Cat flu is the common name for a feline upper respiratory tract disease. While feline upper respiratory disease can be caused by several different pathogens, there are a few symptoms that they have in common.[1]
Avian flu can also infect cats, but "cat flu" is generally a misnomer, since it usually does not refer to an infection by an influenza virus. Instead, it is a syndrome, a term referring to patients displaying a number of symptoms that can be caused by one or more of these infectious agents (pathogens):
- Feline herpes virus causing feline viral rhinotracheitis (cat common cold). This is the disease most commonly associated with the "cat flu" misnomer.
- Feline calicivirus—(cat respiratory disease)
- Bordetella bronchiseptica—(cat kennel cough)
- Chlamydophila felis—(chlamydia)
In South Africa the term cat flu is also used to refer to canine parvovirus. This is misleading, as transmission of the canine parvovirus rarely involves cats.[2][3]
References
- ^ "Cat flu—help control & understand disease as practical guide preventing outbreaks". future-of-vaccination.co.uk.
- ^ Kobus Grobler. "Parvovirus (cat flu) in dogs". proteaanimalclinic.co.za. Archived from the original on 2016-07-30. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
- ^ Web Guru. "Vet Express—Canine Parvovirus (Cat Flu)". vetexonline.co.za.
Further reading
- Cat Flu Symptoms and Treatment
- Cat Health (sniksnak.com)
- Cat Care Vaccination (cats.org.uk)
- Feline upper respiratory tract disease—Cat Flu (fabcats.org)
- Treating cat flu