Cat Flu: Signs, Treatment & Home Care

If your cat has cat flu, you'll usually notice cold-like symptoms such as sneezing, a runny nose and sore eyes. Although cat flu is rarely life-threatening in healthy adult cats, it is quite a serious illness and can lead to lifelong health issues or even death in some more at-risk cats.

As such, it's important for all cat parents to understand the risk of cat flu and recognise the signs of it beyond just a cold. The cats that are most at risk from cat flu are young and old cats and cats with underlying health conditions. In this guide, we'll look at cat flu, explaining what it is, cat flu symptoms, cat flu treatment, how to care for a cat with flu and how it can be prevented with vaccinations. 

Kittens are particularly vulnerable to cat flu, and kittens can only go outside once they're fully vaccinated against it.

How does cat flu spread?

Cat flu is highly contagious between cats and spreads through direct contact, sneezing, and saliva. Shared items like food bowls or bedding can also cause the spread of cat flu, as the virus is able to survive on surfaces for days at a time.

Even when they have recovered from cat flu, some cats become lifelong carriers, who can still pass the virus on even without showing any symptoms themselves.

Cat flu symptoms

Cat flu symptoms vary from mild to severe and affect different areas of a cat's body. In many cases, the symptoms of cat flu appear similar to those of a common cold in humans. Be aware, however, that cat flu needs to be taken seriously. You should contact your vet if you think your cat might have cat flu. Symptoms tend to be most obvious in the eyes, mouth and nose, and because their sense of smell is affected, cats' appetites are usually affected as well. Cat flu symptoms can look similar to symptoms of allergic reactions or cat hay fever, so it’s important to understand which issue you’re dealing with.

Upper respiratory & nasal signs

Cat flu is primarily a respiratory infection, and the symptoms are most obvious in the mouth, nose and breathing. Here are the common upper respiratory and nasal signs of cat flu: 

• Sneezing
• Nasal discharge, 
• Congestion
• Unusual breathing noises (laboured breathing can be a cause for particular concern)
• Loss of voice, sore throat (evident in swallowing or gagging)
• Coughing

If you see any of these cat cold-like symptoms and suspect your cat might have the flu, it's important to call your vet. This is particularly important with vulnerable cats, such as kittens, elderly cats and cats with underlying health conditions that weaken the immune system.

Ocular signs

As well as cat cold-like symptoms, cats also often get symptoms in their eyes when they have the flu. Here are the common ocular signs of cat flu: discharge from their eyes and nose, painful eyes, red and swollen eyes, eyes partially closed or fully closed, and corneal ulcers. Cats are vulnerable to eye infections when they have the flu, which in some cases can result in serious ulcers. In the worst cases, cats can suffer permanent eye damage or even lose an eye as a result of these infections.

Appetite, mouth & systemic signs

Cat flu also often affects the appetite and the overall health of a cat. In particular, it's common for cats to lose their appetite when they have the flu. Here are the main appetite, mouth and systemic signs of cat flu: loss of appetite, mouth ulcers (common with the feline calicivirus flu variant), dribbling, tiredness and low energy, and shivering or fever. It's important for cats to eat enough to help their recovery. Cat flu is one of many possible reasons why a cat is not eating. As for how long cat flu lasts – Your cat’s appetite will usually return once their sense of smell recovers, and this is the first sign that the illness is easing.

When to contact your vet

You should contact a vet as soon as you notice symptoms of cat flu in your cat, especially if you have a kitten, senior cat, or cat with existing health conditions. If you notice any of the following, seek help as soon as possible:

• Laboured breathing
• Closed or painful eyes
• Refusal to eat

Cat flu treatment options

There is no cure for cat flu, but vets do have some treatments that can help a cat recover faster and ease the symptoms. You should always speak to your vet if you think your cat might have cat flu. 

The most common cat flu treatments vets prescribe are: 

• Anti-inflammatories to lower a cat's temperature and reduce inflammation
• Decongestants to help loosen mucus and make breathing (and eating) easier
• Eye drops, lubricating or antibiotic, to soothe sore eyes or combat eye infections
• Antibiotics, where flu causes secondary bacterial infections
• Antivirals, used in severe cases. 

Most of the time, cats only need to be treated at home. However, in particularly bad cases, they have to be taken to the vets for care, often when they are unable to feed properly.

Cat flu treatment at home

You can help your cat recover from flu by following a good at-home care routine: keep stress low by giving your cat somewhere quiet and comfortable to rest; gently clean your cat's eyes and nose with cotton wool and warm water to help it breathe and smell food more easily; encourage your cat to eat and drink by offering tasty, strong-smelling food such as oily fish, chicken or warmed-up wet food; and help your cat breathe by sitting with them in a steamy bathroom, being careful not to cause additional stress.

Prevention & vaccination

The best cat flu treatment is prevention with vaccines. Flu vaccinations do not make cats immune to flu, but they do significantly reduce the risk of infection as well as the severity of illness if they do become infected. This will also reduce the risk of cats becoming carriers of the disease, too. The normal kitten and cat vaccination schedule is: first vaccine at nine weeks, booster at around three months, and regular boosters once per year after this. Kittens should always be kept inside until they are fully vaccinated. Some cats that catch the flu will, unfortunately, still go on to become carriers of the disease. In some cases, this will mean they have flare-ups from time to time; in more severe cases, some cats will have symptoms, such as a runny nose, permanently. These cats can be helped by following good hygiene practices and keeping stress to a minimum.