REMEMBERING TO KEEP OUR CATS PROTECTED

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that prevention of disease is so much more important than trying to treat it. Recently I have been working on some of International Cat Care’s history and one of the charity’s earliest achievements, way back in 1967, was to fund research into the causes of cat flu, a disease which caused suffering for so many cats back then.

Here is what was written at the time and the description may resonate with what we are suffering in the pandemic now:“One of the most serious and common diseases of cats affects the respiratory system. It is called ‘cat ‘flu’ because signs are similar to that of a bad human cold — a runny nose and eyes, pains in muscles and joints, mouth ulcers, sneezing, loss of voice, and fever. Some cases can be mild, others can be life-threatening, particularly in kittens or cats with underlying health issues, and can be fatal. Thousands of cats are doomed to suffer and die because of this ‘virus’ disease about which very little is known. We need good husbandry and hygiene if there is no core knowledge of how disease spreads.”

Sounds familiar doesn’t it! The charity funded work which identified the viruses that caused cat flu which led to the development of vaccines which have protected millions of cats over the years. We need to ensure we do not take this protection for granted and work with our vets to keep our cats vaccinated and healthy.