Can a cat catch a cold from a person and what are the causes and treatment of the disease?

Can a cat get the flu from a person?

The causes of flu or colds are always viral infections.
There are quite a lot of different viral diseases in the world, and some of them are characteristic only of cats, some only of humans, since these two species have completely different antigens.

There are also quite rare diseases that are typical for both cats and people, but, according to leading experts in the field of veterinary medicine, influenza does not belong to such diseases, since this virus has a fundamentally different nature of pathogens.

Therefore, if a family member is sick with the flu, then the cat will not be able to become infected and be a carrier of the virus.

Reference!

If a cat has become infected with some kind of viral disease from its mustachioed counterparts, then such a virus will not be dangerous for humans.

conclusions

It is quite difficult for a cat to catch a cold or seasonal flu from a person . An infection of bacterial origin (which has become a complication) is transmitted from the owner to his pet, but for this the contact must be very close. Many people like to kiss their purrs on the face, but this is not only unhygienic, but also dangerous. Pathologies such as bird or swine flu can easily be transmitted from a person to his pet.

They pose a particular danger to the following groups of animals:

• old cats and young kittens;
• caudates with a history of cat flu or rhinotracheitis;
• recently given birth or pregnant cats;
• cats with reduced immune defenses;
• four-legged friends eating scraps from the human table and not receiving enough vitamins;
• cats living in packs (in shelters, with breeders).

A sick cat needs to be seen by a doctor

Flu received from a person is not a death sentence for a cat. You can cure your pet quickly and without any consequences. It is important to make a correct diagnosis in time and strictly follow the veterinarian’s recommendations. If you are sick, monitor your pet's well-being. Try to have less contact with him. To avoid infecting the animal, regularly ventilate the room, carry out wet cleaning, and provide the cat with a balanced diet rich in vitamins and nutrients. Good health to you and your tailed friend!

Other types of infections

There is no cat flu in nature, but there are other standard feline diseases, such as calcivirosis and rhinotrachiitis, which are similar to the flu, but are not it.
A cat, like a person, is primarily a living organism with its own characteristics of the immune system and is also susceptible to a variety of colds.

As a rule, the immunity of cats is much stronger than that of humans; therefore, the chance of a feline to become infected is much less.

Attention!

The presence of unusual symptoms, for example, purulent discharge from the eyes, should be a reason for concern and an urgent visit to the doctor.

However, cats can get colds and, like humans, become infected from communicating with a friend who has a cold or from contact with contaminated objects. Most often, older cats and those cats with weakened immune systems get sick. The main factors that have a negative impact on the immune system in cats are:

• poor nutrition;
• hidden diseases of the pet;
• period of change of baby teeth;
• unfavorable living conditions;
• hypothermia.

In the vast majority of cases, people confuse the flu with a common cat cold.

Upper respiratory tract infections are also a common viral disease. These infections can be transmitted to a cat from a relative through direct or indirect contact (shared household items).

Symptoms of a cat cold

A cat, like a person, can easily catch a cold, especially with reduced immunity.
Most often this happens due to violations of the feeding regime, previous infectious diseases, or long stay in cold, damp rooms. Cats that walk outside can catch colds from strong winds, snow or rain, low temperatures, or exposure to a draft.

In this case, the pet owner may notice the following symptoms in the cat:

• dry and hot nose;
• runny nose and sneezing;
• increased lacrimation;
• temperature increase;
• lethargy, lack of appetite;
• fast fatiguability
• in some cases - cough.

Important!

Under no circumstances should such signs be ignored - a complex of such symptoms should be the reason for a visit to the veterinarian.

If your cat also has a cough, check to see if she is wheezing. Pneumonia or bronchitis are diseases that require urgent treatment and cannot be delayed.

What to do if infected and how to identify it?

Can human flu spread to cats? The answer to this question can be either positive or negative. It all depends on the type of infection and the strain of the virus. The common cold and seasonal flu are rather safe for four-legged pets. The situation is more complicated with those types of diseases that can affect both people and animals. No one is immune from such infection. If you are worried about the health of your tailed friend, then be especially attentive to his well-being. At the first symptoms or suspicious behavior of your cat, go to the veterinarian. Pathology manifests itself in animals as follows:

• The cat sneezes and clear liquid comes out of its nose. The heel itself is dry, which indicates an increase in body temperature.
• A cough appears, accompanied by vomiting. The cat refuses to eat, its state is lethargic and apathetic.
• Tears are released profusely from the animal's eyes. They become inflamed and painful, and photophobia occurs.
• Ulcers may appear in the mouth and on the mucous membranes of the eyes.
• The cat is worried about abdominal discomfort. Murka may develop diarrhea.

After you show your sick animal to the doctor, certain examinations will be carried out. Don’t forget to let them know that you yourself are sick too. Tell us about your diagnosis. This will make it easier for the veterinarian to determine the cat’s pathology. Success largely depends on the correct diagnosis.

Treatment

Remember that a cat’s cold is not the worst disease, but you shouldn’t hope that it will go away on its own.
If you notice signs of a cold, do not ignore them: it is better to take your cat to the veterinarian than to wait for the situation to get worse. The correct treatment regimen is prescribed only after the pet has been examined by a doctor and a diagnosis has been established. It is prohibited to take measures on your own - this can harm the animal and worsen the situation.

The owner’s task is to provide the cat with the most comfortable conditions for recovery. Measures taken to achieve this should include:

• eliminating drafts;
• control over keeping the pet warm;
• providing the cat with warm drinks, including milk;
• You can give your cat a massage - this will improve blood flow and warm the animal.

The doctor may prescribe rinsing the nose with special drops. If inflammation is detected, it is necessary to give the cat anti-inflammatory drugs, and if the temperature is high, antipyretics.

In some cases, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics to kill infections. In this case, additional medications may be prescribed to restore the intestinal microflora.

For a cat, a cold is an unusual occurrence, and visiting a veterinarian and taking pills is stressful for an animal. Therefore, give your pet enough time and attention so that he does not feel lonely.

You can reward your cat with a treat after she eats a pill or visits the vet.

The lack of therapeutic measures can lead to complications and the development of other diseases, which include bronchitis, pneumonia, and kidney disease.

Caring for cats with colds

If the owner notices sneezing, difficulty breathing and coughing in a cat, he discusses the reasons for treating these symptoms with a veterinarian. In this case, the sick animal must be provided with special conditions for a speedy recovery.

The owner must provide a balanced, complete diet and protect the animal from cold and drafts.

It is also not recommended to keep a cat in conditions of high humidity and uncomfortable temperature limits beyond 20-24 degrees Celsius.

With a mild cold, your pet can quickly recover and return to a normal rhythm of life. If your cat has a weak immune system and has a hard time suffering from a cold, you should not delay a visit to the veterinary clinic. In advanced cases, a common cold can cause serious complications and loss of immunity. You can read the article that talks about pyometra disease in cats.

Although most feline infectious diseases only affect cats, some of these diseases can be transmitted from cats to people. Let's look at the most common diseases carried by cats. In this material you will be able to familiarize yourself with simple preventive measures, by following which we can reduce the risk of infection.

People with immature or weakened immune systems are more susceptible to these diseases.

The risk group includes:

• babies,
• people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS),
• aged people,
• people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy,
• people taking other drugs that may suppress the immune system.

Cat scratch disease

The disease develops as a result of exposure to a pathogen (Bartonella henselae), which is a representative of the normal microflora of the oral cavity of cats. The bacterium enters the human body through close contact with a cat (licking, scratching, biting, etc.). The disease is characterized by the appearance of a raised spot with a red rim, in place of an already healed scratch. After 2-3 days it turns into a vial filled with cloudy contents. An ulcer or crust forms in place of the blister. A few days (maximum 1.5 months) after the scratch is applied, the lymph node closest to it enlarges. Those affected may experience fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and poor appetite. Healthy adults usually recover fairly quickly, but it may take several months for the disease to completely disappear. People with compromised immune systems may develop complications such as infections of the eyes, brain, and heart.

Most often, pasteurellosis occurs after cat bites or scratches. Clinically, forms of the disease can be divided into 3 groups:

• skin – swelling, pain, suppuration (phlegmon);
• pulmonary - the disease occurs as chronic bronchitis, sometimes with the development of bronchiectasis or in the form of sluggish interstitial pneumonia;
• septic - is especially severe, accompanied by high fever, with the occurrence of complications such as endocarditis, brain abscesses, purulent meningitis, purulent arthritis, etc., the development of infectious-toxic shock is possible.

Salmonella is more common in cats that eat raw meat or wild birds and animals. Human infection can occur during the process of cleaning a cat's litter box. The pathogen is shed in the feces of infected cats. The most common symptoms a person experiences are diarrhea, fever and stomach pain.

Fleas are the most common external parasite of cats, and their bites can cause itching and inflammatory reactions in humans and cats. Fleas carry tapeworm eggs. When fleas are bitten and swallowed, helminth eggs enter the digestive tract and then into the cat's intestines, where parasites begin to multiply.

Scabies, an infection caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, is another zoonotic external parasite of the skin of cats. Scabies mites can be transmitted from infected cats to people.

Characteristic signs of the disease are itching and papulovesicular rash, often with the addition of secondary pustular elements due to infection during scratching. Some feline intestinal parasites, including roundworms (Toxocara) and hookworms (Ancylostoma), can also cause disease in humans. Children are especially at risk due to their greater likelihood of coming into contact with soil that has been contaminated with cat feces. Although most people infected with feline intestinal parasites do not show signs of illness, some people may become ill.

Toxocariasis is characterized by fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, enlarged liver, spleen, and eosinophilia.

Hookworm, or earthen scabies, is a helminthiasis that occurs with allergic lesions of the skin, respiratory system (at an early stage), gastrointestinal tract and iron deficiency anemia (at a late stage).

I already wrote earlier that if a cat lives in an apartment and does not go outside, then it can still become infected with various diseases. The types of helminths alone can number more than two hundred, however, not everything is so sad - only a small part of them can be transmitted to humans.

So, what diseases can a cat “reward” us with:

1.Toxoplasmosis - toxoplasma, the simplest single-celled organism. The main hosts of Toxoplasma are cats, but other warm-blooded animals, including humans, can be intermediate hosts. In a healthy person, the disease is mild (there may be flu-like symptoms), but in a weakened person the consequences may be worse. The parasite, penetrating into cells and multiplying, simply tears them apart, and traveling in the blood throughout the body affects the nerve endings, brain, lungs, liver, kidneys and even eyes, leading to diseases of the nervous system.

There is only one prevention here - maintaining hygiene and timely cleaning the litter box for the domestic cat, otherwise the spores of the microorganism will spread throughout the room, infecting everything around.

2. Dermatomycosis is a skin lesion caused by a fungus, popularly called “ringworm.” A person becomes infected simply by touching a sick animal, and if he has a weak or fragile immune system, the disease affects his skin. The animal recovers on its own, but remains a carrier of the infection, therefore, to avoid infection, the animal must be periodically vaccinated and contact with stray cats limited.

3. Giardiasis is a disease caused by Giardia, protozoan microorganisms that parasitize the small intestine of humans and animals. A sick animal infects the environment (including water) with cysts (a non-motile form of Giardia), and a person becomes infected by eating unwashed fruits, vegetables, and water. Cysts persist in the environment for up to five weeks. Children get sick more often because their immunity has not yet fully developed. Despite the fact that the disease is rarely transmitted to humans, the chance of infection increases with the number of animals kept. There is only one recommendation for prevention - maintaining the hygiene of the animal.

4. Salmonellosis is a disease caused by bacteria - salmonella. The disease occurs as an acute intestinal infection (diarrhea). Sources of infection are low-quality food contaminated with these bacteria. Infection of a person from a cat occurs through contact. That is, again hygiene comes to the fore.

5. Feline chlamydia - affects the mucous membranes of the eyes of cats. First, the disease occurs in one eye, then moves to the second and, in particularly advanced cases, spreads to the respiratory tract - the nose and then goes down to the throat. Kittens are especially affected; with this disease, they cannot open their eyes, they simply stick together. Treatment is carried out with antibiotics. If you do not follow the rules of hygiene, you can also become infected. Despite the fact that the course of the disease in humans is mild, caution must be exercised when in contact with a sick animal.

6. Toxocariasis is a helminth infection. A person becomes infected by ingesting Toxocara eggs, which can be found on the surface of unwashed food and in water. The larva of these worms, spread by blood throughout the body, can enter any human organ, including the eyes, and this can even lead to loss of vision. In advanced cases, toxocariasis leads to convulsions, vomiting, pneumonia, convulsive coughing, and even suffocation. As a rule, children get sick more often than adults due to their weak immune system. If the disease is not treated, it can continue with such symptoms for up to several years! Wash your hands and food as often as possible if you come into contact with animals.

7. Ascariasis - worms (roundworms) up to 30 centimeters long, a cat becomes infected by eating a mouse or other infected animals. Roundworms are capable of moving through human organs, and can even crawl into the respiratory system, which can cause suffocation. They can also penetrate the frontal groove or even the middle ear. And parasite secretions provoke skin rashes and asthma. In short, sheer horror! A person becomes infected by eating unwashed vegetables and fruits and even by simply petting a cat.

8. Cestodoses are diseases caused by tapeworms, larvae that parasitize not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also other organs, such as the brain, eyes, liver and other organs. Infection occurs through direct contact with an animal, through saliva or feces. A dangerous disease, because if the larvae penetrate the brain, death can occur. The length of the worm can reach 70 centimeters, and its waste products can poison the body for a long time, leading to various disorders. Sometimes surgery is even required to remove the worm.

9. Echinococcosis is also a disease caused by tapeworms (Echinococcus), but their main habitat is the liver and lungs. Eggs, excreted in animal feces, pollute the environment and humans become infected upon contact with them. The larvae live in the human body for decades, infecting various organs with cysts, including the brain, which can lead to dementia.

10. Trematodes - the disease is caused by trematodes - small tapeworms, which parasitize in various organs of humans, mainly the liver, leading to various health disorders. The cat's body is parasitized by the so-called cat fluke, or liver fluke. Cats are infected through raw foods, and humans are infected from cats through contact. Therefore, the animal should not be given raw fish, since the first host of the parasite is a mollusk, that is, the parasite initially spreads in the aquatic environment.

Our pet can reward us with such “gifts” if we neglect the rules of hygiene in relation to ourselves and the cat.

Often, owners who have been exposed to colds begin to worry whether they will inadvertently infect their pet. First, you need to find out whether this virus is transmitted to a cat from a person, and whether there is any reason to panic.

Prevention

A cat, like a child, needs supervision. Don't let him go outside in bad weather and don't let him freeze. Even the fact that cats have warm fur does not eliminate the likelihood of catching a cold. You also need:

• ensure that the animal does not sleep in a draft;
• respond to the first signs of illness in a timely manner;
• when treating infections, make sure that the cat has fully recovered;
• provide your pet with good nutrition that contains a complex of vitamins;
• try not to bathe your cat too much, especially in the cold season: at this time they experience severe stress and often freeze, which can not but affect their health.