Hiya! I have an 8 month old Ocicat kitten, very pretty, affectionate and playful, who has had runny eyes and the occasional sneeze intermittently since her second vaccination. Whether it was a "bad" batch of vaccine - her litter mates were also affected but rapidly improved when treated with antibiotics - or whether they caught something whilst at the vets I do not know. She is now a herpes carrier, and needs regular courses of antibiotics to avoid secondary infections whenever she is stressed and her eyes run. She goes days, sometimes weeks, looking fine - then something will happen and it flares up and her eyes run for a few days before they settle down again. My vet has been working with me to try to help her completely shed the virus and make a full recovery, but we now agree that she needs a quieter home than mine, where she will be able to settle into a routine and hopefully get better. My house is chaos, with many visitors, all my cats, dogs and other animals, 2 children at weekends, and no two days are the same! I hate to part with her whilst she is not 100%, but realise that at the moment life for her is a vicious circle, shedding the virus and starting to recover, then getting stressed and suffering again. She lives in the house with my other vaccinated cats, and none of them have shown any signs of catching it from her. However, I daren't let her near my litters of unvaccinated kittens, which is also making life difficult all round, with constant hand-washing, changes of clothing, etc when I have new kittens. If anyone feels they could offer her a loving permanent home, possibly with the company of a vaccinated cat (she loves company) or a person at home all day (Ocicats are not good at being left alone for long hours) and feels they can cope with having to wipe runny eyes occasionally if it flares up, please contact me with details of the home you could offer. I am very upset about having to part with her, and a home I am happy with is essential. I am not asking anything for her, although would appreciate a contribution towards her spaying - she was originally going to be my new show/breed girl so you can tell how beautiful she is, and she is one of the most affectionate kittens I have ever been lucky enough to breed :-)
Thank you, Sue