Cat flu

[Upsy1981]

It seems we have an outbreak of cat flu. Cat 1 has been to the vets. We have eye drops, anti biotic, anti inflammatory. He is currently in isolation in the front room feeling very sorry for himself. He's well in himself, just sniffly and sneezy but fed up from being isolated. However, he was sneezing on and off for a few days before we realised what it was and isolated him so now cat 2 is sneezing and has a watery looking eye. We have 4 cats altogether. Anyone have any experiences to share? I cannot isolate cat 2 as well. She will not cope. She will literally trash the room. Plus, I'm assuming really its too late. I have read that the virus can be transmitted on clothing etc and through the air. I'm guessing they will all get it? Or at least become carriers?

What I'm worried about is transmitting it via other people to their cats e.g. my mum might come round and take the virus back to her cat on her clothes as once they have it they are always carriers but I really don't see how I can avoid that?

I think Snorg gets it a lot. But it's difficult to tell with her as she's so flat faced. But he eyes are are very gunky so I think I'll pop her along to the vet tomorrow. Cheddar is also sneezing a lot.

I think you have to also isolate cat 2 despite her protests. Just recently I isolated a kitten from a litter after he had been showing signs of cat flu for a few hours. The remainder didn't get it, so it isn't necessarily too late.

I can't stress enough how impossible it will be to isolate her. Cat 1 is currently in the front room which is the only room in the house which is not shredded in someway by cats and that is because they are not normally allowed unsupervised access. So far he is being a very good boy and is making the best of it without trashing the place. Cat 2 is a stressy older lady who gets anxious at the slightest thing and will yowl morning, noon and night if trapped in there, especially with cat 1. She will rip up the carpet and the furniture, despite there now being a three storey cat scratch tower in there. She will also wee everywhere, despite there being a litter tray in there. Cat 1 has been sneezing on and off since last Thursday and only isolated since Tuesday so I think the likelihood of the others getting it is already high.

I'm wondering how effective isolation will be if the virus is living in our clothing, fabrics, carpets etc. We are diligently thoroughly washing hands after dealing with Cat 1 but how effective will that be when they were sharing bowls with him until a few days ago?

Are they not vaccinated?

I did write a long reply but lost it. Short answer is no.

I had five cats go thru cat flu about twelve years ago, a new cat brought it into the house before we realised, all survived I let them work through it. I gently cleaned their faces (eyes, drooling mouth) with wet cotton wool. I hand fed them wet/mushy cat food (bought from the vet) through a syringe squirt into their mouths, similarly gave them water through syringe, to ensure they didn't dehydrate or get hungry. They all found their own spots to curl up and sleep, and I rubbed baby balsam on nearby furniture legs so the eucalyptus smell permeated - I have no clue whether that helped or not, but it made me feel better! After a couple of days, they pulled out of it and started seeking out food and company again.

(We lived in rural Scotland, the older cats hadn't been vaccinated for years, our choice, no judgement please. I now live in a city, one cat, regularly vaccinated.)

Eggysmom thank you for your experience. I know cats 2, 3 and 4 had their vaccinations as kittens but cat 1 chose to move in with us as an adult cat so no idea of his history. So your cats survived with no lasting flu effects?

Thankfully ours does not yet seem to be a serious case (fingers crossed). Cats are bright, eating, interested in things, but just sneezing and snuffling with slightly runny eyes, although eye drops are mostly keeping cat 1's eyes clear now.