to the strain of virus that resides within my cats, but he was treated and recovered completely. He is back inside and can even be approached and petted now, but if he had gone into hiding, he would be dead. This cat never should have been put at risk like that and it's the people who purport to be protecting animals that intentionally put him in this situation. I don't care for the hypocrisy.

The point is, it makes more sense to keep this community isolated and manage the symptoms. As this community stabilizes and ages, the incidence of reactivation will decline. It's not rocket science. It's just common sense.

• Merck Veterinary Manual
• Science Direct
• VCA Hospitals
• The Native Antigen Company

Article Posted August 14, 2020, Updated March 7, 2021 by Elmvale Farm