Content
- Feline flu: causes and symptoms
- Feline flu: treatment
- Home Remedy for Feline Flu
- Feline flu: homeopathic treatment
When you learn more about the animal world, you discover that there are very few diseases unique to humans and that your animals can contract respiratory infections, as is the case with flu in cats. Despite this, the pathological agent, the manifestation of the disease and the treatment will be different, so it is very important not to make mistakes that can be fatal, such as medicating your pet without veterinary advice.
If you have a pussy at home, you need to be very alert for any signs of the flu, in this PeritoAnimal article about feline flu: symptoms, treatment and home remedies, we will explain in detail everything about the disease.
Feline flu: causes and symptoms
In humans, flu is caused by a viral agent, influenza, but this is not how it happens with cats as they are different agents such as feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus.
It is important to clarify that both viral agents act differently, since feline herpesvirus is potentially deadly and can leave chronic sequelae, on the other hand, when the contagion is due to the presence of the feline calicivirus agent, the clinical severity is more moderate.
Influenza in cats is not contagious between felines and humans, however, it is infectious among cats through air or small contact. If your cat has contracted feline flu, you will be able to notice it easily because it will clearly manifest the following symptoms:
- Sneezing;
- Nasal discharge;
- Conjunctivitis;
- Lethargy;
- Mouth breathing as a result of clogging of the nasal passages;
- Fever;
- Loss of appetite;
- Cough;
- Depression;
- Mouth ulcers and excessive salivation.
As it is a viral infection, there is no specific treatment and all efforts are aimed at relieving the symptoms, but you must bear in mind that at the slightest sign of feline flu you should take your pet immediately to the veterinarian so that he can prescribe the most suitable treatment.
Feline flu: treatment
Treatment for feline flu can only be recommended and supervised by a trusted veterinarian. It may vary depending on each cat and especially if there is any other underlying pathology, which would aggravate the flu.
Generally, the drugs that are prescribed are:
- Antibiotics: are intended to control infections that can cause different mucous membranes as a result of the flu.
- Interferon: it is an antiviral applied to humans that has been modified so that it can also be applied to animals, it works by preventing the reproduction of the virus.
- Eye drops: usually they will be eye drops that include in the formula some type of antibiotic to fight conjunctivitis in a local way.
- Intravenous fluids: this treatment is applied in severe cases in which the loss of appetite was so intense that the cat was severely dehydrated.
The vaccine is applied for prevention and not as a treatment, it greatly reduces the risk of contracting feline flu, but it does not completely prevent it.
Home Remedy for Feline Flu
You home remedies for feline flu mentioned below serve as a complement to the pharmacological treatment suggested by a trusted veterinarian. These are several hygienic and dietary measures that will allow the cat to regain health more easily and that the flu does not lead to any respiratory complications.
- Use of humidifier: the cold steam will help to maintain the relative humidity of the environment, which will prevent the airways from drying out, making it easier to expel the mucous membranes.
- Hydration: Considering that your cat can lose its appetite, it is extremely important that you are very aware of your cat's moisture level. You should provide fresh water and use moist food to contribute to more fluid intake.
- Food: to neutralize the lack of appetite, which happens in part due to the loss of smell, you should offer your cat very tasty food that catches his attention, fish is a good alternative.
- Nasal care: You should clean your cat's nasal secretions with a warm, damp washcloth, if you notice cracks or scabs, apply petroleum jelly to facilitate tissue recovery.
- eye care: to prevent eye discharge from causing infection, you should clean your eyes daily with cotton gauze and saline. You must use gauze for each eye.
In addition to all these precautions, you must be aware that the temperature in your house is adequate, avoiding any draft that could affect your pet.
Feline flu: homeopathic treatment
Homeopathy is a completely natural and innocuous therapy, that is, it does not interfere with any pharmacological treatment and works very well in animals, being one of the most used alternative treatments in the veterinary field.
When you apply homeopathy, you will be offering your animal a diluted and dynamized substance that has lost all its toxic effect, having the property of stimulating the body's own curative resources, including the immune system.
Some homeopathic remedy that can be used in feline flu are:
- Preparations comprising a viral strain (feline herpesvirus or helino calcivirus);
- Phosphorus and pulsatilla: act on the respiratory mucosa and the disorders of this device;
- Euphrasia Officinalis: useful for improving eye secretions.
These treatments are guidelines and generic, so they do not comply with the principles of homeopathy, which indicates that a remedy must take into account all the individualities of the animal. The only person able to recommend a homeopathic treatment for feline flu is a veterinarian who specializes in homeopathy.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.