Basic Facts About Respiratory Virus In Cats

Respiratory virus in cats can cause an infection in its upper respiratory organs. These include the nose, sinuses and the throat area. This respiratory disease is a common problem in cats and can easily pass from one cat to another.

Infectious Disease

If you find your pet sneezing or having watery eyes, running nose or breathing from the mouth and a drooling mouth, the symptoms indicate that your cat has a respiratory infection.

Like the common cold in humans, respiratory virus infection in cats is very common and highly contagious also. A healthy cat can easily get infected by a cat that has a respiratory disease or carries the germ. The virus or bacteria causing respiratory infection can pass from one cat to another through secretions from the eyes, mouth and nose of infected cats.

Within two to three days of getting infected, a healthy cat will begin to show symptoms of a respiratory infection. The disease caused by respiratory virus results in a general uneasiness in your pet and causes poor appetite. This results from the cats poor sense of smell which is caused by the infection. It may also give some fever and might block the sinuses, which is very uncomfortable for your pet.

Otherwise it is quite a harmless and common disease in cats which gets cured in around a two week time period. However, it needs to be treated as in some cases the problem may worsen and cause complications like pneumonia. This condition is dangerous, especially in the case of kittens.

Hygiene Is Essential In Pet Care

In respiratory infections, a cat that has been infected once generally does not get infected again in its life. However, it continues to be a carrier of the respiratory virus and can pass it to other cats when it is in any stressful state. Generally most cats develop some disease when they are in a situation that they are not comfortable in. This causes stress in them, for instance if they are suddenly shifted to a new place.

Many diseases show up at such times in cats and they are also found to be in a body condition to spread the germs that are already present in their body. Respiratory virus is found to be common in places where lots of cats can be found together like cat sheds or a home where there are many cats as pets. Also during the spring and summer season when there are lots of new born kittens, this problem affects many cats and kittens. Maintaining hygiene is essential to keep this disease away from your pet cat. The virus or bacteria causing the infection can be easily destroyed by using bleach and other disinfectants to sanitize the place. So it is essential to keep the place where they are housed always clean so that these germs are not allowed to breed there.

An essential rule to be followed by all cat lovers is that, together with a good diet, they must also pay attention to hygiene concerning their pets. If proper cleanliness and hygiene are maintained, all kinds of germs including the respiratory virus can be kept away and this means your pet cat would enjoy good health and spirits.