Symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections include clear or colored discharge from the eyes or nose, coughing, sneezing, swelling of the mucous membranes around the eyes (conjunctivitis, see figure), mouth ulcers, lethargy, and anorexia. Rarely, cats may have trouble breathing. Viruses are found in the saliva, tears, and nasal secretions of infected cats. They are easily infected through direct contact, such as by touching and grooming themselves, or when cats cough and sneeze on each other.
Viruses can also live on surfaces that cats share, such as food and water containers or litter boxes. People can spread them from one cat to another with contaminated hands or clothing. A cat that sneezes or coughs may indicate an upper respiratory infection. Some of the other common symptoms may include runny nose or eye, sneezing, fever (often evident from lack of appetite), hoarseness meowing (or complete absence of voice), and ulcers in the mouth or nose.
During a urinary tract infection, cats experience swelling and oozing in the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. They often have secretions from their eyes and nose and may experience significant sneezing. This happens because the body's defenses are trying to eliminate infectious organisms from the body to eliminate the infection. Most URIs are contagious from cat to cat.
Excessive secretions and sneezing help spread bacteria or viruses from one cat to another. Most of the infectious agents that cause urinary tract infections are contagious and can be spread in a variety of ways. The feline herpes virus notoriously causes sneezing, which in turn leads to aerosol transmission. This happens when a cat sneezes near another cat, who inhales the germs.
Direct transmission can also occur through mutual grooming and cat rubbing against each other. Green-yellow discharge from the eyes or nose URIs usually cause a runny nose and sneezing that can be self-limiting. However, some UTIs can develop into more serious infections that require medical treatment by your cat's veterinarian. First, fully vaccinate all the cats in the house, preferably before the new kitten or cat gets home.
Spending time outdoors naturally increases the risk of a cat being exposed to upper respiratory infections, as cats are less likely to encounter infected cats when they are only inside their own home. Keep the new cat in a quarantine area away from other cats in the house for 10 to 14 days while she adapts. If your cat goes outdoors or has greater exposure to other cats, your veterinarian may also recommend that you get vaccinated against feline leukemia, which is transmitted from one cat to another through mutual grooming and the sharing of dishes or food. If you recognize that your cat is sick and start treatment earlier, you'll have a better chance of preventing it from infecting other cats in the house.
There are many oral supplements on the market designed to help your cat manage stress, such as Zylkene, Vetriscience Composure, and Purina Calming Care. These diagnostic tests are often performed with severely affected cats or when many cats have been exposed. If you're bringing home a new cat that may be infected, there are some things you can do to try to slow the spread of upper respiratory infections to other cats in your household. Some cats may benefit from steam therapy, and your vet may recommend that you keep your cat in the bathroom while showering to keep the nostrils moist.
If you have an infected cat and other cats at home, you should take steps to prevent the virus from spreading. Both vomiting and coughing can cause cats to agitate and make similar sounds, so it can be difficult for cat parents to tell the difference. Environmental exposure can come from food and water dishes, cages, bedding, and even from humans, all of which can serve as fomites to spread urinary tract infections from one cat to another. Compounding the situation is the fact that many of these cats may be unvaccinated or insufficiently vaccinated, which also means that they have little or no protection against many of the agents that cause respiratory infections in cats.
We consider upper respiratory tract infections in cats to be highly contagious, and it's not uncommon for a normal-looking kitten to be adopted from a shelter, only to start sneezing a few days later, followed soon after by all the other cats in the house. However, the vaccine doesn't protect 100 percent, so it's a good idea to isolate cats that show signs of the disease and wash your hands after handling sick cats. Remember that going outside gives your cat more opportunities to mix with neighborhood cats or stray dogs, increasing the risk of getting a UTI. .
Leave a Comment