Symptoms Cat Flu And How To Overcame It

It's not just humans who get colds. fever or sneezing, but cats can get this disease too. Therefore it is important for us to keep our beloved cat from getting colds. But what if the cat still catches a cold even though we have tried to keep it as healthy as possible.

How to deal with cat colds may be slightly different from dealing with human colds. Generally, colds in cats are caused by a virus. As in humans, sometimes colds in cats can heal on their own but can also get worse and lead to the loss of the cat's life.

How To Overcome Symptoms Cat Flu

Now on this occasion Anggora will discuss about cat colds, symptoms of cat colds, causes of cat colds, and how to deal with cat colds. Check out the full explanation below.

What is a Cat Cold Or Flu ?

"Cat Cold or Flu" is a general term that refers to a group of symptoms in cats. This is similar to the common cold in humans but the difference is that cat flu is usually caused by a virus that attacks cats.

Symptoms of Cat Flu

Cats with colds may have symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and discharge from the eyes and nose, lethargy, and sometimes have a fever. For many cats, these symptoms will go away on their own in about 7-10 days.

But that's not all, some cats actually experience complications, such as secondary bacterial infections or pneumonia. This is the cause of a greenish-yellow discharge from tears or nasal mucus.

This fluid can cause nasal congestion that is severe enough that the cat loses its sense of smell and taste. Cats with this condition will certainly lose their appetite and desire to eat.

Causes Of Cat Colds Or Flu

A common cause of cat flu is a virus infection. About 90% are thought to be caused by feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus

Cat Herpes Virus

Feline herpesvirus ( or feline rhinotracheitis virus ) is highly contagious. This virus will spread quickly in places where many cats congregate, such as rescue or shelter areas.

This is very similar to herpesviral infection in humans. Cats infected with the herpes virus will host this virus for the rest of their lives. Many cats will experience a period of inactivity during which the virus is not actively reproducing.

During periods of inactivity the cat may appear very healthy. But if the immune system is suppressed due to stress, due to treatment or something else, the virus can become active and cause symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes for several days.

 

Feline Calicivirus

Cats infected with feline calicivirus will also show similar symptoms to those infected with feline herpesvirus. This virus is also very contagious. Fortunately, these two cat virus infections are not transmitted to humans.

Actually both of these viruses have vaccines for kittens and adult cats. However, this vaccine does not completely prevent infection. Vaccines can only help reduce symptoms and prevent serious illnesses caused by cat colds due to this virus.

 

Treatment for Cat Cold

As long as our cat can still carry out normal daily activities such as eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating normally. Then you can give him cat flu medicine such as cat flu drag and also use steam therapy from a hot bath, add a humidifier if your air is dry, and reduce stress at home.

Reduce stress by confining him in a smaller, quieter room with all his necessities nearby such as a litter box, food, water, a warm bed and using pheromone products. Also, avoid cold cats in the same room with other cats. This is to prevent cats from transmitting the virus to other cats.

Giving lysine to cats during colds can only reduce the severity of symptoms experienced by cats due to the herpes virus by interfering with virus replication.

Most healthy cats recover completely from cat flu without medical intervention in about 7-10 days. However, if the case gets worse, you should immediately take your cat to the nearest vet to immediately get the right treatment for recovery and survival.

How Veterinarians Diagnose Cat Colds

If a cat's cold shows symptoms of a virus infection, the vet will perform a thorough examination. It is important that we give the veterinarian a thorough medical history of the cat, including the onset and nature of the symptoms.

Based on their diagnosis, your vet will usually recommend routine diagnostic tests to check for possible cold complications. These tests may include a complete blood count ( CBC ) to check the ratio of white blood cell, red blood and platelet counts, serum biochemistry to see if internal organs are functioning properly, and a chest X-ray to check for pneumonia or other conditions such as asthma. or fungal infection.

An upper respiratory PCR panel may be recommended by a veterinarian to find out what virus or bacteria is causing the symptoms. This test is done by collecting secretions from the eyes and nose with a swab and sending them to a laboratory, where they are analyzed for pathogens that cause respiratory disease. Thus the article How to symptoms cat flu. Hope it is useful.