Kitten Indigo Fights Calicivirus
Indigo was born on April 5th to a mom who had Feline Calicivirus (FCV). We rescued Indigo and her family on April 12th, just a week after she was born.
FVC is highly contagious and spreads primarily through contact with saliva or aerosolized droplets (such as sneezing or coughing) of an already infected cat. Since Indigo’s mom was a carrier, the virus naturally passed onto Indigo and her four siblings. Three of her siblings had a mild case of FVC while one passed away. Indigo herself has a severe case.
Calicivirus mainly causes upper respiratory and oral infections. It manifests often in upper respiratory symptoms such as nasal and eye discharge and can be like having painful cold sores throughout your body. In young neonates who have no immune system yet, a virus like FVC can be fatal.
Indigo has been on treatment for 11 days. Each day, she gets two doses of meds and two nebulizer treatments. She just finished her treatment for pain medications. She is separated from her family and currently cared for by our staff in an incubator.
In spite of her condition, Indigo is a fighter! “She’s a sassy kitten,” said Anjanette, cat care associate. “We have so many pictures of her doing funny things or sleeping in quirky positions.”
The best way to prevent FVC is vaccination when cats are young. The FVRCP is a core vaccination for cats and provides great protection. However, FCV is a mutating virus, meaning even vaccinated cats can still be infected. So what’s the point of vaccination? FVC in a vaccinated cat means severity of the virus will be greatly reduced and also means a vaccinated cat may not even show signs of the virus! (Need to get your cat vaccinated? Our low-cost clinic offers the FVRCP vaccine and other vaccinations on a walk-in basis! More info found HERE.)
We are doing all that we can to ensure Indigo has the best chance of survival and look forward to the day she becomes a kitten who runs, jumps, and plays. If you would like to contribute to her recovery, you can do so by donating HERE. Your donations ensure Indigo continues to be able to receive quality medical care as she fights against the virus.
Resources:
Want to learn more about FVC? Click HERE.
Want to schedule an appointment with our low-cost clinic? Call 559-233-8706 or clinic@valleyanimal.org. For a list of services we provide for your pet’s medical and wellness needs, click HERE.
Valley Animal Center is dedicated to serving animal companions in the Central Valley and beyond. Our mission is to unite dogs and cats with loving people. We believe every animal deserves a loving family and furever home. Through our membership-based dog park and our low-cost clinic, we also provide local and accessible resources and services to the animal lovers and pet communities while rescuing animals in need from local animal control agencies. Donate to support our endless mission.
