I got my flu shot this year, but what about my cat. A. Dogs and cats get a number of viral, bacterial and fungal infections that affect the nose and lungs. These infections can lead to the same signs of coughing and sneezing most people have during the cold and flu season. Luckily, most of these infectious diseases cannot be transferred from dogs or cats to people. Conversely, the viruses causing flu and colds in people do not make cats or dogs sick.
Viruses cause most cases of colds and respiratory flu.
The viruses commonly associated with infections in the respiratory system are mostly species-specific. This means a specific virus only has the ability to grow and cause flu and cold in one species for example a human, dog, or cat. However, bacteria exist that can infect the respiratory system of people, dogs, and cats. It s extremely uncommon for people to get such bacterial infections from their pets, or vice versa, but it can happen. Streptococcus bacteria are commonly associated with human respiratory infections, including strep throat.