Cat flu is the common name for a feline upper respiratory tract disease. While feline upper respiratory disease can be caused by several different pathogens, there are few symptoms that they have in common.
While Avian Flu can also infect cats, Cat flu is generally a misnomer, since it usually does not refer to an infection by an influenza virus. Instead, it is a syndrome, a term referring to the fact that patients display a number of symptoms that can be caused by one or more of the following infectious agents (pathogens):
- Feline herpes virus causing feline viral rhinotracheitis (cat common cold, this is the disease that is closely similar to cat flu)
- Feline calicivirusâ€"(cat respiratory disease)
- Bordetella bronchisepticaâ€"(cat kennel cough)
- Chlamydophila felisâ€"(chlamydia)
In South Africa the term cat flu is also used to refer to Canine Parvo Virus. This is misleading, as transmission of the Canine Parvo Virus rarely involves cats.
References
Further reading
- Cat Flu Symptoms and Treatment
- Cat Health (sniksnak.com)
- Cat Care Vaccination (cats.org.uk)
- Feline upper respiratory tract diseaseâ€"Cat Flu (fabcats.org)
- Treating cat flu
