Are there infectious causes of Conjunctivitis in the cat besides Herpesvirus?
Cats may develop a respiratory condition (called URI) from herpes, mycoplasma or chlamydia. The most common cause of conjunctivitis in the cat is Herpesvirus. This virus is a common cause of upper respiratory disease in cats. It is passed in droplets when the cat sneezes or coughs. Other causes of respiratory disease and conjunctivitis are Chlamydia and Mycoplasma. Like viruses, they live within the cells of the respiratory tract and the conjunctiva. These conditions are most commonly found in the kitten, rather than older cats but can be found in any cat of any age. Whilst these pathogens are not extremely common, they do cause a lot of problems, especially in catteries. These organisms are smaller than bacteria and larger than viruses. Herpes is discussed in another handout. Chlamydia is an infection with a rickettsial agent. Rickettsia agents are not really bacteria, although they can be killed with specific antibiotics and not really viruses although they act like viruses because t
