Yes, feline herpes is a problem in catteries… but it is one of many health concerns. I’m a cat breeder myself and breeding cats is an expensive hobby for me. I could not do it if my husband did not financially support my hobby. I spend thousands of dollars every month on my 13 cats. Four of them are neuters and spays. I’m blessed that we are in an upper earning income bracket otherwise I couldn’t be a breeder, at least responsibly. I do genetic testing for PKD, I do echocardiograms to screen for HCM as well as all of the other things that animals need: high quality food, clean water, clean litter, litter boxes, regular dental care and health exams. Yes, I do give all of my cats L-lysine and other supplements.

No breeder can guarantee perfect health. Just like we can’t guarantee the perfect health in our children. Reputable breeders still try though. My vet told me that 80% of catteries and shelters have the Feline Herpes virus. It would be almost impossible for me to purchase a high end titled show cat that hasn’t been exposed to Feline Herpes virus. So my advice would be to all future pet owners, don’t purchase a pet if you expect to never have any health problems.

(editted for space) Ocular infection with the feline herpesvirus is extremely common in cats. The virus is everywhere…There is not a week that goes by where we don’t see a cat (usually many) with herpetic eye disease.

Most kittens are able to recover from this type of an infection within 1-2 weeks. They may never show any signs again, however the virus will persist in their system in a latent state. Cats may carry the virus for years without showing any signs. Asymptomatic carriers may shed the virus. Recurrences of ocular signs are possible at any point in the future, especially after stressful events. Fortunately, it is the minority of cats that have these relapses.

Unfortunately, the diagnostic tests that are currently available to definitively diagnose a herpes infection are unreliable.

The most important thing to remember is to try to remain patient. “Cure” is not a reasonable goal as there is not anything available to eliminate this virus from your cat’s system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_viral_rhinotracheitis#cite_note-Gaskell-11

There is a vaccine for FHV-1 available (ATCvet code: QI06AA08, plus various combunation vaccines), but although it limits the severity of the disease and may reduce viral shedding, it does NOT prevent infection with FVR.

http://www.vetres.org/index.php?option=com_article&access=doi&doi=10.1051/vetres:2006063&Itemid=129

FVR is transmitted through direct contact only. It replicates in the nasal and nasopharyngeal tissues and the tonsils. Viremia (the presence of the virus in the blood) is rare. The virus is shed in saliva and eye and nasal secretions, and can also be spread by fomites (a fomite is any inanimate object or substance capable of carrying infectious organisms [such as germs or parasites] and hence transferring them from one individual to another. A fomite can be anything [such as a cloth or mop head]. Skin cells, hair, clothing, and bedding are common hospital sources of contamination. Researchers have discovered that smooth (non-porous) surfaces (e.g. door knobs) transmit bacteria and viruses better than porous materials [e.g. paper money].). FVR has a two to five day incubation period. The virus is shed for one to three weeks postinfection. Latently infected cats (carriers) will shed FHV-1 intermittently for life, with the virus persisting within the trigeminal ganglion. Stress and use of corticosteroids precipitate shedding. Most disinfectants, antiseptics and detergents are effective against the virus.

However, many healthy cats are subclinical carriers of feline herpes virus, so a positive test for FHV-1 does not necessarily indicate that signs of an upper respiratory tract infection are due to FVR.

FVR is the most important of these diseases and is found worldwide.

FVR is very contagious and can cause severe disease, including death from pneumonia in young kittens. All members of the Felidae family are susceptible to FVR; in fact, FHV-1 has caused a fatal encephalitis in lions in Germany.

FHV-1 was first isolated from cats in 1958 in the United States.

I’m sorry, Jessica, but a neutered/spayed cat can spread FHV as easily as a breeding cat, because it isn’t spread by sexual contact, but by sneezing, or other mucus discharges, such as saliva; it can also be spread on an owner’s hands or clothes. If a breeder has a cat with FHV, they may not even know, because it doesn’t always cause symptoms. The only way you can be certain an infected cat will never infect another is either keep it in a cage alone all the rest of its life, so it can’t sneeze on another or groom it, or else destroy it.

There is less FHV in catteries than there is in shelters and in the feral cat population, because they work very hard to keep *all* infections out or under control, not just FHV. My vet said that his resources say that 70 to 90% of ALL cats have it, not just the cats in catteries…and you can believe that feral cats have it, and rescues have it, and shelters can’t afford to test every rescue THEY get to see if it has FHV before they take it in, either.

In order to stop FHV from spreading from one cat to another, you cannot allow them to play together, eat together, sleep together, share a water bowl, or groom each other. Since you can’t know for certain that a cat has become infected without continuously testing every single cat in your cattery (10 cats = $2,000 each time, etc.), the only way to keep it from spreading is to never allow your cats to have contact with each other at all. They must all be raised in cages, alone, and the owner must wash their hands and change their clothes every time they touch a cat.

Pedigreed cats are already inbred, to one degree or another, as confirmed by the 2007 UC Davis cat genetic survey. If you destroy (or just neuter/spay) 70 to 90% of any existing breed, there wouldn’t be enough cats left to have a genetically healthy breeding population. So…do we outlaw catteries and pedigreed cats entirely? Destroy the 70 to 90% of shelter cats that have it?

That would certainly resolve the other shelter problem…cat overpopulation due to indiscriminate breeding by non-breeders…
for the forseeable future.

I don’t see that happening, however.

I have been going online to vet sites to find out that many, many, they say up to over 90% of catteries have the herpes virus which is not curable and contagious. I had called the cattery in Texas who referred me to a Honolulu cattery to purchase a persian kitten. At the time she never spoke about any health issues , nor did her extensive website full of photos and script mention it either. But when I called her the night before I intended to return my little angels she , to my shock, said all catteries have the herpes virus, that she did breed the infected cats, that she did not give them lysine because she has too many to do that. She recommended giving the cats one quarter of an antihistimine like they do to show the cats at shows all dried up. Needless to say I was shocked and reported this discussion to the breeder in Honolulu. She denied having it. The woman in Texas emailed me to say I was slandering her and she had blocked any emails from coming into her from me. I never lied about anything. These women don’t want to call the incurable herpes virus a disease but there are sites online that do. At any rate it is a very sad problem that does need to be addressed so we will have 100% healthy kittens in our future. But with this unconscious kind of thinking from breeders I have doubt this willl happen until laws are changed…I raised underfoot persian kittens in the 80s and never saw this. All my persian cats lived a long, healthy life so I did not suspect anything at all and they don’t tell you anything. Now I need to go through the long painful legal process all because I wanted to give and get love with these graceful, sweet creatures. Thank you for posting this. Perhaps it will save someone from this agonizing saga. aloha, J