Feline herpesvirus is an important viral infection in our cats that affects the respiratory system as well as the eyes and it might even be transmitted to unborn kittens. Alongside other virus, it’s a common cause of ‘Cat Flu’.

It’s an infection that is especially important in households with several cats like in shelters or catteries because of how easily it is transmitted through animals. Kittens are the most susceptible to herpesvirus infections but animals of all ages can be infected.

Signs of this infection include:

• Sneezing with purulent discharge;
• Ocular discharge and ulcers in the eye;
• Dermatitis around the nostrils;
• Fever;
• Abortion in pregnant cats;

It’s a common infection and as carriers have the disease latently, they are the ones responsible for perpetuating the virus. This means that infected cats tend to be infected for life, with periodic flare ups of clinical issues due to environmental stress or reduced immunity.

There is no direct therapy against the virus. When your cat is doing poorly because of ‘Cat Flu’, the best thing is to keep them well hydrated and with proper nutritional support, as well as treating any secondary infections that may arise and eye drops in case of conjunctivitis.

Feline Herpesvirus is part of the vaccination schemes for cats so don’t forget to keep your cat’s vaccination up to date!

Would you like to know more about cats? Check our Feline Courses:

Despite the name, Ringworm is not a worm at all! Ringworm, also called dermatophytosis, is actually caused by a fungus called Microsporum canis and this fungus can be found pretty much everywhere, with a somewhat higher incidence in warm and humid weather.

Clinical signs are very variable: some cats can have severe hair loss, skin lesions and very bothersome itchiness while others seem to only have minor hair loss or may even be infected but show no signs at all. Younger cats and long-haired animals are more prone to this disease.

When confronted with the possibility of a cat infected with M.Canis, do not delay seeking treatment as this disease can affect people and other animals like dogs!

As it is a fungus that resides on skin and hair, it’s particularly important in multicat households because it’s easily transmitted between cats as well as living in bedding and floor surfaces for a long time.

Successful treatment includes not just treating the cat or cats that might be infected but also thoroughly disinfecting the areas the cats had access to in the house.

If you suspect your household might be having a ringworm issue, contact your vet and they will be more than glad to go over treatment options and ways to prevent it in the future.

Would you like to know more about cats? Check our Feline Courses:

Feline courses

Cold winter days have already arrived and, soon enough, antifreeze, which has been lying about in garages and homes will be back in use.

This means that there will be a much higher chance of our pets contacting it, either through spills or because your furry friend decided to investigate it closer, so we would like to remind pet owners to be very careful with how to handle and use it.

Antifreeze is made up of ethylene glycol, a fairly non-toxic compound that drastically lowers the freezing point of water and is tremendously useful in many places but especially in car engines. However, the biggest problem is when it is ingested this compound breaks down in the body, causes severe metabolic acidosis and reacts with calcium to create crystals that accumulate in the kidney, damaging it severely.
Unfortunately, antifreeze has a sweet taste, so this means that, if your dog finds it, they might actively ingest it or might even try to seek it out.

If you suspect your pup has ingested antifreeze, you need to take immediate action and take them to the vet! Only very small quantities are needed to cause extensive damage, but chances of a good recovery improve the sooner they are seen.

What can you expect if your pet has ingested antifreeze? Difficulty walking correctly, stupor, vomiting and lethargy followed by an apparent recovery around 12 to 24 hours later. However, about 2 to 3 days later kidney failure will set in with severe depression, coma, seizures and eventually, death.

Keep your pets away from this dangerous compound by keeping packages well out of reach and quickly cleaning any leaks or spills that might occur.

Would you like to know more about dogs? Check our Canine Courses:

The temperature is rising, the days are longer and the sun is actually around! Summer is one of the best times of the year for many of us but with all of these good things also come some particular dangers.

Ticks are parasites that consume our pets’ blood and in exchange, they drop nasty microorganisms in their bloodstream. A lovely deal!

There are many diseases that can be transmitted by ticks and one of them is called anaplamosis caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cats. This bacterium is from the Rickettsiales order which includes other important blood parasites like Ehrlichia and Rickettsia. It has a pretty vast geographic distribution because its tick vectors are found through a wide area and climate, so it’s definitely something that you can stumble upon.

After a tick bite, the bacteria are inoculated in the blood stream where they will infect white blood cells and replicate, killing the original cell and moving on to infect other cells.

Infected cats might present with non-specific signs like fever, anorexia, lethargy and dehydration and sometimes lameness, swollen joints, nose bleeding and abdominal pain have been reported. The course is generally mild and can be resolved quickly, especially with a little help from friendly antibiotics which is good news for our fuzzy buddies.

It’s important to keep in mind that prevention is the best way to make sure nothing bad happens so staying on top of flea and tick treatment is paramount! Talk to your vet about the best way to control these nasty bugs that best fits your pet and their lifestyle.

Would you like to know more about cats? Check our Feline Courses:

Feline courses