Cat Upper Respiratory Infection Symptoms

A cat that has an acute upper respiratory infection will be infective to other cats during the incubation period and for up to 3 weeks after developing symptoms.

Cat upper respiratory infection symptoms. A sneezing cat or a coughing cat can signal an upper respiratory infection. The bacteria and viruses that most commonly cause upper respiratory infections uris in cats are. Feline herpesvirus type 1 fhv 1. The vet will match your cat s symptoms to characteristic clinical signs associated with each type of upper respiratory infection to diagnose the animal.

Upper respiratory infections most common in cats who regularly have contact with other cats where cats are housed together in places such as shelters. As is the case with humans the culprits to blame for these nasty colds are bacteria or viruses sometimes both. A cat that is a carrier of an upper respiratory virus may always be infective to other cats see question how long does a typical upper respiratory infection last. Upper respiratory tract infection in cats.

Unvaccinated cats cats that are under stress and cats that are immunosuppressed because of conditions such as feline leukemia virus felv or feline immunodeficiency virus fiv are also at. Overview of feline upper respiratory infections it s true. Healthy cats can become infected through direct or indirect contact. Gently clean any discharge from its eyes and nose.

At this point if your vet is still unsure of the type of infection at hand or if the cat is responding very poorly to the infection a pcr polymerase chain reaction test will be administered. Cats that have developed this infection will often exhibit traditional signs of an upper respiratory infection such as watery eyes runny nose and sneezing. When your cat will be boarded for any period of time make sure the establishment requires cats to be vaccinated against the viruses that can cause an upper respiratory infection. Upper respiratory infections can be prevented with vaccines and by keeping an infected cat isolated from other cats when his symptoms flare up.

A cat with an upper respiratory infection loses some sense of smell so you may need to tempt your cat with an extra smelly treat like fish. However cats kept in crowded quarters are at a high risk of infection as bacteria travels easily from direct or indirect contact. Our feline friends can get colds too. In rare cases cats may have trouble breathing.

If breathing is a problem your vet may suggest putting your cat in a bathroom with a steamy shower running. Chlamydiosis infection affects the respiratory system the eyes the gastrointestinal system and the reproduction systems of. Respiratory infections are too common in kittens as is the case with urinary tract infections. Also known as feline viral rhinotracheitis fvr.