posted by Tess on Oct 8
Cat flu is a general name given to any feline respiratory disease that is contagious by nature. Cats that have not been vaccinated, old cats and kittens are at a higher risk of developing cat flu.
While there are numerous organisms that can cause cat flu, a huge majority of reported cases seem to be due to the feline herpes virus or feline calicivirus. Diagnosis of cat flu is usually presumptive and based on empirical observation of symptoms like sneezing, coughing, ocular and nasal discharge and fever and history of recent exposure.
Severity of symptoms also indicates the virus that has most likely caused the infection. The herpes virus tends to produce severer symptoms than the calicivirus. Laboratory diagnosis is usually complicated and usually does not give definite results, especially in mixed infections. Moreover the calicivirus normally does not leave traces and may not be seen in cultures of nasal or oropharyngeal swabs.
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