Virus Causing Pneumonia in Cats

A respiratory tract infection in cats--variously called nasal catarrh, influenza, or distemper--has been observed frequently within the past several years in the northeastern United States. The main characteristics of the disease are its highly infectious nature, debilitating effects, and long course, about a month. I ts respiratory nature is manifested by sneezing and coughing, accompanied by a mucopurulent discharge from the eyes and nose. Unless the animal is markedly affected pneumonia cannot be demonstrated during life, but autopsy reveals grayish, densely consolidated areas in the anterior lobes of the lungs. While studying a pneumonia in calves on a farm, our attention was called to the simultaneous occurrence of pneumonia in kittens. A study of the cat disease was made and the results obtained are presented here.