Fortify your cat’s immune system with L-lysine

Do you have a newly adopted kitten who started tearing and sneezing within a few days of coming home? Or does your adult cat break out in episodes of sneezing or red eyes whenever something stressful happens?

If either of these scenarios sound familiar, it is likely that your pet is contending with an upper respiratory infection. 

 

Whenever these signs occur, it is important to have your veterinarian examine your cat, since several diseases can mimic upper respiratory infections. In addition, upper respiratory infections are not caused by any one organism, and several viruses and bacteria could potentially be the culprit. However, one of the most common causes of upper respiratory infection is herpesvirus. (Don’t worry¬—this is a cat-only herpesvirus that cannot pass to people!)

With supportive care, most of these cats infected with herpesvirus will get back to feeling great in no time. What makes this virus challenging is that it stays with cats for life, making an appearance whenever their immune system is not functioning at its best, such as during times of stress or illness.

So if your cat is one of the many cats that have been infected with herpesvirus in the past, how can you prevent recurrent sneezing and tearing episodes?

The primary way is to make sure that your cat is up to date on routine vaccinations.

The distemper vaccine includes coverage for herpesvirus, and although it doesn’t eliminate the virus completely, it greatly reduces the clinical signs caused by it.

Another way to help your cat is to supplement with L-lysine, an amino acid.

L-lysine hinders the virus’s growth, aiding your cat’s immune system in suppressing the virus before symptoms emerge. 

To use L-lysine preventively, simply start supplementing several days in advance of an upcoming stressful situation, like a large party in your home or the addition of a new pet. The goal is to have the L-lysine suppress viral growth enough so that the virus will be unable to take advantage of your cat’s stressed response.

And lastly, to complete your herpesvirus recurrence prevention plan, you can spend extra time giving your cat stress-reducing cuddles—after all, who doesn’t want an excuse to spend more time cuddling their cat?

Find L-lysine supplementation for your cat in several different yummy formulations here >>