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Upper Respiratory Tract Infections A number of infectious agents can cause upper respiratory infections, the most serious are feline herpesvirus, feline calcivirus and Chlamydia psittaci. The herpes virus and calcivirus are responsible for the majority of the cat flu cases seen in general practice. Both viruses are extremely contagious and both can be carried and excreted by apparently healthy cats. The clinical signs of infection are fever, nasal discharge, sneezing, conjunctivitis, ocular discharge, eye or mouth ulcers and drooling saliva. Affected cats are usually very dull, inappetant and lethargic. Eating or drinking can be painful so many become dehydrated. Treating these cats can be a very intensive process, intravenous fluids are required to maintain hydration, nutritional support by feeding with a nasogastric tube may be required. Antibiotics should be given to control secondary bacterial infection and topical eye drops should be given if conjunctivitis is a problem. Nasal decongestants are a useful symptomatic treatment. If the cat responds to nutritional and fluid support within 4-6 days the prognosis is relatively good. Those cats that do not respond well should be tested for FIV and FeLV viruses. Vaccination is the most effective method of control of feline herpesvirus and feline calcivirus and is strongly recommended. |
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