Chlamydia is one of several upper-respiratory diseases affecting cats. It is caused by a bacteria called Chlamydophila felis, which is contagious between ...CatHealthIsCatChlamydiaContagiousBetweenCats?ByKeriGardnerChlamydiaEyeInfectioninCatsiBrandXPictures/BrandXPictures/GettyImagesChlamydiaisoneofseveralupper-respiratorydiseasesaffectingcats.ItiscausedbyabacteriacalledChlamydophilafelis,whichiscontagiousbetweencats.Onceknownaschlamydiapsittaciorfelinepneumonitis,chlamydiahasbeenidentifiedincatsworldwide.Thoughit'srare,felinechlamydiainfectionscanpotentiallytransfertohumans.ChlamydophilaFelisDefinedChlamydophilafelisisconsideredbacteria,butisdifferentfromotherbacteriainthatitlivesinsidecells.Inactivechlamydia,calledanelementarybody,ispickedupbyacatduringclosecontactwithaninfectedcat.Onceinsidethecells,thechlamydiaelementarybodytransformsintoareticulatebodyandmultiplies.Thesecellularinclusionbodiescanbedetectedmicroscopicallyintissuesamplesfrominfectedcats.TransmissionThemodeoftransmissionbetweencatsisuncertain,butitisthoughttobedependentonclosecontact.Socialinteractionsduringgroomingprobablyspreadstheinfection.Contagioussecretionsfromtheeyesandnoselikelyinfectcatslivinginclose-knitgroups.AccordingtotheInstituteforInternationalCooperationinAnimalBiologicsatIowaStateUniversity,recentresearchsuggeststhatchlamydiainfectionsmayspreadbyvenerealtransmission,whichmeansduringbreedingviaexternalsexorgancontact.SymptomsUsually,thiscontagiousdiseasepresentssignsofconjunctivitisandrhinitis,definedastheswellingoftheeyeandnosemembranesofyourcat.Tissueareasaroundyourcat'seyeswillbecomeredandswollenwithpossibledrainageoccurring.Often,chlamydiainfectionsbegininoneeyeandmovesintobotheyes.Symptomswillappearthreetotendaysafterexposuretoaninfectedcatandsubsideovertwotothreeweeks.ComplicationsSomecatsmaydevelopsecondarycomplicationsduringchlamydiainfections.Sinceyourcat'simmunesystemiscompromisedbychlamydia,bacterialandfungalorganismsmaybecomeopportunisticinvaders.Ulcerationsmaydevelopon