[Amanda]

We have a feral cat colony living in our back yard and we have been trying to tame the kittens in the past few years. But they all have this disease called feline herpes, and i dont know what to do about it. The kittens are fine for like the first few weeks then their eyes seal shut and they start coughing and sneezing and loosing weight and within a little while most of them are dead and those that survive are stunted. I was wondering if anyone has had any sucess with any treatments they have tried or if there are any vaccines against this disease. I dont want to loose anymore babys.

[Dani42379]

How do you know it's feline herpes? There are other diseases, like FIP and calicivirus, which kill kittens quickly.And there is a vaccines for "feline herpes." The real name of the disease is feline viral rhinotracheitis. My cat has it but got it when older despite the yearly vaccine. Talk with a vet.And to responsibly have a feral colony, you need to capture/Spay&neuter/release. Vets can also vaccinate while the cats under anesthesia. Some sources recommend "notching" the ears of cats who have been fixed so you don't waste time trapping and taking them to the vet again. Otherwise you're just spreading diseases and death constantly to new generations. Responsible and true pet lovers spay and neuter.

[Jessica J]

My 10-month old kitten started his life in a feral colony also. His sister had the worst case of the herpes (one of her eyes was always crusted over), and she made a full recovery. So I know that my kitten, his sister, and their two other litter mates were all exposed to the virus. They are all healthy now. My vet told me that 92% of cats have it - once they get the cold the virus stays forever. However, vets will still vacinate for it, its part of the normal set of vacines that kittens receive. You can get antibiotics from a vet for it, and the kittens should recover. Personally, I recommend taking the kitten to the vet. It could be something more/different than cat herpes if the kittens are dying in high numbers. Also, if you do not plan to keep the kittens, have you thought of contacting a rescue group? They can help you with the trap-neuter-release program (trap, neuter/spay and vacinate, and re-release them back to their homes), and may even be able to find homes for any tamable cats you can't keep yourself.