Two Devon Rex Beauties -special Needs

[yellowgirl]

Shared on FB. Being cat flu means their transport options are limited as they can't go commercial.

That's a really good point Ams.

Just wondering if any cat experts have any input on this? My understanding is that cat flu is only spread by a carrier cat sneezing or coughing directly onto another cat and is not spread by bedding, bowls, general touching, etc. FIV on the other hand is the one that is far more easily spread just by cats being in the same area and sharing bowls, etc. Do I have this right?

[HazyWal]

Merry Christmas to Yellowgirl, someone with a huge heart who does so much for animals in need and doesn't baulk at ones with huge medical and physical needs.

If only everyone was like that, the world would be a much nicer place.

Yes I agree Merry Xmas YG. I love LLDR (and Iggy Rescue :) ) and I also follow you guys on FB.

[aussielover]

Shared on FB. Being cat flu means their transport options are limited as they can't go commercial.

That's a really good point Ams.

Just wondering if any cat experts have any input on this? My understanding is that cat flu is only spread by a carrier cat sneezing or coughing directly onto another cat and is not spread by bedding, bowls, general touching, etc. FIV on the other hand is the one that is far more easily spread just by cats being in the same area and sharing bowls, etc. Do I have this right?

No I think you have it backwards.

Cat flu if very easily spread thru direct sneezing/coughing or indirectly coming into contact with dirty bedding, food bowls etc

FIV is like HIV and spread via blood or other body fluids but not very easily transmissible.

[yellowgirl]

Merry Christmas to Yellowgirl, someone with a huge heart who does so much for animals in need and doesn't baulk at ones with huge medical and physical needs.

If only everyone was like that, the world would be a much nicer place.

Yes I agree Merry Xmas YG. I love LLDR (and Iggy Rescue :) ) and I also follow you guys on FB.

Thank you HazyWal (new name? :) ) and thank you for your support this year. I hope you have a lovely Christmas too :)

Shared on FB. Being cat flu means their transport options are limited as they can't go commercial.

That's a really good point Ams.

Just wondering if any cat experts have any input on this? My understanding is that cat flu is only spread by a carrier cat sneezing or coughing directly onto another cat and is not spread by bedding, bowls, general touching, etc. FIV on the other hand is the one that is far more easily spread just by cats being in the same area and sharing bowls, etc. Do I have this right?

No I think you have it backwards.

Cat flu if very easily spread thru direct sneezing/coughing or indirectly coming into contact with dirty bedding, food bowls etc

FIV is like HIV and spread via blood or other body fluids but not very easily transmissible.

Oh, you're right aussielover, thank you. Glad I asked. This link was helpful http://www.freewebs.com/pembrokeshirecats/cathealth.htm

[Guest Ams]

I have a house full of cat flu or Catchoo cats as they are known at the RSPCA Wacol. They are all perfectly healthy apart from the odd sneeze every now and then. One may need a dose of antibiotics every now and then (rarely) if they get really sick but otherwise it makes no difference to them or their health. All my cats are indoors and they are used to that as they have never known what it is like to be outside unless the did an escape run and were quickly either caught or treed by either Askari or Acheron (my cat wranglers aka pei).

[*kirty*]

If they are flu prone, get them on lysine powder (1/8th teaspoon twice daily in their food or mix some in their water bowl). It reduces the number and severity of outbreaks. Cat flu is carried for life but they usually only have outbreaks when they are stressed (emotionally or physically). So once settled in their new home, they hopefully won't have many more.

[The Spotted Devil]

If they are flu prone, get them on lysine powder (1/8th teaspoon twice daily in their food or mix some in their water bowl). It reduces the number and severity of outbreaks. Cat flu is carried for life but they usually only have outbreaks when they are stressed (emotionally or physically). So once settled in their new home, they hopefully won't have many more.

Beat me to it. Exactly this. Get them on Musashi lysine ASAP. One of mine is on it for life as he was terribly ill as a kitten. As soon as we take him off it he gets congested. All my foster mums get put on it as a matter of course and my own cats get the same dose as Dizzy when they go into boarding.

Edited December 23, 2013 by The Spotted Devil

[yellowgirl]

I have a house full of cat flu or Catchoo cats as they are known at the RSPCA Wacol. They are all perfectly healthy apart from the odd sneeze every now and then. One may need a dose of antibiotics every now and then (rarely) if they get really sick but otherwise it makes no difference to them or their health. All my cats are indoors and they are used to that as they have never known what it is like to be outside unless the did an escape run and were quickly either caught or treed by either Askari or Acheron (my cat wranglers aka pei).

That's good to hear Ams, thank you. Cleo and Patrick have improved such a lot since being here. They were coughing and sneezing quite a bit to start with and Cleo's eyes in particular were very weepy, but as they continued to settle and feel safer here there's been a great improvement. Patrick does get a cough when he hisses at the dogs though, but these days that's not very often as he mostly tolerates them unless they get a bit too nosey for his liking.

If they are flu prone, get them on lysine powder (1/8th teaspoon twice daily in their food or mix some in their water bowl). It reduces the number and severity of outbreaks. Cat flu is carried for life but they usually only have outbreaks when they are stressed (emotionally or physically). So once settled in their new home, they hopefully won't have many more.

Beat me to it. Exactly this. Get them on Musashi lysine ASAP. One of mine is on it for life as he was terribly ill as a kitten. As soon as we take him off it he gets congested. All my foster mums get put on it as a matter of course and my own cats get the same dose as Dizzy when they go into boarding.

Thanks kirty and TSD :) I had a sample pack of lysine and tried adding it to their food but they refused to eat it. I couldn't risk them not eating, especially in the beginning, so I stopped adding it. As you mentioned Kirty, I noticed more coughing or sneezing when they were stressed, their stress is very limited now so any relapse is minimal at this stage. I'd heard really good things about lysine for cats so I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't give Cleo and Patrick the benefit of it. I might try adding it to one of their water bowls, I hadn't thought of that.

[Cat]

Hope you find good homes for them. They are gorgeous!

[redangel]

Just of interest have they been tested for FIV? I rescued/ then adopted a Siamese from a cat hoarder once...he was positive FIV. That meant I had to be vigilant as he was prone to getting flu like illness which would usually end up with him getting abs and spending time on iv fluids. Reoccurred every 12 mths or so

I would recommend FIV status before rehoming.

I wish them a wonderful home.

[Guest Ams]

Just of interest have they been tested for FIV? I rescued/ then adopted a Siamese from a cat hoarder once...he was positive FIV. That meant I had to be vigilant as he was prone to getting flu like illness which would usually end up with him getting abs and spending time on iv fluids. Reoccurred every 12 mths or so

I would recommend FIV status before rehoming.

I wish them a wonderful home.

Unfortunately if they have been vaccinated then they test positive for FIV anyway so you will never know if it is from the vaccine or if they actually have the virus.

[Guest Wildthing]

You can have a blood test done that differentiates between the vaccine and the virus. The sample either goes to Melbourne or Adelaide for testing.

[yellowgirl]

Hope you find good homes for them. They are gorgeous!

They really are sweethearts Cat :)

Just of interest have they been tested for FIV? I rescued/ then adopted a Siamese from a cat hoarder once...he was positive FIV. That meant I had to be vigilant as he was prone to getting flu like illness which would usually end up with him getting abs and spending time on iv fluids. Reoccurred every 12 mths or so

I would recommend FIV status before rehoming.

I wish them a wonderful home.

Unfortunately if they have been vaccinated then they test positive for FIV anyway so you will never know if it is from the vaccine or if they actually have the virus.

You can have a blood test done that differentiates between the vaccine and the virus. The sample either goes to Melbourne or Adelaide for testing.

Thanks Redangle, Ams and Wildthing, the cats were tested when they were at the RSPCA, they came in with several other sick cats from a hoarding situation and they all needed to be tested to see who had what. They all had cat flu but not FIV. xx

[_PL_]

YG this is going to sound very vague but a few yrs ago a rex pair (the crinkly type lol) was left at a boarding facility for re-homing. They got in touch with either a club or a referral rescue service and they found a really nice rex-savvy home from their waiting list.

If I can find what it was I'll PM but you might just have to goggle it.

x

eta (I see you already have pretty good coverage) :)

example from google

rex fanciers club SA rescue

Edited December 27, 2013 by Powerlegs

[yellowgirl]

YG this is going to sound very vague but a few yrs ago a rex pair (the crinkly type lol) was left at a boarding facility for re-homing. They got in touch with either a club or a referral rescue service and they found a really nice rex-savvy home from their waiting list.

If I can find what it was I'll PM but you might just have to goggle it.

x

eta example from google

rex fanciers club SA rescue

Yep, these are the 'crinkly type' :) I don't know how I missed the link you posted, I'd been googling like mad to find other avenues. Thank you though, I've sent them an email. xx