Feline rhinotracheitis virus

This disease, highly contagious, is a complex of two virus and a fungus. These three organisms attack mainly the high respiratory tract of cats.

Transmission: the infected animals eliminate the virus in all corporal secretions, especially in the excrement, up to six weeks after having been infected.

Clinical signs: anorexia-loss of appetite-, depression, fever, vomit, bloody diarrhea, dehydration, as consequence of vomits and diarrhea, brain damage -especially in new born –and last death of the infected kitten.

Treatment: prevention: if your cat has kittens, you should vaccinate them when they are still young, before they get in contact with this the virus of this disease and avoid that the parents get out of the house before the whole litter has been vaccinated.

Cat Rabies
The virus advances through the nervous system of the animal and reaches the brain. It produces different clinical behaviors ( from aggressiveness to lethargy). Their vaccination is obligated and very advised in all cities. It is a zoonosis and could infect humans.

Transmission: deep bite of an infected animal, through the saliva that stays in the wound. Eating meat from dead animals and infected, not cooked. Signs of this disease will start noticing after two to eight weeks after any of these incidents.

Clinical signs
The evolution of the disease consists of three phases:

• First phase: doesn't have very evident signs, for what it passes unnoticed. Subtle changes of behavior, fever and slow reflexes. If the contagion has been through biting, the animal will lick constantly the wound, as if it was itching.
• Second phase: this is the furious phase. The nervous central system has been already invaded and changes of behavior are evident: irritability, anxiety, aggression, assaults to inanimate objects, they scratch, inexplicable meows, fear of the light and sexual abnormal behavior.
• Third phase: Paralysis, first in the bitten extremity, then into the pharynx -the meow changes-. Then follows problems to breathe and paralysis of the jaw, which will provoke an excess of salivation.

Diagnose: a study of the head and of the salivary glands of the cat is taken. Any cat that seems to have rabies, must be put in quarantine or euthanasia.

Treatment: an animal with rabies must be sacrificed. Infected humans can survive if vaccinated quickly.