Can Cats Get Kennel Cough? Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention (Vet Approved)

Kennel cough is the common name for infectious tracheobronchitis, a highly infectious respiratory disease that can affect both dogs and cats. Kennel cough affects pets in the same way that the common cold affects people.

A dog or cat can catch this disease anywhere: on the usual walking route or playground, in training classes, or at an exhibition. In general, if a pet with a cough appears in your company, be vigilant.

What is Kennel Cough?

Kennel cough is a respiratory disease. Infection often occurs through close contact of a pet with other dogs in places such as pet hotels, daycare centers, and exhibitions. In cats and dogs, the causative agent of bordetellosis is the most common cause of kennel cough. The path of transmission of the disease is quite simple: bordetella is excreted with saliva, with discharge from the nose, when the animal sneezes and can be in the environment (outside the animal’s body) for up to 10 days.

In addition to direct contact and airborne transmission of the disease, there is also an indirect route when the disease is transmitted through an intermediate object (for example, through bowls or you can bring the bacteria from the street to a domestic cat). Therefore, bordetellosis is so common in places of increased crowding of animals, in nurseries, apartment buildings, etc. When infected, the nasopharynx and lungs of the animal are hit. The viruses that cause coughing are spread through the air, so it is easily transmitted from one pet to another, regardless of breed, age, or gender. ^[1]

Can Cats Get Kennel Cough?

Can kennel cough be transmitted between cats and dogs? Cats can get kennel cough from infected dogs as well as from infected cats. Dogs can also get infected by cats. At the onset of the disease, the following symptoms appear:

• cough,
• apathy, lethargy,
• nasal discharge,
• sneezing,
• leaks from the eyes,
• Increase in body temperature
• lack of appetite,
• difficulty breathing
• enlarged lymph nodes in the neck.

In the absence of treatment, the course of the disease continues to progress. Cats develop wheezing in the lungs, a wet cough, it is more difficult for the animal to breathe, weight loss is observed, shortness of breath and visible mucous membranes become cyanotic from lack of oxygen.

READ MORE: How to Fatten Up a Skinny Cat?

Can a Dog Get Kennel Cough From a Cat?

Kennel cough is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air. The disease can be transmitted both from dogs to cats and from cats to dogs. Therefore, a pet with kennel cough should not be taken for a walk.

Other dogs that live in the same household as the affected animal are at risk. However, if the diagnosis was made later, when the disease has become serious, there is no need to keep other dogs away from the sick pet.

How to Avoid Kennel Cough Spread to Cats

Vaccinations are available for both cats and dogs. It is recommended, as a rule, that the pet will have to contact with a large number of foreign animals. If the dog or cat will be in a kennel or visiting an animal garden, it is best to get vaccinated. There is an effective vaccine against bordetella. Preventive vaccination is carried out annually. It is especially important to vaccinate animals that are crowded.

However, the vaccine is not 100% guaranteed. The best prevention is to practice good hygiene and not allow new pets to come into contact with neighbors’ pets or pets already living in the family for a few weeks after they enter your home.

Fortunately, this disease is usually no more dangerous to pets than the common cold is to humans, but there are exceptions. Just as a cold can be a serious complication for a person with a weakened immune system, kennel cough can be severe in pets with other dangerous diseases. If your four-legged pet has a runny nose or a persistent cough, it is better to consult a veterinarian. Most likely, they needs a lot of rest and care.

How to Tell if Your Cat Has Kennel Cough (Diagnosing Kennel Cough)

This disease manifests itself slightly differently in dogs and cats, but they may share common symptoms. The following signs should be monitored:

• cough, which is more common in dogs than cats
• violation of respiratory functions;
• sneezing
• nasal discharge;
• exercise intolerance in cats;
• discharge from the eyes, mucus or crusts under the eyes;
• increase in body temperature;
• lethargy;
• loss of appetite;
• swollen lymph nodes in the armpits or in the lower jaw.

To make a diagnosis, you need to contact a veterinary clinic, give a detailed medical history, and take a PCR test for all cat respiratory infections. To understand the prognosis and prescribe treatment, a general clinical blood test, a chest x-ray, and possibly other diagnostic methods (determined by a veterinarian based on the result of an examination of the animal) will be required.

Depending on the results of the tests and the general condition of the animal, a certain therapy is prescribed. In the absence of appetite, an intravenous catheter is placed in the cat, and infusion therapy (dropper) is performed.

When contacting a veterinary clinic at the initial stage of the disease, with timely treatment, the recovery period passes much faster and with less stress for the animal. In adult cats, if there are no other respiratory diseases or a weakened immune system, the disease is mild. Manifested by weak sneezing, coughing, slight discharge from the eyes and nose. And all these symptoms disappear within about 2 weeks. Adult cats can also be carriers of the disease and still appear perfectly healthy.

It should be noted that the disappearance of all symptoms of the disease does not mean a complete recovery of the animal. Cats can be contagious to other animals for up to 19 weeks. During this time, the pet should be isolated from other animals. And also get separate bowls, beds, trays and other things with which the cat can come into contact.

However, in kittens or adult animals with a weakened immune system or under severe stress, bordetellosis is severe and, if left untreated, can lead to pneumonia and subsequent death of the animal. Often, the course of bordetellosis is complicated by the presence of other respiratory diseases in cats (rhinotracheitis, calicivirus).

In the absence of treatment, the course of the disease continues to progress. Cats develop wheezing in the lungs, a wet cough, it is more difficult for the animal to breathe, weight loss is observed, shortness of breath and visible mucous membranes become cyanotic from lack of oxygen. ^[2]

How to Treat Cat from Kennel Cough

In mild cases, the veterinarian will usually prescribe rest and isolation from other pets. If there is concern about the development of secondary infection, or if the infection is the main cause of kennel cough, a veterinarian may prescribe a number of antibiotics.

Pet-safe cough medicines may also be prescribed for severe coughs. However, under no circumstances should he be given over-the-counter cough or cold medicines intended for humans. Also, when walking a dog with kennel cough, it is important to use a harness, rather than a collared leash, to prevent damage or irritation to the trachea, which can aggravate symptoms.

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Article Sources:

1. Schulz, B. S., et al. “Detection of Respiratory Viruses and Bordetella Bronchiseptica in Dogs with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7110455/.
2. Edinbor, Charlotte H., et al. “A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Two Intranasal Vaccines to Prevent Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough) in Dogs Entering a Humane Shelter.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7126306/.