Shelter cat care

by Stephanie yet again

I volunteer at a cageless animal shelter and many of the cats there have chronic upper respiratory infections. It just seems to get passed around and never truly eradicated. I was wondering if you have any idea of how to treat and prevent this infection in that environment. I don't know if something isn't being done right or something could be done differently. Any ideas at all would be very helpful. Thank you for your time.

RESPONSE

We use L-lysine (250mg - 500mg per cat per day), and amino acid, mixed in their food or given with a spoon full of baby food. We have had great success with this in keeping common URI viral infections in check. It is inexpensive and available almost everywhere.
Cats living together tend to spread viruses among each other - like kids in pre-school. The lysine helps to keep this in check.
If symptoms are severe, a vet check is called for in case it is something more serious. We try to use antibiotics sparingly but if a cat is having lots of nasal discharge, discharge from the eyes, and especially difficulty breathing, they are susceptible to other infections so antibiotics are warranted even though they don't help with viruses.
Give the lysine a go and see if things improve.

Donna
House Full Cats Mom