Feral cat with eye infection.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for your question.

I have seen a number of cats who have upper respiratory and eye infections that just never clear up.

Unfortunately for the eye infections they need to be treated with medication placed in the eye.

One thing that should help reduce the symptoms is Lysine which is a supplement that helps the body fight against respiratory viruses. Most cats will take lysine in their food, so even if you can't catch this little guy you should be able to still get the medicine into him.

When a cat keeps getting conjunctivitis it often means that there is a virus in his system. Usually these viruses don't go. It is possible he has a herpes virus. This is not terribly serious but is annoying as it causes repeated eye infections. However, it's also possible that he has a more serious virus affecting the immune system such as FIV or feline leukemia. Unfortunately there is no cure for these viruses.

I wish I could give you another solution for the eye infection. I have tried using oral antibiotics in situations like this but they rarely help.

I hope the lysine helps.

Dr. Marie

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Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome. I can't officially give dosing information online.

However, I can tell you that for the Lysine that I usually prescribe the dose is 250-500mg per cat twice daily.

There should be a label on yours that tells you how much to give.

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

Just so you know, Dr. Marie has answered your new question here.

If you ever need to ask a new question, you can go here to ask your question.

Thank you,
Ask A Vet Question Staff.