Viruses associated with feline respiratory disease in Dunedin

Abstract

Extract

In Dunedin, feline respiratory infections with a high morbidity, but a low mortality except in very young animals, commonly occur in epizootics and appear to be enzootic between these outbreaks. The affected animals develop a serous ocular discharge which later becomes mucoid, and a mucoid nasal discharge associated with sneezing especially after handling. While these signs of infection are present, the animals are anorexic and listless. The disease may last for two weeks or more and sometimes affected cats develop a chronic snuffle lasting for months despite treatment. The disease is usually referred to as “snuffles”, although it is probably identical with the syndrome called “rhinotracheitis”. In the summer time, it commonly occurs in boarding establishments where large numbers of pets collected from a wide area are left by summer vacationers. In breeding catteries, infections occur most often in the spring and especially at the time of the first warm weather. Young kittens about 5 to 10 days old are usually affected but kittens which escape infection at this stage not infrequently develop symptoms at about 6 weeks of age.