Vaccinating a carrier cat for upper respiratory infections is an essential part of a cat owner's plan of action following the suspicion of one of these viruses. Although feline upper respiratory infections cannot transfer to humans, it's essential for the health of other cats in the home as well as the expedient recovery of the affected cat that the owner have the cat vaccinated.
Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Infections
Feline upper respiratory infections tend to be either of the calicivirus or the rhinotracheitis virus variety. Owners who see the symptoms of upper respiratory infections in their cats should bring their cats to the vet immediately. These symptoms include:
- Persistent sneezing
- Runny nose
- Excessive drooling
- Eye discharge
- Conjunctivitis (swelling of eyelids)
- Ulcers on eyes, mouth or paws
- Joint or muscle pain
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Loss of interest in normal activities
The different types of upper respiratory infections cause different symptoms, so a cat infected by one infection is unlikely to exhibit all of these at once. For example, the calicivirus does not cause sneezing while the rhinotracheitis virus does. Therefore, cats exhibiting any of these symptoms should be examined in order to determine the cause.
Vaccination
Vaccination is essential, even in a carrier cat, and must be repeated every 6 to 18 months upon the vet's recommendation. Although the carrier cat will continue to have the virus for a long time, the vaccination will help the cat's body produce antibodies that can fight the current outbreak and keep the virus outbreaks to a lesser extent in the future. Carrier cats will then experience less severe symptoms during outbreaks in the future.
Duration of Illness and Incubation Period
Once a carrier cat develops an upper respiratory infection, the extent of the illness can last between one and four weeks. Although treatment can usually be performed at home, following examination by a vet and vaccination, the carrier cat should be separated from other cats from a period of 2 to 14 days. The extent of the incubation period will depend on the type of virus, the amount of time the cat's already been affected and how extensive the infection is.
Recurrence in Affected Cats
Vaccination will prevent the carrier cat from suffering through prolonged or extensive bouts of the illness, but the cat will likely carry the virus for life. Cats with calicivirus especially will continue to shed the disease at all times for years, although cats with the rhinotracheitis virus may only shed the virus when stressed. However, recurrence of the virus symptoms in carrier cats should be subdued following vaccination.
Prevention in Unaffected Cats
If the carrier cat lives with other felines, the owner should have those cats vaccinated, too. Vaccination, although essential for cats with the virus, tends to be more successful in cats that have not yet contracted the virus. This is because carrier cats can have recurrences of their symptoms even after vaccination, so preventing the cats from getting infected by the viruses in the first place is the most effective method of preventing this cycle in cats.