Can cats contract cold or flu?
I have a kitty that I recently had to redeem from the animal shelter. She is now exhibiting signs of having a cold - sniffling, sneezing, running eyes and lethargy. She's eating and drinking fine, but seems to be thinner than before. I am planning on taking her to the vet, but am wondering what could possibly be wrong with her and if anyone knows what I might expect at the vet.
Has anyone experienced this with your own cat? What did you do?
Posted by bsbfan95
Yes, you need to take her right away.
There are respiratory infections cats get, and they do get their own version of the kitty cold.
I hope you had her vaccinated..but she needs to go on antibiotics RIGHT AWAY.
She could develop pneumonia and that can be fatal.
Posted by Me
At the vet (honestly) you can expect a huge bill. I had a chiuahaha (can't spell today) for 14 years...I believe cats can get the cold but they can't catch it from you and you can't catch it from them.Take him and see what they say.Good luck to you
Posted by D_Cartwright_99
Yes, they can catch colds just like us. Same symptoms. One of mine had a cold once, I knew it was a cold but let the vet talk me in to bringing him in b/c "it might be an upper respiratory infection". It wasn't, it as a simple cold. Not much I could do for the runny-nose-sneezing-watery-eyes-miserable-feeling. He can't have human OTC so they just have to let it run its course. Good news is colds only last about 10 days. Good luck!
Posted by angelhersh
Yes, cats can catch a cold and have other types of upper resportory infections. It is a good thing you are taking her to the vets. She needs to be checked out and placed on antibotics. Colds are worse for cats than for humans. Cats lungs are small for their body size so anything that affects their lungs really takes a toll on them.
Posted by damemeow
Hi! I am a vet tech at a feline only animal hospital.
Its quite likely your cat has an upper respiratory infection. Its extremely common in shelter cats. It is highly contagious from one cat to another, but easily treatable with antibiotics. Unfortunately, due to expense most shelters (even No-kills) will not give antibiotics.
Take her to your vet, he will most likely get her started on an antibiotic. She has probably been losing weight because she has very little sense of smell. Try something extra smelly like a fishy flavor of Fancy Feast. (there is a sardine one that usually works lie a charm) You may have to hold the bowl up to her, because if she is severly congested, leaning over the bowl will make it hard for her to breath.
You can also sit with her in the bathroom and let a hot shower fill the room with steam. That will help her breath a bit easier.
Most important, keep her isolated from other cats if you have them. Generally isolating her to her own area will prevent other cats from getting sick. be sure to wash you hand with warm soapy water after handling her and before touching other cats.
PS- Its important you have her looked at sooner rather than later. If it goes on too long and becomes severe, she may develop a feline herpes type virus and have similar symptoms (runny eyes and sniffly) on and off throughout her life when she gets stressed. Most vets call those cats "snufflers"
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