Cough

Can anyone shed light on a cat that has "kennel cough"? Thanks :sick:

Kennel cough seems to be associated mostly with dogs but appaently cats can come down with it too. A few vets claim humans can get it as well but most say not and I tend to agree with that. The feline variety of colds is a different virus and it is serious business when a virus jumps from species to species!!

It is essentially an upper respiratory infections or cold. The upper respiratory tract, which includes the nose, throat, (pharnyx), voice box (larynx),tracea (windpipe) and upper bronchi (largest air vessels leading into the lungs) is one of the easiest enteries into the animal's body.

Virus, baceria, etc can dry out and masquerade as dust. Dried secretions, scabs and the like, break down into tiny particles and can be inhaled in the air. All of this leads to pathways for infection for your pet.

Cats with a kitty cold tend to echibit such symptoms as a runny nose or eyes, coughing, sneezing, sore throat and even inflammation of the tissues of the mouth. Kennel cough or canine infectious tracheobronchitis is thought to be caused mostly by virus of the "adeno" variety, although many sources say others such as parainfluenza, Bordetella bronchiseptica, and even mycoplasma (a cross between virus and bacteria) are involved. It can be complicated by bacterial infection as well.

The cough is dry, hacking (not unlike human Whooping Cough) and at the end of the coughing, often the animal will wind up retching and cough up a white foamy discharge.

It take a mass of exposure to infect most animals, and this is usually when a group of them, especially the young and stressed are together. Prime locations are boarding kennels, animal shelters, grooming shops, pet shops and even shows.

The duration of kennel cough is usually 1-2 weeks.

I would still have a vet see the cat though. I almost calld the vet when my cat sneezed a few times, lol

The worst thing about a cat with a cold is that a kitty needs her sense of smeel to eat and if she has a respiatory infection, it may be impaired. Cats NEED to eat regularly so that is an important indicator to watch for!

here are some articles on colds in cats:
[http://www.kittencare.com/askKC_Sneezing.html
http://animalpetdoctor.homestead.com/Cats2.html (You have to scroll down the page to find the info here)

When we got Daisy, she had kennel cough. The first vet we went to said it was impossible to pass it on to cats. A week later, both cats proved us wrong. We gave both Daisy and the cats childrens Nyquil on recommendation of the new vet. It seemed to clear it up, and we never had issues again.