Cats with Herpes and Some Inexpensive Help

by Marijo Phelps⁽¹⁰⁾

Our little orange tabby, DT was the latest addition to our growing family of kitties. After he came into the household all the other 3 cats had a couple of days of sneezing. We didn’t think much of that until the girls started getting a squinting eye with some discharge. We took them to our cat specialist who tried antibiotics to no avail.

About a week later we found ourselves taking “the girls” (Mitzi and Katy) to an eye specialist. Aside from a pony in the parking lot being treated by the vet his office looked pretty much like any “normal” vet. We found out that both the girls had herpes in their eye and could eventually go blind from it. That and the fact that Katy had a tooth pulled put the girl’s medical bill up to $1000 in just six short weeks. We then cancelled Christmas. The kitties and their eyes would be my husband’s and my gift to each other.

The vet said that DT got herpes when he was born from his mother’s infected birth canal.

The eye specialist gave me L-Lycine for the girls and instructed me how to melt it in water and give it to them twice a day. He was charging $10 for 10 pills. I had the presence of mind to ask if this was the same L-Lycine found in the health food stores (actually Wal-Mart for a huge bottle is less than $3) and he said yes.

Pretty soon DT got a “gotch eye” – Mommy was quick to “diagnose” herpes in his eye and being the L-Lycine. He was not fond of it mixed with his food so we got a large bar-b-que basting syringe and gave it to him a sip at a time in his mouth. Imagine the hand scruffed half grown tiger wiggling, stabbing his back claws into whatever part of me was available, and running away. I proved a bit more persistent and within 2 days the “gotch eye” was gone.

L-Lycine is an amino acid (protein) and actually is helpful with “people” herpes (cold sores or otherwise) outbreaks if caught at the first sign of symptoms. It sure fixed the kitties. We have been using it on all of ours for 9 years now and have always turned around their herpes attacks and have never had to take one to the vet for herpes since.

Most are more compliant that DT and will take it mixed with a small amount of canned cat food. This approach is much more fun for “mommy” than the syringe but you do what you have to do to keep from cancelling Christmas again.

Article submitted Monday, November 02, 2009 & read 192 times.

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» left by Lorrie Davids⁽⁶⁸⁶⁾ (2 years 199 days ago.)

Wow - Marijo. I have learned much from your article. Thanks for sharing this story.

» left by Lorrie Davids⁽⁶⁸⁶⁾ (2 years 199 days ago.)

Wow - Marijo. I have learned much from your article. Thanks for sharing this story.

» left by Anonymous (2 years 199 days ago.)

Yah, sometimes I feel like we are learning - the hard way... but we are learning! Have to do 2 more - one on how we got Hooney (DT Willer - he is the subject of many of my stories - for kids especially as he is so willful and ornery - a good object lesson... but haven't told how we got him and the one on how we got Mitzi too is really fun. hopefully will make people willing to "rescue" or adopt those in trouble.) Thanks for reading! Marijo

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