CAT 18
Cat flu
The charity dedicated to
helping sick, injured and
homeless pets since 1897.
Cat flu
Cat flu
is like
nose a a hum
nd eye an cold
include s, and a so – it can
aches cause
mouth and pa re throat. Oth a runn
y
ulcers, ins in th er symp
dribblin e musc t
and fe
ver. Ca g, snee les and oms
t flu is zi joints,
cats, a
lthough not usu ng, loss of vo
sympto they ca ally ser ice
ms of c n be q ious in
at flu s uite ill. adult
hould s All cats
ee the with
vet.
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However it can be serious, even fatal, as there is no specific treatment. It may
in kittens, and in adult cats with other be helpful in catteries or if a cat is
serious underlying illnesses. There are suffering from one of the long-term
occasional occurrences of a severe form, complications of infection.
especially in the US, but thankfully this
remains rare. How is cat flu treated?
The usual concern is the risk of lasting
There are no effective antiviral drugs
damage to the eye, even in animals
in common use. Antibiotics may help
which otherwise seem mildly affected.
because, just as in human flu, once the
Eye ulcers are often found and,
virus has damaged the delicate lining of
particularly in kittens, can progress to
the nose and airways, bacterial infections
cause serious damage and even lead
can enter and cause complications, such
to the loss of an eye. If your cat or kitten
as pneumonia.
has a sore looking or partially closed eye
seek immediate veterinary attention. Nursing care at home is important. A
blocked nose and mouth ulcers may
What causes it? stop a cat eating and drinking, leading
to dehydration, which can be particularly
It is usually caused by one of two types dangerous in kittens. Because your cat
of virus, or sometimes by certain types of may have lost its sense of smell and have
bacteria. Once infected, cats shed virus a sore throat, sloppy, strong‑smelling
particles in nasal and eye discharges foods should be offered. Suggestions
and in saliva. Although ill cats are the include sardines, pilchards, roast chicken,
biggest source of infection, some healthy or one of the invalid diets available from
cats are carriers of the viruses. Carriers vets. Cream or ice cream may be taken
do not suffer from the disease but they if your cat has mouth ulcers. Cats that
too can shed virus particles and infect cannot eat may need to be hospitalised
other cats. Particles can survive for up to for treatment.
a week in the environment, so a cat does
Encourage your cat to drink, as fluids
not even need to meet another to catch
help to loosen thick catarrhal secretions.
the illness. It can easily be spread by
Wipe away discharges from the nose
contact with infected feed bowls or toys,
and eyes regularly using salt water (a
or on people's clothing after touching an
teaspoonful of salt to a pint of water).
infected cat.
Steam inhalations help to loosen catarrh,
Diagnosis of cat flu may be made by so let the cat in the bathroom when you
taking swabs and looking for the virus have a bath or shower, or offer
but, in most pet cats, this is not necessary inhalations of Olbas Oil by putting a few
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drops of oil in a container of warm carriers can be the reason why a kitten
water. Place this in the room with the develops flu when introduced to a
cat, but not where the cat might drink it! household of apparently healthy cats.
Alternatively, put a few drops of Olbas
Some carrier cats occasionally have
Oil or eucalyptus oil on some cotton
a runny eye or nose for a few days.
wool, and place in the room with the
Recurrences of flu can follow stressful
cat. Avoid direct contact, as it may be
events, such as a visit to the vet or the
an irritant. A small amount of Vicks®
arrival of a new cat in the house. Others
VapoRub® can be applied to the chin.
Do not give any other human medicines are more unlucky and are left with a
to your cat – cats are not small humans permanent, lifelong, thick, runny nose, or
and many of our home remedies are “chronic rhinitis”. This happens because
toxic to them. the delicate nasal lining has been
damaged, allowing repeated bacterial
infections for which antibiotics may
Are there long-term
provide only temporary relief.
consequences?
It is thought that flu viruses, especially
Following infection, many cats are left as calicivirus, may contribute to long-term
carriers, which means they do not have inflammation and soreness of the
any symptoms but are potentially mouth, or gingivitis. However, this is a
infectious to others. The existence of complicated condition, which is often
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difficult to cure, and calicivirus may not cat flu. If you are breeding or showing
be the only cause. Long-term drug cats, you should discuss whether these
treatment is often needed for control, are necessary with your vet.
and in some cases extraction of the
Even vaccinated cats can become
teeth may be needed. carriers without showing any symptoms
and can infect other cats. Kittens initially
Can it be prevented? get some immunity from their mothers
but, as they get older, this fades
There are lots of different strains of
and they become susceptible to the
virus, and, just as with human flu, the
infection. Infected mothers can infect
vaccine is not effective against them
their kittens without showing illness
all. Two doses of vaccine are needed
themselves. The kittens either get flu or
initially, followed by regular boosters.
become symptom-free carriers. It can
You should consult your vet for details.
take as long as two weeks for signs
It is particularly important to remember
of flu to appear, so one reason for
that your cat will need to be fully up to
apparent vaccine “failures”, especially
date with vaccinations if they will be
in kittens, may be that they are already
going to a boarding cattery when you
infected at the time of vaccination. The
are on holiday.
vaccine, as with all vaccines, cannot
The vaccines routinely used in the UK are prevent symptoms from occurring if the
only active against viruses. Vaccines are animal already has the infection at the
also available for the bacterial forms of time of vaccination.
Rescue catteries
Cat flu can be a real
problem in any situation
where a group of cats is
kept, particularly if new cats
are often introduced.
Preventing the entry of cat flu
into a group of cats is a complex
issue and full discussion with your
vet is essential.
At the very least, all new cats – even if
they seem healthy – should be kept
separate from the rest for at least two
weeks, and they should be vaccinated
before they mix with the others. Bear in
cannot cover all the strains, so it is not
mind that droplets from a sneeze can
fully protective. Fortunately, the herpes
transmit infection over a distance of
virus has only one strain, so vaccination
many metres. It is best to keep mothers
against this works better.
with litters of kittens in isolation until the
kittens are ready to go to new homes. The actual symptoms caused by the two
If you have a problem with cat flu within viruses are slightly different. Calicivirus
a group of cats, it is best to stop is usually milder and characteristically
introducing further cats to the causes mouth ulcers. In young kittens,
household or cattery. it can cause lameness. Herpes virus is
often more severe and is more likely to
Know your enemy – further produce eye ulcers.
information about the bugs The situation with carriers is also
behind cat flu different between the two. Following
infection with the herpes virus, it is
There are two main viruses. One is a thought that all cats become carriers,
type called a calicivirus, and the other but they produce the virus in tears,
is a feline herpes virus. The calicivirus saliva and nasal secretions only
exists in lots of slightly different forms, intermittently. This means swabs taken
called strains. Vaccination against from these cats will not always detect
calicivirus is difficult, as it is with the the virus. Cats that are carriers remain
human flu viruses, because the vaccine so for life.
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With calicivirus, carrier
cats shed virus particles
continuously, so they are
easier to identify on swabs
taken by the vet. Many cats
are able to completely rid
their bodies of the virus after
one to two years, so that they
are no longer carriers.
There are also several types of
bacteria that may cause flu. One of
these – bordetella bronchiseptica – is
the agent that causes kennel cough in The other bacterium sometimes
dogs and it is thought that it may be encountered is chlamydophila felis.
possible for cats to catch “flu” from dogs. This mainly produces sore, red, runny
This bacterium often seems to affect eyes, sometimes with a mild “cold”.
the lungs as well. It can usually be Some types of antibiotics are effective
successfully treated with antibiotics. and a vaccination is available, although
A vaccine is available, but is not usually it is not fully protective. It can be difficult
given routinely, although it is sometimes to get rid of this infection completely
used in breeding catteries. from a group of cats.
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Happy, healthy pets
Blue Cross advice leaflets are packed Blue Cross
full of top tips to help owners with their
pet questions. They cover a wide range Blue Cross has been dedicated to the
of topics, from training a puppy to caring health and happiness of pets since 1897.
for an older cat. So if you need some Abandoned or unwanted, ill or injured –
support to help you with a pet problem, we do what's needed to give every pet
whether it’s about a dog or a degu, we’re a healthy life in a happy home. We're a
here for you. charity, so the more help you give us,
the more help we can give pets.
You can read and download our leaflets
online at [Link] How you can help
Visit our website to take advantage Blue Cross doesn’t receive any
of all its features, including: government funding, so we rely on
• blog posts from Blue Cross experts the generosity of pet lovers like you.
• latest news There are lots of ways you can help
• events near you the sick, injured and abandoned
• pets needing new homes pets in our care, like making a
donation, fundraising for us or
Or you can join in the chat on our leaving us a legacy.
online communities. Find us on
Twitter and Facebook – just search Please call us on 0300 777 1897
for Blue Cross. or visit [Link]
Blue Cross head office
Shilton Road, Burford, Oxon OX18 4PF
Telephone: 0300 777 1897
Fax: 0300 777 1601
M6594/0112
Email: info@[Link]
[Link]
Registered charity no: 224392 (England and Wales), SC040154 (Scotland)
