cat getting the flu

Sorry, this seems like such a minor question.

When Eyvan was a baby he had black crusties around his nose but when the vet checked him out he said he was fine. As he got older his nose cleared up. At the beginning of November our family picked up a flu bug and Eyvan suddenly got really sleepy and got a snotty nose (black crusties) but it only lasted a few days and he was back to normal. I should say that Ziva, the kitten had the same thing happen. We had read that some animals were getting the swine flu with their owners and since they were better we didn't worry.

Now one of the kids brought home another virus and Eyvan is the same way; sleepier than normal, black crusties, and this time I'm noticing watery eyes on and off, not running, just look wetter inside. Other than that he's fine, eats well, plays during the day (and part of the night ).

Is it normal for a cat to get the flu with it's people? If it weren't for his thin nostrils that get crusty, we might not have even stopped long enough to notice.

No, it's not normal. With virus strains like H1N1 there's a lot of mixed up RNA in there that has made it possible to infect other species. This doesn't happen with that many viruses.

However, there are cat viruses that once your cat gets them they never actually go away. Just like herpes viruses in humans (there's 8 of them - most people carry 3 or 4 of them). In times of stress cats can have flare ups. The holiday season can mean extra stress for pets - they sense ours and more people coming in and out.
It's also possible that you, a family member, or friend brought a cat virus in with them on their hands or clothing.

Another thing I've noticed. Dry winter air affects us all, cats and humans alike. Sometimes adding a humidifier in the home can help cats that get chapped or irritated noses. My male kitten and I both have issues with this, getting a new humidifier has helped us both.

Bother, I had replied to this the other day but my post isn't here, I must have shut the window before it finished.

Thank you for the thought about the humidifier, I'll keep that in mind. Right now I'm still sick and not going anywhere, however Eyvan appears to be feeling better as he is back to thundering around the house at speeds that cause crashes into walls and near misses with other living beings; also the crusties are clearing up.

Can cat's have allergies and sensitivites to moulds (I'm guessing yes), we had a leak under the bathroom sink and I've noticed a mildwew smell. I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem since he likes to play around under there.

Originally Posted by bean

Can cat's have allergies and sensitivites to moulds (I'm guessing yes), we had a leak under the bathroom sink and I've noticed a mildwew smell. I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem since he likes to play around under there.

Click to expand...

Of course. They have immune systems and allergies are just an inappropriate (exaggerated) immune response.

Food allergies aside, I do have a cat that has problems with some dusts. Regular dirt+skin+other stuff in house dust and clay litter dust bothers Tomas. He'll sneeze, cough, and get irritated eyes. I did have him on an antihistamine for a bit to see how that affected his symptoms, and it did help. I preferred to remove/control the triggers rather than keep him drugged up, tough. (ironically, moving helped him most of all. The other house got dustier so he would always cough some there - it helped DH's asthma, too)
Cats with asthma can have allergies just like people with asthma do, too.

As for the mold - that can be a different thing altogether. Some molds produce toxins. It's not an allergy, it's the body actually being harmed. If you have a bad mold, then yes it would be bad for everyone in the home. Less harmful molds do produce spores that can irritate the immune system, though.
My recommendation for that is to remove any wood and drywall that has the mold on/in it. You may be able to seal wood with a paint like kilz, but drywall would have to go. If it's a cabinet, I'd lock him out. If it's pedestal/open type sink you might want to shut him out of the bathroom.


I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Thanks, I'll deal with the mildew smell. Never could see any mould in there and washed and dried it out well, but since it's in the bathroom every shower could be a problem.

The dust thing actually makes sense since when he was a baby and had the crusties we were living in a home with five people, seven dogs, six cats, and two cockatiels - that's truck load of dust everyday, believe me. Of course when everyone is feeling lousy we don't vacuum and the bunnies build up and since his nose is mostly clean since we've moved, that seems the most likely.

Thank you so much for your help.