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If you are like me, you probably
have never had a cat with a cold, but cats with colds are fairly
common.
How does a cat get a cold?
The first thought that comes to mind is “can my cat catch
my cold?”
The answer to that is no and
“no” you cannot catch your cat’s cold. It is said
that cold viruses are species-specific, which means pets and
humans cannot pass a cold back and forth.
While we can (for the most
part) “doctor” our colds with over-the-counter remedies,
our cats cannot.
A cold is serious business
for a cat and even more serious if you have a multiple cat household.
Oddly enough, your cat’s
symptoms will be very similar to yours, sneezing, runny nose,
coughing, wheezing and sometimes a mucous discharge either from
its nose or mouth. It is also possible for your cat to have a
breathing problem, cold sore type ulcers around it mouth and
red teary eyes that have a discharge.
Cat colds are very contagious
and interestingly, cats are more susceptible to colds in the
summer time.
Where can your cat pick up
a cold?
At a boarding kennel, the groomers,
at your vets and if your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, it can
pick up the virus from any cat it encounters outside.
What can you do for your cat’s
cold?
First of all do not try any
human over-the-counter remedies. Usually a cat cold lasts just
about as long as a human cold (7 to 10 days) and the cat will
get over it just as we do.
Where it gets complicated is,
if the viral infection travels to the lungs or bronchial area
causing a lower respiratory infection or if a secondary bacterial
infection occurs in the nose, mouth or eye area.
This is why at the first sign
your cat is coming down with a cold, you should call your vet.
This ounce of prevention can honestly save you many vet dollars,
should the cold develop into something more serious.
Once a cat gets a respiratory
infection it is possible that it will re-occur time and time
again (like the proverbial bad penny.)
Another important thing to
take under consideration is cats smell their food before they
eat it. This is normal cat behavior and if your cat has a stuffy
nose, it cannot smell its food.
What happens when a cat can’t
smell its food?
The cat will not eat or even
drink. The cat becomes dehydrated and starts using up its own
fat stores for energy.
A cat needs to eat and drink
(most canned cat food provides not only nutrition, but water,)
the result of not eating can cause a condition known as hepatic
lipidosis or fatty liver syndrome, which can be life threatening.
This is why, if your cat shows
any sign of a cold or stops eating for any reason call your vet
at once.
I can’t say this enough,
that one simple phone call may save you many future vet dollars.
A cat’s cold can be a
simple runny nose (wipe it with a warm wet washcloth, cats can’t
blow) and require nothing more than some TLC from you, but check
with your vet first.
There are two types of viruses
that can cause a cat to have cold like symptoms, the first is
felline herpesvirus (FHV) and feline calicivirus (FCV). Keep
up all of your cat’s recommended vaccinations as the vaccine
for FHV and FCV is given at regular intervals.
Keeping your cat indoors is
truly the best way to protect your cat from being the recipient
of “what is going around.”
Having a cat is an interesting
experience. I have three at the present time and have had as
many as six. Each cat is as individual as any person I have ever
known. Personalities and temperament between cats is as different
as night and day. I work very hard at trying to understand my
three and as soon as I think I have it all figured out, they
find some way to mess it all up. If you enjoyed this article
please come and visit me at http://cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com
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