Upper Respiratory Infection in Cats

Chlamydiosis

Chylamydiosis in cats refers to a bacteria based chronic respiratory infection. Animals that have developed this infection will often exhibit traditional signs of an upper respiratory infection, such as watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. With treatment, the prognosis is positive.

Symptoms and Types

Chlamydiosis infection affects the respiratory system, the eyes, the gastrointestinal system and the reproduction systems of animals. Animals that have this type of infection will often exhibit sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, difficulty breathing, runny nose, and lack of appetite (anorexia).

Causes

While there is a higher prevalence of this infection in kittens, this condition is present in all animal breeds. Cats that are kept in crowded quarters with other animals, as in a kennel, or which have not been vaccinated are at the highest risk for this type of infection, which is often bacterial in nature.

Diagnosis

Veterinarians will often take a sample of eye discharge, also referred to as a conjunctival scraping or swabbing, to determine what the source of the illness is. If it is believed that there is pneumonia present, an X-ray of the animal's lungs will be performed.

Treatment

Treatment is most often performed on an outpatient basis, starting with antibiotic medications such as tetracycline or doxycycline. Antibiotic treatments may be given orally or as an external direct application onto the eye. The entire treatment process may take up to six weeks.

Living and Management

The cat should be kept away from other animals until the infection heals, since it is communicable; it is also advisable to keep the cat indoors. If there are multiple animals in the household, they should all be treated to prevent another outbreak of the disease.

Prevention

There is no preventative measure that can be taken for this medical issue, but vaccinations can help to reduce the severity of outbreaks when they do occur.