5 Facts about Feline Upper Respiratory Virus

If you’ve ever fostered a cat or adopted one from a shelter, chances are you’ve probably come across feline upper respiratory virus. One of my previous fosters that stayed with me for a couple weeks until his symptoms improved had feline URI so I wanted to share some information about this condition 🐱

✨The common pathogens are FHV-1 (feline herpesvirus) and calcivirus. Other possible pathogens incidents mycoplasma, bordetella and chlamydia

✨Common clinical signs include sneezing, nasal and ocular discharge. They can also have fevers, decreased appetite, pneumonia and ocular changes

✨If your cat isn’t eating or seems generally lethargic or unwell, seek veterinary care.

✨ While not commonly performed, there is PCR testing available

✨ Due to the very contagious disease to other cats, it’s recommend to keep cats up-to-date on their FVRCP vaccine and keep cats with signs of illness separate from other cats

References:

1) Veterinary Partner. Veterinarypartner.com

2) Tilley, L. P., & Smith, F. W. (2005). The 5-minute veterinary consult: Canine and feline. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

3) Yin, S. A. (2010). The small animal veterinary nerdbook. Davis, CA: CattleDog Pub.