Cat Flu Symptoms and Treatments

Although cats can be vaccinated against flu it isn't always completely successful, and a particularly virulent strain can affect a cat even if all the vaccinations and boosters are up to date. Diagnosis is confirmed by taking a mouth swab.

Cat flu is caused by a couple of viruses:

Feline calcivirus
There appear to be a few strains of this virus, and it has been found that once a cat recovers from a bout from one strain it is possible that he may be infected yet again by another. The symptoms include patches of ulceration in the mouth and some discharge from the nose, and milder symptoms in general than those seen in feline herpesvirus.

Feline herpesvirus
This is a particularly virulent flu virus, and although there is just the one strain its effects are severe. The feline herpesvirus I (FHV-1) is also the causative virus of Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR), an upper respiratory tract infection. Your cat will not only suffer a long drawn out period of primary infection lasting several weeks of primary infection from the virus but will also develop secondary infections such as conjunctivitis, a streaming nose which will make him sneeze frequently when it blocks, and a persistent chest infection. Your cat will be extremely lethargic and depressed and may not want to eat.

Precautions
If your cat is being nursed at home rather than at the veterinary surgery, you should keep everything your cat uses scrupulously clean. This includes the feeding and water bowl, the bedding, and any toys or playthings. You should wash your hands as frequently as possible when handling your cat. If you have more than one cat you should nurse your sick cat in isolation so as not to infect any others, and keep the room as quiet as possible.

Treatment
As it is a virus that causes flu, antibiotics will not cure it and will only be effective in treating the secondary bacterial infections. However, you will be able to do a lot to relieve the cat's symptoms. As his nose and airway will be discharging and possibly blocked, a humidifier is useful so as to help loosen the discharge and help him breathe more easily. If you have central heating don't turn it up as this will dry him out and block his air passages, which will make it more difficult for him to breathe, but keep the temperature warm for him and provide him with warmth-reflecting bedding so that he doesn't chill.

Using a piece of cotton wool in warm water you can gently wipe discharge away from his nose, and you can do the same for his eyes if they are gummed up with conjunctivitis, but make sure that you do not use the same piece of cotton wool so as not to spread the infection even further. Again, always wash your hands after handling him.

If his appetite is poor you can see if you can tempt him with a morsel or two of what he enjoys, and encourage him to drink water. This will help to loosen the mucus in his airway and will maintain a good urinary output so as to keep his kidneys flushed and healthy as well as helping to flush out toxins from infected cells.

Should your cat become severely dehydrated and ill, your vet may suggest taking him in to have intravenous fluids and to monitor him closely, but unless your cat is receiving treatment fairly late in the progress of his flu or he is very ill he is unlikely to need intensive treatment.