Feline Infectious Respiratory Disease

Introduction Feline upper respiratory infection (URI) is perhaps the most frustrating illness facing shelter veterinarians, managers and staff, and has been identified as the number one disease concern for cats in shelters and after adoption[1, 2]. Many cats enter shelters already silently carrying the viruses that lead to illness; vaccines are partially effective at best; and specific treatments are limited. Factors such as overcrowding, poor air quality, poor sanitation, stress, concurrent illness, parasitism, poor nutrition, and other causes of immunosuppression predispose to disease. In spite of these challenges, recent research has shown that some shelters have dramatically greater success than others in controlling this seemingly ubiquitous disease [3, 4]. We now know that having fewer than 5% of cats develop URI in shelter care is an achievable goal. Because of its close association with herpesviral activation and stress, URI is also a bellwether for overall shelter cat health and wellbeing. We cannot provide a humane, safe sheltering experience for cats if a substantial fraction develop illness in our care. Conversely, the measures necessary to control URI can have a widespread impact on overall cat comfort, well being and even likelihood for adoption.