What You Need to Know About Feline Bordetella in Shelter Environments

Feline Bordetella (also known as Bordetellosis or B. bronchiseptica) is a bacterial infection that is known for causing death in cats with virtually no warning signs, especially in shelters and other high population areas. In healthy cats in a home environment, feline bordetella isusually mild, lasts about ten days, and is often mistaken for a simple cold. However, for younger animals or those in crowded multi-cat environments, it is generally combined with an upper respiratory infection and can quickly develop into bronchopneumonia and be fatal. Entire litters and their mothers can die overnight because the pneumonia can develop so rapidly, going from no symptoms to death in only twelve hours. Sadly, the mortality rate is nearly 100% in young kittens under six weeks old. Shelters are rarely able to identify and control the disease soon enough to prevent widespread fatalities.

One of the biggest problems with feline bordetella in a shelter environment is that that some cats show no sign of infection, but still carry and transmit the disease, potentially infecting entire populations of cats without being able to identify the source. In addition, the bordetella bacteria transmission is airborne and does not require direct contact between animals. This is crucial knowledge not just for those working with cats, but also those who work with dogs, because felinebordetella is the same bacteria that causes kennel cough in dogs, and it CAN be transmitted from one species to the other.

When bordetella symptoms are present, they manifest in the same way as many common upper respirator infections which are usually treated with the antibiotic, Amoxicillin. However, it is important to note that Bordetella bacteria are resistant to Amoxicillin. If the Bordetella is combined with another respiratory infection, some of thosesymptoms may improve, but the Bordetella will continue to worsen. Fortunately, other antibiotics like Clavamox and Baytril are effective treatments when continued for a minimum of fourteen days. Cats that show no symptoms, and appear healthy even after veterinary examination, have been known to have walking pneumonia!

To diagnose feline bordetella, a veterinarian needs to do a tracheal wash and culture and submit the lab sample as "canine" since Bordetella still does not appear on the feline chart. For shelters to take to prevent Feline Bordetella, it is important to prevent overcrowding, vaccinate the cats, and keep the area clean. Knowledge is power when it comes to keeping shelter cats safe; please share this article with your local shelters.