Kittens and cats living in crowded conditions are most at risk for this feline virus.

By Phyllis DeGioia

If your cat is diagnosed with calicivirus, you can provide supportive care, but you also need to sit back and wait for the virus to run its course.

Big sneezes, runny eyes and a stuffed-up nose go hand in hand with human flu — and they’re also signs of your cat’s upper respiratory infection. Cats commonly get feline calicivirus (pronounced cal-EE-see and sometimes called FCV), which is one of the types of virus that cause flu-like signs in cats. Thankfully, cats can’t catch our virus and we can’t catch theirs.

It tends to affect kittens, multiple-cat households and shelters the most. Cats that live in crowded conditions — particularly ones that are poorly ventilated, aren’t kept clean and wherein the temperatures range to extremes — are the most likely to contract calicivirus. Catteries, particularly those that are not…

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