If it has been awhile since you refreshed your knowledge on calicivirus in cats, Dr. Lister’s peer-reviewed article contains a nice blend of science and situational factors worthy of reading. For this writer who grew up in a small southern Iowa farming town, the cats that “just did not seem right” were a near every week occurrence.
Source: Clinician’s Brief September 2015, “Feline Calicivirus” page 14.
- Vaccination against FCV is recommended as core for all cats.
- Immunosuppressed cats and those living under environmental stress (e.g., overcrowding, poor sanitation) are most at risk for infection.
- Young cats and kittens are most likely to show clinical signs of disease.
- Clients should be advised that many infected cats become subclinical carriers of the virus and that carrier cats pose a risk for infection to susceptible cats.
In addition, the risk for chronic oral disease is increased with FCV infection.
Source: Clinician’s Brief September 2015, “Cats, Cattle and M. Bovis” page 45.
Cats are not a natural host of M bovis but can be infected through bite wounds and by nosocomial spread causing chronic granulomatous disease. There is a small risk for zoonotic spread from infected cats. We live in a world of great geographic mobility with people relocating or travelling with their pet companions. It is important to include questions in the office visit history about other places a cat may have lived or visited, not only for M bovis and other mycobacteria but also many other infectious agents. These questions should be asked not only at the first visit to the clinic but throughout the cat’s life.
INSIGHTS: Dig a bit further in this issue to discover the cat to cattle connection in CAPSULES regarding M. Bovis. While the zoonotic risks are not large, it is important to be aware of the findings and comments herein.