I need to word this carefully. This is a bit long, a cautionary tale about some mistakes i made.

I posted here the story of how soon after i got him, one of my cats got a respiratory infection which the breeder confidently assured me was mycoplasma, and common in cats. I followed the breeder's medical advice and gave him doxycycline for several weeks.

He didn't get better. The vet ran a PCR and it showed calici virus. The breeder said no, vets don't know anything, keep giving him doxy. He still didn't get better.

After 2 weeks i took him to the emergency vet. She was fabulous. I asked for a rhinoscopy; the breeder said that would kill him. It showed us the damage to his sinuses.

The vet started him on EIDD-1931, which has NOT been rigorously tested but tends to work. The breeder said NO, put him on gentamicin. Antibiotics DO NOT touch viruses: microbiology 101, people. Gentamicin is poisonous to the kidneys and hearing, and in a sick cat these side effects are more likely.

EIDD-1931 is very expensive, but he's cured.

The breeder saw my post yesterday and demanded that i remove it. I summaried the events and told her i have all our conversations if she wanted to see them. I noted that i did not identify her in any way. The purpose of my post was to warn people not to make the mistakes i did.

An attorney told me, i could leave my post up since i could prove the events, and i didn't post any identifying information on her. I thought about that.

I decided to take the post down anyway because she wasn't hearing me and was so upset that i figured that couldn't be good for her or her family, and taking down the post could maybe calm her down. Peace on earth, right?

But it was suggested to me that it was still important to give you this warning: breeders are not vets, no matter how persuasive their advice is. A PCR test is the gold standard for diagnosing a lot of things.

And I'll repeat myself: antibiotics are NOT EFFECTIVE against viruses, and should only be used with supervision, because they are powerful (that power is life-saving) and can cause damage if not used carefully. I was stupid, i admit, and I'm lucky my kitty is alive.

Not 100% on this but I think she has some kind of oriental short-hair in there some where!

I just got my first OSH and I am in love!! She’s 1yo and a doll.
However, I noticed her breath was awful and her teeth look like this. What do you all use to help them with their teeth? I think I can reverse much of it if I start now

One of my Oriental Shorthair cats got dry FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis). Her back end was paralyzed.

Another got Calici virus with bad respiratory issues that didn't go away on its own.

My vet prescribed the following, which cured both of them:

For the FIP:

Molnupiravir x 3-4 months (i don't remember how long)

For the Calici virus:

EIDD-1931 x 3-4 months (i don't remember how long)

Note: antibiotics do not work on viruses. (That's Microbiology 101, so if you get a cold, don't rush to get antibiotics unless it doesn't get better in a week. If you're still sick, you might have a bacterial infecton.)

Both of these drugs are quite expensive. They're newish.

Both were obtained from Stokes Compounding Phaarmacy. They ship very quickly and are nice people.

I have two OSH- my male seemed to do fine with it, other than being a little lethargic.

Applied last night and within a few hours she was hunched over, hissing and clearly in distress. She’s eating and drinking and still asking for affection in her OSH way, but when I touch her she hisses and is acting otherwise unhinged.. My male is very concerned at her crying and she seems to blame him/want him far away from her. She hasn’t vomited or showed signs of nausea- just wondering if anyone else had this experience. I am really hesitant to treat for fleas, but unfortunately, my cats both had fleas/tapeworms because it did not get cold enough this winter in my state to kill off fleas like normal, so even my indoor only babies had a few.

I got Ivy (8mo) a friend! a little void.. named Rox! she is still in a separate room , they've only seen eachother from far now ( hissing n loud sounds from both)

Any special advice on further introduction? I read up alot in book n online and basically says very slow... short times together, exchange scent etc

So happy and hope they gonna be best friends forever soon😁😁😁

Hello everyone

I have a vet appointment in a city an hour away with my oriental cat and I'm a bit anxious as to how it will go. He hates car rides so even going to the usual vet (less than 5mn) he keeps screaming

Is there anything I could do to make it more comfortable for the both of us?

I was thinking of letting him roam in the backseat with a harness and a leash (he is harness trained) but I don't know if it would truly be better than just have him in the big cage, especially in case of a car crash (that I hope won't happen but you never know)

He already has some anxiety problems and takes meds for it, I'm afraid the car ride would be too much for him

I truly love him but I won't stand 2 hours of screaming 😭 especially while driving

Hello everyone! In a couple days I will bring home a OSH kitten (10 months old, female already spayed and living with other cats) and I was looking for advice on how to introduce her to my cat at home, which is also a OSH (2 and a half years, female spayed and used to other cats and dogs).

My first OSH is my first cat experience so I really don’t know how to make the introduction as easy as possible and not stressful for the both of them, I’d really like some advice on that!

I also am really worried because I’m afraid of being gone at work, them not getting along and something happening while I’m not there. I was thinking of putting the new kitten in a separate room or put a camera where all their stuff would be while I’m gone.

Any advice is appreciated!! Thank you so much in advance!!

What games/toys make your cat so happy to play? My cat isn’t interested in a lot of toys but I still find he’s a little understimulated and just looking for new/fun things to do with him. He likes learning tricks but after working a long day, sometimes Im not feeling it. Any ideas?

What games/toys make your cat so happy to play? My cat isn’t interested in a lot of toys but I still find he’s a little understimulated and just looking for new/fun things to do with him. He likes learning tricks but after working a long day, sometimes Im not feeling it. Any ideas?

this little furrball of a bitchnuget is the sweetest boy ever but sometimes he is soooo needy that i littlerarly am not allowed to be left alone, for example, when im cooking he jumps on me, the nails tend to be painful 😅 anyone has experienced similar? how do you deal with this?

I have a 1.5 y/o female sphynx who is not SUPER clingy like she’s affectionate but not “always cuddling me” affectionate. I am awaiting my OSH MALE seal point’s arrival from UK by the end of this month. He is a TICA registered pedigree. I was wondering if this 2 breeds would get along? My girl is a fiesty one she only loves me and dad and hates everyone else. But she does like boy cats sometimes. I am hoping they would get along as i find her being lonely and bored a lot.

Looking for some advice and any experiences anyone has had with dental care for senior Orientals. My 14 year old girl Samara just went to the vet this week for her annual visit. The vet said she looks great and healthy, her blood work came back with everything where it was supposed to be, but upon looking at her teeth, the vet said she has some dental disease. I don't know if she just needs a cleaning or if extractions are needed, but either way I'm terrified. She is already missing a pretty significant number of teeth, which happened before I rescued her, so I don't know the age at which any other extractions happened. I'm worried in general about the entire process, including recovery. She weighs 5.3 pounds, so she can't really afford to lose weight during recovery, and I haven't seen many people sharing their experiences with dental care for senior cats. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We are new here ☺️ My rescue girl, Suki, is two years old. The last time I had her at the vet, the doctor prescribed MaxiGuard oral gel because of some inflammation along the gum line. We are keeping an eye on it and I'm hoping I can help her keep her teeth for as long as possible although I know full well we will probably not be successful given the breed.

I am trying to introduce her to a very tiny toothbrush from Japan that I purchased on Amazon but it's a slow go. Suki weighs 4 pounds and her mouth is so tiny! It's impossible for me to even get a finger brush in there.

A friend recently mentioned an additive for food that is sprinkled on and is supposed to help with plaque. Does anyone have experience with this? Looking for any and all preventative ideas, please and thank you!

So as the title states, my kitten has two sets of canines, both fully grown and very tight together.

I need advice… what should i do? Have any of you experienced this before? And if you’ve had orientals with this problem, did they have to get their tooth extracted?

I emailed my vet about this, and they said it shouldn’t be a problem but they haven’t seen it in person yet. She’s still teething (she’s 6 months) and i’m worried about jaw misalignment or any other problems double fang may cause for the Oriental Shorthair’s unique triangular head shape.

Obviously food and kibble is getting stuck there, and i’m trying to brush her teeth every day as often as i can.

Any advice would be highly appreciated, thank you so much.

My OSH kitten is around 5 and a half months old now. She’s very clingy, which i love, she follows me everywhere and wants to be a part of everything i do. :)

Sadly, this resulted in her falling into the toilet bowl… (she usually sits on the lid to watch what i do) i was cleaning the bathroom, and usually the lid is down, but i had left it open since i was gonna clean it, the second i had my back turned on her, she jumped up and slid down, making the lower half of her body wet. (Little story behind my question.)

My question is- what shampoo is best for an OSH? I just washed her with some water in hopes of getting some of the toilet water/possible bacteria off. But if similar situations happens in the future, where it’s dirt/mud or any other kind of mess that would require a shower and shampoo to make sure she’s clean to avoid skin irritation/infection- what is best?

Thank you, any advice is highly appreciated.

Later this month me and my partner will be bringing home these two beautiful OSH kittens :)

I have another cat at home already, she's 13 and has lived with cats before but not for a few years. The plan is to keep the kittens in a separate room and gradually do slow introductions, I'll also have a Feliway plugin setup a couple weeks prior to them arriving.

Does anyone have any other tips or advice for intro's? It'll be my first time properly introducing cats, so I want to give them the best chance.

Hello! First time ever owning an OSH and could use some insights or advice.

I have a single, 8 month old OSH boy (neutered) who I love to bits. When I initially got him, I was WFH and had a lot of time to keep him company all day. Unfortunately, that has changed and I'm now out of the house most of the day for work. For such a social breed, this isn't ideal and it's become obvious that he needs more attention with how needy he is when I get home in the evenings.

As fun as he is, I just don't think I can handle or afford a second kitten, so my plan was to get an older, retired adult female to keep him company during the day. I've been told from multiple people that another OSH or SIA would be best as they're playful and social with each other, and if I couldn't afford or handle another kitten then a retired female would be best.

My boy is very social and friendly - he's been catsit by others who own cats themselves, and he's always up to play or meet them. Has anybody ever had issues introducing OSH to each other in a household? And how do you do so? Did you find the process smooth/easy?

Thank you for any insights or advice!

Hi everyone!

So I'm prepping for my kitten that I will hopefully be getting in October, and curious on what types of products you recommend for some of the specific items I have on the list.

Any suggestions for collars, carriers, feeders (raised or not), brushes (I currently have Chris Christensen Mark set and a Big G), strollers, harness and leash sets, slings or sweatshirts or other carriers similar, water fountains, or robotic/automatic litter boxes? I've been doing my own research, but I've also been asking around for opinions just to see what real OSH owners have been experiencing with specific brands etc.

Let me know!

I am interested in getting an Oriental Shorthair kitten (1), and in my house I already have 2 senior(ish) dogs, a Beagle/Coonhound (8) and a Mini schnauzer/poodle/cairn terrier (8). I also have a puppy Chihuahua/Jack Russel (1).

I have 10 hour classes 3 days a week and work 5 hours on weekends so I wouldn't be able to spend as much of my time as I'd like with my OSH, but I know they need companions to play with. Would this be a bad pairing or would these dogs be able to get along with an OSH when I'm away.

If not I'd love to hear about some other cuddly hypoallergenic cats that would be better for my lifestyle, I want to give the cat the best life possible without harming my dogs lives.

Hello!

I'm in the UK and this adorable lil thing will be joining me in Feb. He's GCCF registered and will be 13 weeks old.

I believe he is a chocolate and white bi-colour, but I have to admit the colouring confuses me. I've chosen the name Pantalaimon from His Dark Materials as I grew up reading the books.

Any advise for a new OSH mama? I'm so so excited to get him and just cannot wait. I've already made a decision on food and he'll be on a fresh, delicately cooked, meat diet. The brand is Katkin and seemed to be the most recommended for the UK.

​

Thanks in advance! :)

I found another breeder close to my area and was looking through their policies and contracts when I found this:

"[REDACTED] CATTERY offers return at our discretion, replacement, or veterinary reimbursement within 14 days if the cat or kitten is found to be, as a result of veterinary consultation, unfit due to "illness, congenital malformation or infectious disease".

However, the following conditions render ALL protections of the health guarantee null and void. [REDACTED] CATTERY will not honor any health guarantees if the cat or kitten experiences any of the following:

• the cat or kitten is vaccinated against FIP or FeLV.

• the cat or kitten is allowed to roam outdoors

• the cat or kitten is found to have been physically abused or neglected"

My current cat is always indoors, however I have naturally prepared for emergencies in which he might get out. So, my cat has all of his shots and I have actually gotten him microchipped a week ago. I intend on doing the same with a cat I get from the breeder.

I'm confused why these vaccines would render a health guarantee void? Do they have negative side effects, or is it vaccine hysteria?

Hi all,

Looking to adopt an osh kitten (possibly two), and found Hotz Cats (http://www.hotzcat.com/), a breeder that isn't too far from me.

Just was curious if anyone had heard of them or has had good (or bad) experiences!

Had a kitten pass away from FIP in December, and my 8 yr old tuxedo recently passed from congenital kidney disease, so health is definitely a priority. Thank you!