Hubby and I noticed a buff and white adult cat hanging around our driveway/deck area about a month ago. Hubby always tried to talk to him and pet him but the kitty (who we now call Mike) was never overly friendly. As time passed, it was clear to us that Mike was very, very sick, but we couldn't get close to him so there was nothing we could do. Last week sometime, Mike finally warmed up enough to let us pet him and it was immediately like a flood gate had opened and he purrs and purrs and purrs and is crazy friendly. Hubby was kind of attached so one day while he was at work, I took Mike to the vet. I had no problem getting him into the cat carrier at all...weird! They tested for FIV and leukemia and both were negative. His belly was very swollen (hubby and I at first thought he was a pregnant female) and the vet said this could be a sign of FIP. She took his temperature and it was normal - she said FIP almost always presents with a fever - so that's a negative for FIP as well. She said the large belly is probably a symptom of worms, so she gave him a dewormer. He also got a rabies shot and Revolution for his terrible ear mites, fleas, and ticks. She also gave him an antibiotic shot (can't remember the name) that she said would last for 2 weeks and hopefully take care of his URI. He had goopy eyes (still has tear stains on his white face) but his biggest problem was a terribly snotty nose. His whole nose was irritated due to it being so snotty for so long. Very chapped and what not.
This was last Tuesday (1 week ago) that I took him to the vet. Almost immediately his nose started looking better. It still looks better, but improvement seems to have plateaued. His ears I would say are 100% normal - so the revolution worked for his ear mites. His fur looks much better, so I think if he had fleas, they are gone or headed that way. But his belly is still big and swollen. Shouldn't the worms be gone now? Was her negative diagnosis for FIP wrong?
Hubby and I found a kitten (named River) on our way to our wedding in October. That was his first cat and my first pet of any kind, ever. We got a shelter kitten (Miles) as a playmate for River in November. Hubby is becoming attached to Mike though, and if he is well, we would like to bring him inside. But River and Miles are both happy and healthy and we don't want to bring any life threatening sickness into the house. So...since we're new to this whole cat thing, I guess my questions are: How long does it usually take to recover from a URI? Is this plateau Mike has hit in his recovery normal? How about the big belly thing? Should it be gone by now or do worms take longer than that to get rid of? Is there a definitive diagnosis for FIP so we know for sure before bringing Mike inside?
Thanks for any help I've come across this forum many times when googling other kitty issues...not sure why I never signed up til now!
This was last Tuesday (1 week ago) that I took him to the vet. Almost immediately his nose started looking better. It still looks better, but improvement seems to have plateaued. His ears I would say are 100% normal - so the revolution worked for his ear mites. His fur looks much better, so I think if he had fleas, they are gone or headed that way. But his belly is still big and swollen. Shouldn't the worms be gone now? Was her negative diagnosis for FIP wrong?
Hubby and I found a kitten (named River) on our way to our wedding in October. That was his first cat and my first pet of any kind, ever. We got a shelter kitten (Miles) as a playmate for River in November. Hubby is becoming attached to Mike though, and if he is well, we would like to bring him inside. But River and Miles are both happy and healthy and we don't want to bring any life threatening sickness into the house. So...since we're new to this whole cat thing, I guess my questions are: How long does it usually take to recover from a URI? Is this plateau Mike has hit in his recovery normal? How about the big belly thing? Should it be gone by now or do worms take longer than that to get rid of? Is there a definitive diagnosis for FIP so we know for sure before bringing Mike inside?
Thanks for any help I've come across this forum many times when googling other kitty issues...not sure why I never signed up til now!