Cat Flu

Cat flu is a common illness affecting the upper respiratory tract in cats, much like a cold or the flu in humans.

It is mainly caused by one of two viruses; feline herpes virus and feline calicivirus. Once the cat is unwell, bacterial infections can also become involved and often make the illness worse.

Cats most likely to be worse affected are the very young, very old or those with a damaged immune system, as they find it more difficult to fight off infections. For these cats, catching flu can be life threatening. It is spread much like a cold, through your cat coughing and sneezing then other cats picking up the germs.

Once cats have recovered from cat flu, it’s possible for some cats to continue to harbour the infection and come down with cat flu again, particularly during times of stress or other illness.

While there’s no cure for cat flu, the symptoms can be treated a number of ways:

• Eye Drops – These will usually be given if your vet suspects and eye infection
• Anti-Biotics – Your cat will only need antibiotics if they develop an infection
• Anti-Inflammatories
• Medication to help loosen and break up mucus

How To Help A Cat With Cat Flu

Your vet may not prescribe any medication if your cat only has a mild case, but there are ways you can help your cat with their symptoms at home.

• Keeping your cat warm and giving them peace and quiet. Make sure they have a cosy bed  to cuddle up in where they can rest properly
• Keeping your house stress-free for your cat
• Gently wiping away any eye or nose discharge with a damp piece of cotton wool
• Encouraging them to eat. If you’re having trouble, try warming their food a little or offering something strong-smelling, like sardines.
• Encouraging them to drink.
• Helping to relieve congestion by sitting with them in a steamy room (such as the bathroom)
• Always supervise your cat and don’t force them to stay if they don’t want to.

How To Prevent Cat Flu

The easiest way to stop your cat from getting severe cat flu is by getting them vaccinated. This won’t prevent them from catching cat flu, but it will help to prevent them from getting severe symptoms and greatly reduces the chance of them needing extra treatment and hospitalisation.

Cat Flu In Kittens

Kittens are more vulnerable to cat flu as they have immature immune systems. If their mum has been vaccinated, kittens will get some immunity from cat flu when they are born. This does fade though, so you’ll need to make sure your kitten is given their first course of vaccinations at around eight to nine weeks old. If their mum has not been vaccinated, kittens are more at risk of getting seriously ill from cat flu. They can also catch it from their mum if she falls ill with cat flu while pregnant. Kittens with cat flu can develop severe symptoms, such as pneumonia and eye ulcers

Neutering Your Cat/Dog

‘Neutering’ is the procedure to remove testicles from a male (castration), and ovaries from a female (spay).

Neutering prevents unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy related illness and has many other health benefits.

It’s important to speak to your vet about the right time to neuter your dog/Cat

As an animal charity, working everyday with stray animals, we would always neuter/spay any animal we rescue, we would never
rehome an animal if it has not been neutered/spayed.

The benefits of neutering a male dog include:

• Prevents testicular cancer
• Reduces the chance of prostate problems such a Benign Prostatic Hypersplasia (BPH) later in life.
• Reduces the urge to seek out a female dog to mate with, and therefore reduces the urge to roam away from home.
• Reduce the chance of behaviours such as humping

The benefits of neutering a male cat include:

• Reduces the risk of roaming. Unneutered male cats can wander far away to find a mate.
• Reduces the risk of them fighting with other males. This, in turn, can help to prevent them contracting and spreading infectious dieseases, such as feline immunodeficiancy virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV)
• Reduces the risk of spray smelly pee in the house
• Reduces the risk of aggressive behaviour

Flea Infestation & Treatment

Fleas are a type of external parasite. There are different species of fleas, such as dog fleas, cat fleas, rabbit fleas and human fleas. It’s possible for many species of fleas to infest more than one host species.

Fleas only suck blood from their hosts as adults. Adult fleas have mouthparts that are adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood from their host.

A flea can live from between 14 days to a year, and a female can lay up to 50 eggs in one day!

Some types of flea can leap more than a hundred times their own body length.

It’s estimated that 95 per cent of flea eggs, larvae and pupae live in the environment, not on your pet.

There are a few things you can look out for that could mean your pet has fleas:

• Is your pet scratching?
• Areas of hair loss, bald or sore patches?
• Spots or scabs?
• Redness or irritation?
• Thickened skin in areas (e.g around ear edges)?
• Can you see tiny dark specks in its fur, or small browny-black insects scurrying about?
• Do you have any unacount for insect bites on yourself?

A good way to check if your pet has fleas is to groom them using a fine-toothed comb held over something white, like a piece of kitchen paper. Any fleas or flea droppings will be deposited on the surface. Add a few drops of water, and if the droppings turn reddish brown it’s very likely your pet has fleas.

Flea bites can make your pet uncomfortable and itchy, but they can also bring a host of other problems:

• Allergic reactions: pets can be hypersensitive to flea saliva and suffer an allergic reaction.
• Blood loss: fleas feed on blood, so young or frail animals can weak and even die as a result of blood loss.
• Tapeworm: flea larvae can become infected with tapeworm eggs. If your pet eats an infected flea it can become host to this parasite. If your pet has fleas you should also make sure your pet is treated for worms.

Treatment

Only give your pet flea treatment that’s been recommended for them, ideally one prescribed by your vet. Products suitable for one species may not be suitable for another. Some dog flea treatments contain permethrin, an insecticide that is safe for dogs but highly toxic to cats.

Many spot-on flea treatments (like those containing fipronil) have been found in high levels in UK waterways. These chemicals are very harmful to small aquatic animals and might also harm other species.

To protect the environment, it’s important to use these products correctly. Always follow the instructions on the product leaflet and apply the treatment to your pet as directed. Pets shouldn’t swim, be bathed, or go to the groomers for a few days
after the treatment (please check the leaflet for details).

Make sure to dispose of the packaging properly in household waste, and use the product only on the species listed. Please talk to your vet about the best flea treatments for your pet and how often they should be used to help protect your pet, people, and the planet

Feline Parovirus

FELINE PARVOVIRUS (FPV) Also referred to as feline Panleukopenia or Feline Infectious Enteritis.

Feline parvovirus, also called feline parvo, is a virus that can cause severe disease and illness in cats, particularly kittens.

Sadly, the disease has a high mortality rate and on occasion, outbreaks are still seen in households with unvaccinated cats, and in multi-cat situations, such as breeders or catteries. If a pregnant cat contracts feline parvovirus, her kittens may be born with brain damage.

Unfortunately, in North Cyprus (TRNC) this disease is frequently seen in the colonies of cats living on the streets.

Not all cats infected with feline parovirus will show symptoms, but you should look out for:

• Vomiting
• Watery diarrhoea with or without blood
• High temperature early on
• Lack of apetite
• Lethargy and depression
• Stomach pain

If your cat is showing any of these symptoms, it’s important to get in touch with your vet straight away. If they suspect feline parvo, they may ask you to wait in the car until they are ready to see your cat to prevent risk of disease transmission.

While there’s no cure for feline parvovirus, your vet may be able to treat your cat’s symptoms while their body recovers.

Treatment for feline parvovirus can include:

• A fluid drip to replace the fluids your cat has lost
• Antibiotics to treat any secondary infections (antibiotics won’t treat the parovirus itself as it is a virus, so may not be appropriate in all cases)
• Intensive care and nursing if your cat is very unwell

Parvovirus is highly contagious so if your cat is diagnosed with parvovirus and you have more than one unvaccinated cat in your home then it is likely to spread – you must let your vet know if this is the case.

Sometimes if your cat only has a mild case of parvo your vet may be able to give you advice on how to treat them at home. During this time, it’s important to keep your cat away from other cats and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly whenever you handle your cat or clean up after them.

Getting your cat vaccinated is the best way to prevent them from getting feline parvovirus. It’s important that if your cat gets parvovirus, you thoroughly clean anything they touch and clean anywhere they have been unwell.

Unfortunately, kittens are less likely to survive as a result of parvovirus. Kittens are more at risk of feline parvovirus as they have very weak immune systems while they are young.

If a kitten’s mother has been vaccinated, some of her immunity may pass to her kittens while she is pregnant. However, this protection will soon wane and it’s important to get them vaccinated as soon as they are old enough, at around eight to nine weeks old

Canine Parovirus

Parvovirus is a virus that causes severe illness and death in dogs. It damages the lining of the guts, resulting in severe Vomiting and Diarrhoea. It also attacks infection-fighting cells within the bone marrow, which weakens the immune system. Your vet should be contacted immediately if you suspect Parvovirus.

It’s a highly contagious virus and can live for many years in the environment.

The only way to protect your dog against Parvovirus is by vaccinating them as a puppy and then regularly throughout their life

The symptoms of Parvovirus usually take three to seven days to appear and include:

• Severe diarrhoea which is foul smelling, watery and bloody
• A very high, or very low temperature
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Pale gums
• Abdominal (tummy) pains
• Reduced appetite

There is no cure for Parvovirus, most dogs catch Parvovirus while they are out exploring. It’s shed in the poo of infected dogs. Unfortunately, it can then survive in the environment for months to years – meaning it can be found almost anywhere that dogs go, such as gardens, parks and fields. It can also travel in dirt, so can be found on the bottom of shoes, inside houses, on dog leads, collars, bowls, clothes, toys, and even on human hands.

Most dogs are exposed to Parvovirus at some point in their life, so the only way to protect them is through regular vaccination. Puppies are particularly vunerable and can catch Parvovirus from their surroundings before they are even old enough to start vaccinations.

The best and only way to prevent parvovirus infection is by vaccinating your dog regularly. They will need two to three Parvovirus vaccines while they are a puppy, then boosters regularly throughout the rest of their life.

Contact your vet immediately if your dog is showing symptoms of Parvovirus. Let them know you think it might be parvo, and wait outside the clinic until your dog is called in to prevent spreading it to other dogs in the waiting room.

If your dog/puppy has caught Parvovirus it is very important to disinfect your home, your vet can advise you on the best method to do this.