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Over the last week I have received numerous phone calls from concerned cats owners that have read the news about the cat in Calgary who died from H1N1 infection. The Feline Flu or in its professional name, Feline upper respiratory Complex, is a very common disease in cats.
However H1N1 ( Avian Influenza (flu) Virus) is only rarely the cause for these upper respiratory infections in cats.
Upper respiratory complex in cats is wrongly known to most people as Cats Flu. Flu is a disease that is caused by the Influenza virus. Despite its name, the common cats flu, usually does not refer to an infection by an Influenza virus. In fact the Feline upper respiratory infection is caused by a complex of few pathogens, including two viruses Feline Herpes Virus and Feline Calici Virus, and two bacteria: Bordatella Bronchoseptica (similar to dogs Kennel cough) and Chlamidophila Felis.
Feline Upper respiratory Complex in cats is a highly contagious disease.
The initial symptoms of the disease are coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, eye infections, and sometimes fever and loss of appetite. These symptoms can either resolve within four to seven days, however secondary bacterial infections can cause the persistence of clinical signs for weeks. The infection is primarily located in the upper respiratory tract. However, in very young, old or immunosuppressed animals the infection can spread into the lower part of the respiratory system, and affect the lungs as well. Although in general feline upper respiratory syndrome tends to be mild and transient, in these groups of animals the disease can be fatal. Herpes Virus in particular can also permanently damage the eyes.
Calici Virus can lead to other complications beyond affecting the respiratory system. The most common are chronic ulcers in the mouth and chronic infection of the mouth- stomatitis. In addition to stomatitis, some cats may develop polyarthritis (inflammation of the multiple joints). Stomatitis and polyarthritis can develop without any upper respiratory infection signs, but fever and loss of appetite may occur. Less commonly the cat may develop kidney infection as well. The great variability of clinical signs in individual cases of Feline Calici Virus is related to the relative virulence of different strains of the virus. Diagnosis by your vet is usually based on the typical signs associated with this syndrome and exclusion of other causes. Testing for Calici Virus and Herpes Virus involves collecting a mouth or eye swab which is then sent to a specialized veterinary laboratory where the virus can be identified. Isolating the causative agent is important in more severe cases for the determination of the prognosis and long term outcome.
If there is more than one cat in a household, it is important to try to minimize the risk of infection being spread to the other cats. This is not always possible, but in addition to ensuring that all cats are vaccinated, where possible, a cat showing clinical signs should be kept isolated from the other cats (e.g., confined to one room). Separate food bowls and litter trays should be used, and ideally the cat should be kept in a room that has very easy to disinfect surfaces (i.e., not soft furnishings and carpet). These viruses are susceptible to most disinfectants, but take care to use any disinfectant carefully – most are irritant to cats if they come into direct contact with the disinfectant.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
