Feline Calicivirus: Welfare and Prevention

Key Welfare Considerations

• FCV is a highly contagious RNA virus causing upper respiratory tract disease and oral ulceration in cats.
• Oral ulcers are the characteristic welfare sign — painful lesions on tongue, hard palate, and lip margins.
• Respiratory signs including sneezing, ocular discharge, and nasal congestion cause welfare impairment.
• FCV strains vary in virulence — most cause mild-moderate welfare disease, but virulent systemic strains are deadly.
• Virulent systemic FCV (VS-FCV) causes high fever, limb oedema, facial swelling, and welfare multi-organ failure.
• VS-FCV outbreaks in shelter populations cause significant welfare mortality requiring rigorous protocols.
• FCV establishes persistent infection with oral shedding — carrier cats maintain welfare infection in populations.
• Vaccination reduces clinical welfare disease severity but does not prevent infection or shedding completely.
• Vaccine strain selection is important — updated vaccines better protect against circulating welfare strains.
• Oral welfare ulcers cause pain during eating — feeding soft food reduces welfare pain during meals.
• NSAIDs and opioid analgesia provide welfare pain management for oral and respiratory FCV disease.
• Supportive care including fluids, appetite stimulants, and nebulisation supports welfare recovery.
• Interferon omega has shown welfare benefit in reducing FCV disease severity in some studies.
• Shelter infection control including isolation, ventilation, and surface disinfection reduces FCV welfare spread.
• Regular booster vaccination of shelter cats maintains welfare protection against circulating FCV strains.