Aug 18, 2009

Feral Cat - Pregnant Queen

pregnant cat queen tortoise shell
The one that got away... this tortoise shell queen is popping with kittens! I love kittens but the whole feral cat thing is very sad. They don't have much of a life to look forward to. This is why I try so hard to trap them for spay/neutering.

I also received a sad comment on the photo-post titled Suspicious Cat and I need to share this with all of you to help better inform....

The anonymous commenter wrote of a feral kitten she brought to her vet. The vet basically told her a dark and scary tale of how the kitten had herpes and how it wouldn't make it without medication and it would just infect other cats in the meantime. Furthermore, the rescuer-lady is pregnant and was also worried about the dogs she had in her home. Saddened, she allowed the vet to euthanize the baby.

I sympathize totally, but I'm also angry with this veterinarian for needlessly scaring this well-meaning rescuer..

We're going to clear up any misinformation right now:

HUMANS CANNOT GET FELINE HERPES VIRUS. It has never happened and it never will. Her veterinarian unnecessarily frightened her because he/she failed to tell her that humans CANNOT be infected by feline herpes.



It may not have made a difference, but I want all readers to know - for future reference - that Feline Herpes is NOTHING (absolutely NOTHING) like human herpes and people can't get it.

I've worked with dozens and dozens of sick cats, almost all of them with feline herpes. About 70 percent of the cat population in America has had Feline Herpes at one time or another (some sources cited below)... And again; HUMANS CANNOT BE INFECTED BY FELINE HERPES.

Dogs can't be infected with feline herpes, either.

Feline Herpes (sometimes called Cat Flu) is a respiratory disease with some cold-like or flu-like symptoms. In cats lacking immunity, the symptoms persist for life and in some cases can be quite severe. But 90 percent of cats get over it the same way we all get over the common cold.

And shame on the vet for not sharing this information.

For further information (even with all my years in cat rescue I don't expect you to just take my word for things) please read the ASPCA faq on Feline Herpes.

For yet another source, please refer to the vetinfo.com page on feline herpes.

..and then hopefully you can find a less callous veterinarian.

.... And for the record, I am sorry for your loss. Given the information that was/was not shared with you, the choice seemed unavoidable.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for this post! Super helpful, and I hope it helps to un-discourage potential rescuers out there. Shame on the vet is right. :(

    That woman was so amazing for trying to help the kitty though...

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome! I always answer questions if I can.