Clinician’s Brief spotlights adult feline upper respiratory disease
Bottom line
Clinician’s Brief has published a feline-focused partner podcast, “Upper Respiratory Disease in the Adult Cat With Dr. Rudinsky,” as part of its Zoetis-sponsored Feline Education Challenge series. The episode features Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM, of The Ohio State University, and centers on a practical clinical approach to upper respiratory disease in adult cats, a syndrome most commonly associated with feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus, but one that can also involve secondary bacterial infection and chronic or recurrent disease patterns. Clinician’s Brief has positioned the episode within a broader feline education campaign running through late October, alongside other cat-focused clinical resources. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, adult-cat upper respiratory disease is less straightforward than the classic kitten URI presentation. Guidance from Cornell and published infectious disease recommendations both emphasize that feline URTD is multifactorial, that herpesvirus and calicivirus remain the leading causes, and that antibiotics aren’t indicated for most uncomplicated viral cases. ISCAID respiratory guidance recommends observation before antimicrobial use in many acute cases and highlights the importance of assessing for chronicity, comorbidities, retroviral status, and underlying causes when signs persist or recur. That makes practical, case-based education on diagnostics, triage, and stewardship especially relevant in general practice. (vet.cornell.edu)
What to watch: Watch for whether Clinician’s Brief or Zoetis turns this episode into additional feline URI tools, especially around vaccination strategy, chronic case workups, and antimicrobial decision-making. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Key facts
- Episode title
- Upper Respiratory Disease in the Adult Cat With Dr. Rudinsky
- Series
- Feline Education Challenge
- Sponsor
- Zoetis
- Featured clinician
- Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM
- Affiliation
- The Ohio State University
- Main focus
- Practical clinical approach to upper respiratory disease in adult cats
- Common infectious causes
- Feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus
- Campaign timing
- Through October 26, 2026
Clinician’s Brief has added another feline-focused installment to its partner podcast lineup with “Upper Respiratory Disease in the Adult Cat With Dr. Rudinsky,” a sponsored episode in its Feline Education Challenge series. The episode pairs host Dr. Beth Mollison with Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM, an associate professor at The Ohio State University, and spotlights a problem that’s common in practice but often clinically messy in adult cats: upper respiratory disease that may be viral, bacterial, chronic, recurrent, or tied to broader systemic or environmental factors. (vet.osu.edu)
That context matters because feline upper respiratory tract disease is rarely a one-pathogen, one-visit problem. Cornell’s feline health resources describe feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus as the principal infectious drivers of upper respiratory disease in cats, while also noting that calicivirus can range from mild upper respiratory signs to more serious lower respiratory involvement. Diagnostic laboratories and reviews also frame feline respiratory disease as a syndrome with multiple possible contributors, including Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma felis, and Chlamydia species, among others. (vet.cornell.edu)
The adult-cat angle is especially useful for clinicians because persistent sneezing, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, stertor, oral ulceration, or recurrent flare-ups can push the case beyond routine supportive care. ISCAID’s respiratory antimicrobial guidance says most uncomplicated upper respiratory infections are viral and supports an observation period before starting antibiotics in many acute cases. The same guidance recommends that cats with suspected bacterial URI be assessed more broadly, including retroviral testing, and notes that chronic disease may require a more extensive workup for underlying causes. AAHA and AAFP antimicrobial stewardship guidance reinforces that antimicrobials generally aren’t indicated for upper respiratory infections such as feline herpesvirus or calicivirus unless secondary bacterial complications are suspected. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
That stewardship message is increasingly important in everyday practice. Adult cats with chronic or recurrent signs can easily become repeat antibiotic patients, even when the underlying problem is viral recrudescence, carrier-state disease, inflammation, dental or nasopharyngeal pathology, stress-related flare-ups, or a structural issue. Cornell’s vaccine and respiratory resources also note an important nuance for pet parent conversations: vaccination can reduce disease severity, but it doesn’t necessarily prevent infection, carrier states, or shedding. (vet.cornell.edu)
While the Clinician’s Brief listing available in search results doesn’t surface a full transcript of this episode, Rudinsky’s background suggests the discussion is likely to be clinically pragmatic rather than purely academic. Ohio State identifies him as a small animal internal medicine faculty member, and Clinician’s Brief has recently featured him in other feline-focused content aimed at helping general practitioners navigate common but easily underestimated cat presentations. That fits the publication’s broader feline education campaign, which has included vaccine-focused and behavior-focused resources sponsored by Zoetis. This is an inference based on his role and the surrounding series, not a direct quotation from the episode itself. (vet.osu.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the value of this kind of content is in sharpening the workup of the “adult sneezing cat” beyond reflex treatment. Adult feline URTD can be a primary care case, but it can also be a signal for chronic viral disease, oral disease, nasopharyngeal disease, retroviral-associated immunosuppression, or household-level transmission risk in multi-cat settings. A more disciplined approach can improve antimicrobial stewardship, reduce repeat visits for unresolved disease, and help teams set better expectations with pet parents about recurrence, contagion, supportive care, and the limits of vaccination. (vet.cornell.edu)
What to watch: The next thing to watch is whether this podcast is followed by companion clinical tools or written summaries that translate the discussion into workflow-level guidance, particularly on when to test, when to image, when to culture or run PCR panels, and when chronic adult-cat URI should trigger a deeper internal medicine or dentistry workup. Clinician’s Brief’s feline challenge hub suggests more cat-focused educational assets may continue through the close of the campaign on October 26, 2026. (cliniciansbrief.com)