Expert: Jessica - 8/8/2010

Question
Hello. My 10 year old male cat, Boo, was recently diagnosed with the calici virus, which he most likely picked up from two other senior cats I recently adopted from a shelter whom I had no idea were sick. It happened so quickly. One day Boo was fine and the next day he couldn't open his mouth, wouldn't eat or drink and was drooling excessively. The vet noticed a red dime-sized ulcer on his tongue. He received an antibiotic injection that is supposed to last two weeks and a pain patch to help with eating and drinking. I also have to give him an oral anti-inflammatory for three days and an L-lysine supplement. Although the vet said I don't have to separate him from the other cats because they are most likely already exposed, I felt separation was necessary to avoid sharing food/water bowls and litter boxes for the time being while he has active symptoms. Boo's spirits seem to be up since starting the medication. He's eating and drinking and being affectionate. One or more of the medicines made him constipated, so I treated him with some Laxatone and a teaspoon of pure canned pumpkin and that cleared it up. However, the ulcer on his tongue is still there. So my question is...how long will it take for these symptoms to subside and how long should I keep him separated from the other cats? I don't want to create a vicious cycle of sick cats. Any other tricks or tips you can provide would be helpful as well.

Additional notes: The two adopted cats have had their FVRCP vaccination. However, per the vet's instructions, I've been giving them the L-lysine supplement as well to prevent any kind of "symptom spread." We are not sure if Boo ever received the FVRCP vaccination as he was not in my care in the early part of his life, so he is scheduled to have it as soon as he feels better.

Thanks so much for your help!

Nicole

Answer
Hi Nicole,

It can be a good idea to separate cats when one is having severe symptoms of calici, because there's evidence that when a cat is shedding high amounts of the virus, those already infected with the virus can have relapses when exposed to the extra virus particles.  So I think you’re being smart to be cautious.

Most cats infected with calici become carriers for life and shed the virus in small amounts, even when they are asymptomatic.  But Boo should stop shedding such large amounts once his symptoms have disappeared.  The main way that the disease is transmitted is through nasal and eye secretions, and as long as he’s no longer sneezing or having runny eyes, or drooling into the water bowl, you should be safe to put the cats back together.  

Many holistic vets feel that supplementing with Vitamin C is helpful in treating calici.  Because different cats tolerated different doses, this must be titrated up to a dose the individual cat can tolerate.  It's suggested to buy 500mg tablets, and cut these into quarters, and start out with a quarter for the first day, increasing a quarter each day.  When the cat develops a soft stool, back down a quarter tablet.  Since cats can create some of their own Vitamin C, vets who practice allopathic medicine don't always find adding in Vitamin C to be worthwhile.

The sores in the mouth pass in most cases in about ten days.  However, some cats have a really hard time suppressing the virus, and the ulcers can take 3-6 weeks to fully heal.  You might want to talk to your vet about using a medication called sucralfate.  This is prescribed mostly for patients who have stomach ulcers.  It coats the ulcers to provide pain relief and speed healing.  When the tablet is mixed with water to create a slurry, some of the medical community feel it also can benefit patients with oral ulcers in the same way.

I hope he recovers quickly!

Jessica