Feline calicivirus causes respiratory disease and oral ulceration in cats, with virulent systemic strains causing severe multi-organ disease requiring awareness and containment protocols.
FCV causes welfare harm through painful oral ulceration that makes eating extremely uncomfortable, respiratory signs, and in severe cases multi-organ failure from virulent strains. Cats with extensive oral ulcers stop eating due to pain, requiring assisted feeding or appetite stimulants to maintain nutritional status. The pain of ulceration represents significant suffering that warrants appropriate analgesic therapy. VS-FCV outbreaks in shelters can be catastrophic, causing severe illness and death across large numbers of cats in a short time. Vaccination reduces disease severity and appropriate quarantine protocols contain VS-FCV outbreaks, protecting both individual and population welfare.