[It came out later that the person meant to tell the poster that a
kitten had this.  Still, the reply is interesting as new material so
I figured it might be enjoyed.]
 
http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922
&messageid=5591&startid=5594
 
Author wrote:
>Someone I know was recently told by her vet that her ferret has Feline
>Herpes.  She also was told it is not contagious to ferrets.  Would
>someone please shed some light on this subject?
 
I strongly doubt the veracity of this diagnosis.  Ferrets are not known
to contract feline herpesvirus.  Almost every species has a herpesvirus,
and many have more than one.  They tend to be restricted to like species -
probably ferrets have them, but they wouldn't share them with cats or
vice versa.
 
When herpesvirus are able to cross species, the disease is usually
catastrophic.  Many herpesviruses move between monkeys and man -
chickenpox in monkeys can be lethal, and the herpes B-virus which is
often asymptomatic causes lethal encephalitis in humans.  But humans
and monkey are much more closely related than cats and ferrets.
 
Now sea otters have a herpesvirus that was actually discovered by the
staff of the AFIP during the Exxon Valdez oil spill - that one might
have a shot at infecting a ferret, but not a cat.
 
Bottom line - I don't think you have anything to worry about here.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 4225]