Effective Treatments for Cat Cold: How to Cure Your Fel

Generally, there are two types of cat colds: common cold and influenza, also known as viral cold.

Quick Assessment of the Condition

Signs of a common cat cold include sneezing and clear nasal discharge. The eyes should appear normal, and the cat's spirit and appetite should be relatively normal.

— This can be diagnosed as a cat cold.

On the other hand, symptoms of cat rhinitis or viral cold may include thick nasal discharge, frequent sneezing, constant eye watering, decreased energy, and reduced appetite.

— This can be diagnosed as cat rhinitis or viral cold.

Quick Response Measures

1. For a cat cold, since the cat's resistance is low, you can give them "Cat Amines" to boost their immunity and prevent viral infections, which can also help alleviate cold symptoms. Ensure the cat stays warm, avoid letting them stay in windy areas, and definitely don't let them go outside.

2. For cat rhinitis or viral cold, the symptoms are more severe, with symptoms like thick nasal discharge, frequent sneezing, constant eye watering, swelling, and even conjunctivitis and fever. In the early stages, you can also give them "Cat Amines," and if their immune system is strong enough, they may recover completely on their own.

However, if the symptoms are severe and the cat has a fever over 39.5°C, it's essential to take them to a veterinary hospital immediately for a feverreducing shot. If not treated promptly, it can easily lead to sudden death in cats.

Overview of Common Treatment Methods:

1. Antiviral: You can inject feline interferon, and for cats with eye diseases, you can use acyclovir or ribavirin eye drops. For cats with upper respiratory symptoms, nebulization therapy can be used.

2. Antibacterial and Antiseptic: Animals with rhinitis often have secondary bacterial infections, so antibacterial drugs should be used during treatment, such as amoxicillin and ceftriaxone.

3. Symptomatic Treatment: For animals with reduced appetite and thirst, intravenous fluid therapy should be administered to replenish electrolytes, glucose, vitamins, and especially lysine, as a deficiency can weaken the body's resistance to herpesviruses. Additionally, for sick animals, especially kittens, it's crucial to keep them warm.

A Veterinary Treatment Plan:

Use symptomatic and supportive therapy. Broadspectrum antibiotics can prevent secondary infections and treat psittacosis chlamydiosis and mycoplasmosis.

Antibiotic Therapy: Chlamydiosis and mycoplasmosis are sensitive to tetracycline. You can use tetracycline hydrochloride tablets (0.125 grams/tablet or 0.25 grams/tablet) or tetracycline powder, mixed at a ratio of 0.050.1% in the feed, for 10 days. After that, use 50 mg of tetracycline mixed in the feed daily for a month to control recurrence. Tylosin is also sensitive to chlamydiosis and mycoplasmosis, and 25 mg can be injected intramuscularly three times a day, which can significantly improve upper respiratory diseases and reduce mortality.

Additionally, you can use antibiotic ointment for the eyes or apply 0.5% deoxyinosine nucleoside (herpesin) solution every two hours. Moreover, antihistamines can be used early in the disease course to reduce nasal secretions. Effects can be seen within 2448 hours, but continuous use should not exceed four days, as it can cause drowsiness as a side effect.

Supportive Therapy: This therapy is crucial for cat respiratory diseases and can be tailored to the animal's needs. Intravenous fluid therapy can be used for dehydration and to maintain the physiological needs of anorexic animals. Subcutaneous injection of balanced electrolyte solutions usually meets the needs. The animal should be placed in a clean, temperatureappropriate, bright, and ventilated area. Steam therapy or using mucolytic drugs for nebulization can improve excessive eye and nasal secretions or nasal obstruction.

Quickly Identifying Fever Symptoms

Cats have a normal body temperature of 3839.2°C. A temperature between 39.239.5°C is considered a slight fever, and above 40.5°C is a high fever. Typically, cats have slightly higher temperatures at night and lower temperatures in the morning. Adult cats usually have lower temperatures than kittens, and cats may have a temporary increase in temperature when they are active or stressed.

1. Rectal temperature measurement: This method is relatively accurate. First, disinfect the thermometer with alcohol and use one below 35 degrees. Apply some Vaseline or red raspberry cream to the thermometer, or use some tap water if neither is available. Gently lift the cat's tail and slowly insert the thermometer about 5 centimeters into the anus. If you're unsure, use your thumb and index finger to hold the thermometer at about 5 centimeters, stopping when the correct length is reached. Leave the thermometer in the cat for 35 minutes. Be sure to move your hand with the cat if they move around, to avoid breaking the thermometer inside them.

2. Root of the hind leg temperature measurement: First, swing the thermometer to below 35°C and place it against the cat's thigh, close to the skin. Read the temperature after 35 minutes. The surface temperature is usually about 0.5°C lower than the rectal temperature. So, add 0.5°C to the reading to get the cat's body temperature. It's best to use this method when the cat is sleeping or comfortably lying next to you. To soothe them, you can comb their fur or scratch their forehead and chin.

When cats have a fever, they are usually very listless, don't want to move, and may squint their eyes. If the temperature exceeds 39.5°C, it's essential to take them to the hospital immediately. If it's too late or there are transportation difficulties, consider using a bucket of cool water or an ice pack to cool them down physically. So, if you notice your cat is listless during the day, monitor their temperature frequently, and seek medical attention if they have a high fever.

It's incorrect to put a thermometer in a cat's mouth to measure their temperature!

Introduction to Cat Rhinitis

Cat rhinitis, also known as Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR) in academic terms, is a disease caused by viral infection. As the name suggests, it is highly contagious.

This disease has a very high incidence in kittens, with some veterinary books stating that once kittens carry the herpesvirus, the incidence rate is 100%, and the mortality rate is 50%!! This disease is appropriately called the "kitten killer." The herpesvirus that causes cat rhinitis prefers to replicate in low temperatures, making kittens with low body temperatures more dangerous! There have been no cases of humans being infected with this virus, so there's no need to worry about humans being infected by cats.

The virus can be released from the nose, eyes, and throat of infected cats and can be transmitted to other cats through contact or droplets. The transmission is very rapid, especially through droplets, which can spread at a distance of 1 meter in still air. Moreover, infected cats, recovered cats, or cats in the latent infection period can all carry or excrete the virus, becoming sources of infection for this disease! In the early stages of the disease (within 24 hours of infection), the virus can be released in large quantities through secretions and can last for 14 days. Cats with the virus may stimulate excretion when they experience stress, such as giving birth, mating, or changing environments!

After cats are infected with the herpesvirus, the symptoms include:

1. After a 23day incubation period, the body temperature usually rises, with fever reaching about 40 degrees.

2. Cats may cough, sneeze for more than 48 hours, and have nasal discharge, which starts as serous and later becomes purulent secretions.

3. Cats may have eye watering, serous secretions, cloudy eyes, and symptoms of conjunctivitis or ulcerative keratitis.

4. Cats may have reduced appetite and decreased energy.

If your cat has not been vaccinated and is a kitten (under 6 months old) or has recently come into contact with other cats, the risk of infection is significantly higher. In this case, it's essential to go to the hospital for a diagnosis!

Prevention Methods for Cat Rhinitis:

Get vaccinated!

The most common vaccine is a threeway inactivated vaccine called "Cat Trivalent." This vaccine can prevent herpesvirus, calicivirus, and feline panleukopenia (cat distemper) simultaneously.

Since kittens can obtain immunity from their mothers and maintain it for a period, and if vaccinated too early, this immunity may interfere with the immune response of vaccination. Therefore, it is recommended to start vaccination at around two months of age, with one dose every two weeks until three doses are completed, which is considered to produce sufficient protection. If adult cats or young cats cannot confirm whether they have been vaccinated before, it is still recommended to administer two to four doses consecutively.

If cats are in an environment with a high risk of infection, it is recommended to boost the vaccine annually. If cats are completely indoor and do not go outside, they can be vaccinated every three years. However, cats that regularly bathe outside or frequently visit the hospital should be considered highrisk.