Hi There,

Thanks for adopting an adult cat from a shelter! Chances are that you have saved her life.

The fact that your vet initially put your kitty on Lysine tells me that he or she suspects that the URI is related to feline herpes. Herpes in cats often causes sneezing and runny eyes and it is either a chronic problem or an intermittant one. I have 3 cats with herpes myself and they all have URI symptoms from time to time. I always have Lysine onhand and all 3 cats tend to do well with it. Some people prefer to keep a herpes cat on Lysine all the time and this is fine also. It's an amino acid and is totally safe. Occasionally one of my herpes kitties does need an antibiotic. Although herpes is a virus, it isn't unusual for a bacterial infection to be present as well. If this occurs, you might see a cloudy or greenish discharge from the eyes and/or nose.

Stress affects feline herpes also, so just being in a shelter or a new home can bring on symptoms. Plus, there is the possibility that your cat picked up something while she lived at the shelter.

Most cats that have herpes were born with it and they may have a poor immune system as a result. But there is a chance that your baby, once she settles in, will have fewer symptoms. There is no way of knowing at this point if she will have a lifetime problem, unfortunately.

Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

Regards,
PHKitkat

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