Cat flu: Most fatal disease for felines

Cat flu, also known as feline influenza or feline upper respiratory infection, is a common illness that affects the upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth, and throat) of cats.

It’s mostly caused by two common viruses and leads to symptoms similar to human flu. In some cases, the disease can be severe, and even fatal. Kittens are especially susceptible to severe flu, due to their immature immune.

The vast majority of cats who contract cat flu generally make a full recovery. In rare cases, like, if your pet is unvaccinated or has other underlying conditions, it may develop severe complications, and this can lead to death.

However, Thanks to the vaccines, cats can have a fighting chance against this disease.

Symptoms

There are many cat flu symptoms, and while your cat may not show signs of all of them, the most common are runny nose, discharge from eyes, dribbling, fever, sneezing, lethargy and loss of appetite.

In severe cases, your cat or kitten may have ulceration to the eyes, mouth and throat.

If these symptoms become severe and are not treated quickly enough, there can be severe consequences, such as permanent eye damage, pneumonia, and even death.

If you think your cat or kitten is experiencing any of these symptoms, even if they are mild, then contact your vet for advice and guidance.

Causes

Most cases are caused by infection with one or both of the cat flu viruses — Feline herpesvirus (FHV) or Feline calicivirus (FCV). However, there can be the involvement of two other micro-organisms — Bordetella bronchiseptica and Chlamydophila felis.

Both FHV and FCV can be spread by cats through direct or indirect transmission.

Direct transmission means your cat or kitten came into contact with a cat infected with either of the viruses. The infected cat will secrete the virus through their saliva, tears or nasal mucus. This can then be transferred to another cat through sneezing, mutual grooming, fighting or mating.

Indirect transmission occurs because the virus particles can live in the environment for a few days: around two days for FHV and 10 days for FCV. For example, they could be on food bowls, bedding or toys.

Cat flu has an incubation period of around two to 10 days. This means that your cat may be infected before they begin to show symptoms. As soon as symptoms arise, call your vet and isolate your cat to reduce the risk of transmission.

Treatment

There is no cure for cat flu, so treatment is aimed at countering the clinical signs until your cat's immune system can fight off the infection.

The mainstays of supportive care include warmth, assisted feeding, hydration and general nursing care, such as keeping weepy eyes clean.

Lack of appetite is a real concern in these cases. Strong-smelling wet foods can help them maintain an appetite, especially if your kitten is suffering from a sore throat and blocked nose. If your cat cannot be tempted to eat, your vet may need to place a feeding tube. Eye drops may be required for cases with severe conjunctivitis.

In cases where secondary bacterial infection is suspected, your vet may prescribe antibiotics. Pain medications may also be prescribed to alleviate discomfort, but these should only ever be prescribed by your vet. Never give your cat pain relief medications unless specifically told to by your vet.

Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of cat flu. Pets that get the vaccine are not completely immune to the flu but tend to have much milder symptoms if they do contract one of the viruses.

Does sneezing mean cat flu?

Sneezing is a fairly common symptom in cats. The most likely cause is one of the cat flu viruses, but there are other reasons why your cat may be sneezing.

Many diseases affecting the nose, pharynx (throat) and sinuses can cause sneezings, such as foreign objects (e.g. grass seeds), dental disease, tumours and allergies.

If your cat is sneezing, always get advice from a vet.

M Rubaiyat Adnan Turjo has completed BSc in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry and is currently a postgraduate student at the Microbiology and Parasitology Department at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.