Curing Cat Colds
15 Aug 2008
Generally a cold is an inflammation of the nose and throat characterized by increased production of mucus. While human colds are associated with a change in season, cat colds are independent of seasonality and are usually caused by a virus.
The most important thing to note is that a virus must run its course and cannot be killed by drugs. Treating viral infections, especially in the feline respiratory tract is futile.
That said, cat owners should remember that although the symptoms of cat colds are similar to those experienced by humans, there is a vast difference in how feline colds should be managed. One of the common viruses that cause cold-like symptoms in cats is feline calicivirus, which belongs to a family of viruses that continually change their compositions. Moreover, feline upper respiratory infection tends to progress due to a vulnerability to secondary infections.
You will be required to cure cat colds only if the underlying cause has been identified as a bacterial infection. Otherwise cat cold must run its course. Cats are likely to sneeze and sleep a lot during the course of the infection, which can last between 7 to 14 days at the maximum. You can make use of some time tested home remedies, herbal cures and homeopathic remedies to alleviate the symptoms.
You should aim to provide comfort to your pet as long as the symptoms persist. Keep your cat warm and dry. Do not let her out in the cold. Low temperatures tend to constrict the bronchial tubes and can make breathing difficult for the already troubled cat.
Colds usually lead to loss of smell and the cat may refuse to eat. Your primary attention should be to ensure that your pet is properly fed and in doing so you may have to coax her to eat well to keep up energy levels and immunity.
If the cat is showing symptoms of secondary infection like a yellowish green discharge from the cat nose and eyes, it should ring alarming bells. This is the time to take your cat to the veterinarian.
A weak immune system enhances the risk of catching a cold. Older cats with compromised immunity need extra care to avoid any serious medical emergency. Kittens fall under the same category due to an underdeveloped immune system.
As soon as you bring a cat home your primary attention should be to build up her immunity so that the risk of catching a cold is minimized. This will also help your cat to ward off many other diseases as well.
Reference:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/
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3 Responses
2008 Aug 19
Keeping your cat warm and avoiding antibiotics for viral infections are good advice. But I disagree with the advice to try to coax a cat to eat who doesn’t want to.
When animals become ill, they have the common sense to stop eating. Fasting relieves the body from the burden of digestion, which is an energy-intensive activity. This energy is redirected to cleansing and healing.
Force feeding an animal when it doesn’t want to eat doesn’t give the animal energy; it robs energy. This is why many cats vomit or have diarrhea. They simply can’t waste energy on digestion.
Mucus is produced to remove toxins and bacteria from the body and should not be suppressed through therapies. Fever speeds work of enzymes and kills bacteria. Inflammation is how the body repairs itself. Suppressing these efforts is akin to interfering with the intelligence of a body designed to fight such infections.
When my cats get ill, I just leave them alone and make sure they’re warm. One cat has fasted three times for seven days and she’s still with me at 14-1/2 years old. Another cat had bloody diarrhea for three days, didn’t eat for seven, bled through her nose for three and sneezed for a week. My vet checked her blood and couldn’t find anything wrong. So I left her alone, because interfering could have sapped all the energy her body needed to carry her through. She’s also still with me at 15 years old and has exceptional health and the appetite of a two-year-old.
I recently rescued some five-week old kittens abandoned down the road. They had respiratory infections. One of them, Arthur, was sneezing constantly, producing mucus from his eyes and nose and had labored breathing but he was still eating. So I left him alone and he got over it in a couple of weeks.
My cats are all raw food cats.
Antibiotics are toxic and suppress the immune system and should only be used as a last resort.
2008 Aug 19
I don’t disagree with you, however, I would point out that the article said ‘coax’ - not force
Thank you for your comment!
2008 Aug 19
Yes, you’re quite right. I guess I was disagreeing more with the sentiment:
“Your primary attention should be to ensure that your pet is properly fed…to keep up Energy Levels and immunity.”
I don’t believe a fasting animal should be coaxed or force fed. One’s primary attention should be in allowing the cat to recover without unnecessary intervention. It’s very hard for us who love our pets to do, however.