Do Cats Get Colds Or Flu

Treating canine colds and flu.

Do cats get colds or flu. As with human colds there are several viruses that can cause it. Just like people cats can get colds. But it can be serious and even fatal in kittens and adult cats with underlying illnesses so its important to get your pet to the vet.

Common signs that your cat may have a kitty cold can include sneezing a runny nose red and irritated eyes watery or goopy eyes and congestion. In most situations though colds and flu cases are caused by viruses. Cats can solely grow to be contaminated from different cats and sometimes different animals.

According to the Ontario Veterinary College a cat may be able to catch your cold depending on what kind of virus it is although it does not commonly occur but a dog cannot. Technically no they dont catch colds as humans do. Cat colds are usually diagnosed as an Upper Respiratory Infection.

Cat colds are usually caused by a virus. It can take as long as two weeks for signs of flu to appear. Although cats do catch colds it isnt the same common cold virus that us humans catch.

In fact they can develop a wide variety of viral and bacterial respiratory infections. Cats can have a cold or even flu just as we humans can. The virus attaches to cells in the respiratory tract of felines similarly to how it does in humans says Weese.

Cat colds or flu can be caused by several viruses or bacteria the most common are the feline herpesvirus feline calicivirus and chlamydiosis. Cats can get both viral and bacterial sicknesses with the feline herpesvirus which can cause eye ulcers and the feline calicivirus which can cause oral ulcers being responsible for 95 percent of cat colds Dr. Yes cats do get influenza virus and they appear to be susceptible to most if not all strains of influenza A 1.