Expert: Jessica - 9/14/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have four cats and three are kittens I have taken in from outside. My cat tiger has been having trouble meowing, his meow is usually very loud and high pitched but this afternoon he started meowing very horsely like he had a sore throat or something. One of the kittens, Midnight, was meowing the same way when I brought him in.He's meowing normally now though. The kittens have not been to the vet yet but tiger has been around them a few times. What do you thing could be causeing tiger to meow like that and could he have caught something from Midnight?

ANSWER: Hi Edina.  Thank you for taking in these kitties!

Yes, Tiger could certainly have caught something from Midnight.  There are lots of random germs that can go around.  Some of the milder ones are in the coronavirus family, the same group of viruses that causes many cases of the common cold in humans.  However, those strains of coronavirus that are infective to cats are not contagious to humans.  Respiratory coronavirus infections tend to go away in about 4-10 days, just like a cold does.  Since Midnight recovered on his own, this may be what you're looking at.

But there are worse germs that are a possibility.  He could be coming down with feline herpes or calici virus.  These two are severe upper respiratory infections.  If he has either of these, you will soon notice either a thick nasal discharge (herpes) or lots of sneezing without much discharge (calici), perhaps with painful mouth sores to boot.  If these symptoms arise, he should see a vet right away.  Although these illnesses are viral and can't be cured, most vets prescribe an antibiotic.  This is because secondary bacterial infections are common with these two illnesses.

Also, there are primary bacterial infections such as bordetella, chlamydia and pasteurella that could potentially be the cause of his symptoms.  These are much less common than viral illnesses.  However, they can be extremely serious.  Chlamydia causes pneumonia, and without antibiotic treatment, these infections just tend to linger and worsen.  One of my cats lost her voice once and it turned out she had bacterial bronchitis that needed treatment with antibiotics.  So if your kitty doesn't improve soon or develops any additional symptoms, you should get him to the vet right away.  

Hope he's back to himself soon!

Jessica



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Are there any behavioral changes that come with the diseases other than  respiratory coronavirus infections? Because other than the meowing he's is acting and looking completely normal.

Answer
Calici virus often causes lethargy due to fever and sometimes sore joints.  It can also cause refusal to eat due to sores in the mouth.  Feline herpes can cause a loss of appetite because the kitty's nose gets so stuffy, he can't smell his food and loses his appetite.  This one also tends to cause a fever which leads to lethargy.  However, not all cats suffering these two viruses will have behavioral changes.  If your kitty only has a raspy voice for a couple of days, you may want to wait it out, but certainly if it lasts for longer than that or if additional symptoms develop, I would have him checked out.