Nasal Infection in Cats
05 Sep 2008
Nasal infections in cats may be viral, bacterial or fungal. The primary symptom of all these infections is a nasal discharge which turns from serous (thin and clear) to purulent (thick with yellowish green pus) if the infection continues over a period of time. Other symptoms include sneezing, coughing and gagging. Nasal infections usually lead to refusal to eat as the cat is not able to smell food.
Any feline respiratory disease that originates in the nasal cavity causes irritation and consequently inflammation in the turbinates, the scrolled spongy bones in the nasal passage. These delicate bones are easily twisted and pressed out of shape or even destroyed. This easily allows bacteria that are normally present in the nasal cavity to grow rapidly, leading to secondary infections.
The frontal sinuses that are located just above the eyes are connected to the nasal cavity through a small canal. Cat respiratory infections spread to the sinuses through this canal causing sinusitis.
There is no cure for viral infections but they are self limiting and usually disappear after a week or two. The best that you can do for your cat is to try to alleviate symptoms of viral infection by keeping her in a warm and moist environment. If the symptoms are severe, Interferon, an antiviral protein that inhibits replication of viruses may be used to restrict the duration of the infection.
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