Cat flu
Encyclopedia
Cat flu is the common name for a feline
upper respiratory tract disease. It is a misnomer
, since it usually does not refer to an infection by an influenza
virus. Instead, it is a syndrome
, a term referring to the fact that patients display a number of symptoms that can be caused by one or more of the following infectious agents (pathogens):
Avian flu
can also infect cats, in which case it would be accurate to call the ensuing disease cat influenza.
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
upper respiratory tract disease. It is a misnomer
Misnomer
A misnomer is a term which suggests an interpretation that is known to be untrue. Such incorrect terms sometimes derive their names because of the form, action, or origin of the subject becoming named popularly or widely referenced—long before their true natures were known.- Sources of misnomers...
, since it usually does not refer to an infection by an influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
virus. Instead, it is a syndrome
Syndrome
In medicine and psychology, a syndrome is the association of several clinically recognizable features, signs , symptoms , phenomena or characteristics that often occur together, so that the presence of one or more features alerts the physician to the possible presence of the others...
, a term referring to the fact that patients display a number of symptoms that can be caused by one or more of the following infectious agents (pathogens):
- The scientific name of the causative agent is listed first; a related more common term is written in parentheses.
- Feline herpes virus causing feline viral rhinotracheitisFeline viral rhinotracheitisFeline viral rhinotracheitis is an upper respiratory infection of cats caused by feline herpesvirus 1, of the family Herpesviridae. It is also known as feline influenza and feline coryza. Viral respiratory diseases in cats can be serious, especially in catteries and kennels...
(cat common coldCommon coldThe common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
, this is the disease that is closely similar to cat flu) - Feline calicivirusFeline calicivirusFeline calicivirus is a virus of the family Caliciviridae that causes disease in cats. It is one of the two important viral causes of respiratory infection in cats, the other being feline herpesvirus. FCV can be isolated from about 50 percent of cats with upper respiratory infection...
- (cat respiratory diseaseRespiratory diseaseRespiratory disease is a medical term that encompasses pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange possible in higher organisms, and includes conditions of the upper respiratory tract, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, pleura and pleural cavity, and the...
) - Bordetella bronchisepticaBordetella bronchisepticaBordetella bronchiseptica is a small, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Bordetella. It can cause infectious bronchitis, but rarely infects humans. Closely related to B. pertussis—the obligate human pathogen that causes pertussis or whooping cough—B...
- (cat kennel coughKennel coughKennel cough is a highly contagious canine illness characterized by inflammation of the upper respiratory system. It can be caused by viral infections such as canine distemper, canine adenovirus, canine parainfluenza virus, or canine respiratory coronavirus, or bacterial infections such as...
) - Chlamydophila felisChlamydophila felisChlamydophila felis is a bacterium endemic among house cats worldwide, primarily causing inflammation of feline conjunctiva, rhinitis and respiratory problems. C. felis can be recovered from the stomach and reproductive tract. Zoonotic infection of humans with C. felis has been reported...
- (chlamydia)
Avian flu
H5N1
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as "bird flu", A or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species...
can also infect cats, in which case it would be accurate to call the ensuing disease cat influenza.
Sources and notes
- Control Cat Flu (future-of-vaccination.co.uk)
- Feline upper respiratory tract disease - Cat Flu (fabcats.org)