![]() Nasal secretions should be softened with water and removed. Anorexia is very common and is the most serious common complication of URD. If changes are noted, it is important to contact the clinic as soon as possible as changes to the treatment plan may be required. Monitoring at home: This includes checking activity levels and appetite.When deciding on a treatment plan, our goal is to treat appropriately for the symptoms your cat is presenting and may include the following: Viruses are a challenge to treat because they will not respond to antibiotic therapy. The only way to determine the exact cause of a URD is to take a sample (usually nasal, throat or eye discharge) and run several laboratory tests such as culture, if bacteria are suspected, or other tests (such as PCR) to identify viruses.Īs said before, URDs are most often caused by viruses. In hospital, we diagnose URD based on clinical symptoms. If we pet a stray cat, or visit a friend’s cat that is ill, we can put our own cats at risk! Any areas where lots of cats are together, and in high-stress situations, such as groomers, cat shows, pet stores, boarding facilities, and animal shelters are prime areas to pick-up a cold because the sneeze of one cat, several cages down, can infect your cat. The viruses that cause upper respiratory infections are casual contact viruses that can survive in the environment for long periods of time, and thereby spread by direct or indirect contact. As colds are a systemic infection, your cat may be lethargic, dull, and show decrease appetite. In severe infections, the lower respiratory tract can become involved leading to pneumonia. If the infection becomes chronic, then symptoms can include a dry or ulcerated nose and chronic, brown eye or nose discharge. Other symptoms include eye and nose discharge (clear in the case of viral infection and cloudy yellow or green if bacteria are also involved). Depending on how severe your cat’s infection is, it may be the only clinical symptom. The universal symptom of URD is sneezing. Bacteria take advantage of a busy immune system to create a secondary infection. In some cases, your cat’s viral infection is made worse by bacteria. Rarely, bacteria such as Chlamydia, Bordetella can cause these symptoms. The underlying cause of these cat colds are usually viruses (a cat-specific herpesvirus and feline calicivirus being most common). Feline upper respiratory disease (abbreviated URD) is a general term used to describe the sneezing, runny eyes, runny nose cat cold symptoms. ![]()
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