Sneezing disease, the most common cat disease!

Feline sneezing disease

All kittens and adult cats can get sneezing disease, making sneezing disease a common condition in cats. Sneezing disease, like other infectious diseases, is more common in cats living with several cats in a household and in cats that may encounter several cats outside. Fortunately, not all cats get very sick from it, as the severity ranges from being a carrier of the virus to death from complications (pneumonia) due to sneezing disease. In our country, fortunately, most cats are vaccinated (inoculated) against sneezing disease which more often limits the severity of symptoms. Unvaccinated cats, kittens, older cats and cats with reduced resistance are more likely to get really sick from sneezing disease.

What causes sneezing disease

There are several Feline viruses that cause Sneeze Disease. The severity of symptoms also depends on the type of virus. The main causes of sneezing disease are the Feline herpesviruses FHV, FHV-1 and Feline Rhinotracheitis virus and the Feline Calicivirus (FCV). The herpesviruses often cause more severe symptoms than FCV which generally gives milder symptoms. These infectious viruses are ubiquitous and generally spread rapidly. Virus particles are released when sneezing and can survive reasonably well in the environment. The severity of sneezing disease depends not only on vaccination, defence level of the cat, infection pressure and type of virus, but also strongly depends on the bacteria: Bordetella bronchiseptica, Chlamydophila felis, Chlamydophila psittaci and mycoplasma, which all play a role in the disease complex.

Acute sneezing disease can progress to chronic sneezing disease

. Acute sneezing disease is when the cat becomes infected with the sneezing virus for the first time. There are three main causes by which a cat develops chronic sneezing disease.
First, a cat with very severe acute sneezing disease may be left with damage to the nose. This can be a reason that mucus from the nose (which all cats have) no longer drains properly but starts to accumulate. Moisture that accumulates under warm conditions is a breeding ground for bacteria, causing these cats to have recurrent or even chronic colds.
Secondly, feline herpesviruses can be present in latent form in nerve tissue. When the cat's defences then drop a little, the virus can become active again, similar to a cold sore in humans. Since the cat's immune system quickly recognises the virus, such a flaring virus outbreak only lasts a relatively short time. These cats are often only a little cold or less fit for a few days. <. Thirdly, there is the feline calicivirus, which does not remain latent in the nervous system, but can settle in the tonsils. This is actually even more annoying because some of these cats can thus re-infect themselves but also infect other cats without you noticing. Cats with a latent virus that do not get sick themselves are called carriers.

Symptoms of cats with acute and chronic sneezing disease

• Neezing, sometimes with coughing
• Cold (nasal discharge, often the only noticeable thing in chronic sneezing disease
• Red eyes
• Eye discharge sometimes with corneal damage
• Fluffiness
• Fever
• Excessive drooling due to sore throat, the virus causes sores in the mouth
• Diminished appetite due to malaise and pain from the sores
• Struggling with complications such as the development of pneumonia

You suspect your cat of sneezing disease, then what?

If you have a kitten or cat that sneezes, seems to have a cold or other symptoms of sneezing disease, it is important not to wait and see. After all, sneezing disease is a highly contagious disease. First of all, the cat should be separated from other cats in the house and also from other cats by keeping them indoors at least temporarily. Furthermore, your vet can determine whether more is needed, such as antibiotics against additional bacteria or pain-relieving fever reducers. Against the viruses, unfortunately, no standard drugs have yet been found. However, there are very studies showing that the amino acid L-lysine helps in reducing the spread of sneezing disease viruses through the eyes and increasing the cat's defences against the viruses.

Products containing L-Lysine, which is also called F-lysine.

• Vetoquinol Care Ensiyl-F
• F-Lysine
• Pure L-Lysine
• Phytonics L-lysine

Preventing sickness is better than curing it Vaccinating (vaccinating) your kitten or cat annually against sneezing disease prevents most cats from getting sick. There are always exceptions, but with vaccinated cats we do see that they get sick much less, than when a cat is not vaccinated at all. Besides vaccinating, it can also help not to keep your cats in a room with too many other cats, because in catteries with many stray cats, for example, there is more chance of infection. If your cat always lives in the house, it can also just get sneezing disease! Feline viruses can of course be transmitted via carriers and sick cats, but also via people with unwashed hands or clothes. Calicivirus in particular can survive outside the cat for up to 10 days under good conditions. So indoor cats can also become infected via people, which is why annual vaccination is also recommended for this group of cats.

-This is an automated translation-