our cats are getting sick,,

Last week Angel was real sick, with sneezing and coughing also her left eye was really bothering her, I could tell she had a temperature also. I took her to the vet and they gave me clavamox {sp?} to give her and she is doing better.

Now Panther has the bad sneezing and cough. I don't think he has a fever but he is so plugged up he has to breath with his mouth open. He was curled up next to me in bed having a hard time, I feel so bad for him but I don't know what to do to try and make things easier for him?

They all went through what I would call a cold last year, but this year its much worse for them.

I don't have a vaporizer that works anymore, to set up in a room with Panther, {as I write this its 2:30 in the morning here}

Any ideas anyone?

Originally Posted by Tom W

Last week Angel was real sick, with sneezing and coughing also her left eye was really bothering her, I could tell she had a temperature also. I took her to the vet and they gave me clavamox {sp?} to give her and she is doing better.

Now Panther has the bad sneezing and cough. I don't think he has a fever but he is so plugged up he has to breath with his mouth open. He was curled up next to me in bed having a hard time, I feel so bad for him but I don't know what to do to try and make things easier for him?

They all went through what I would call a cold last year, but this year its much worse for them.

I don't have a vaporizer that works anymore, to set up in a room with Panther, {as I write this its 2:30 in the morning here}

Any ideas anyone?

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Well, hopefully I didn't misunderstand you here...

Angel probably infected Panther... however as Angel started to get better, Panther started to get worse. It's very similar to what happened to my two cats... Expresso had the flu and just around the same time he started to get alot stronger, less coughing, less sneezing... Sunny became a little lethargic, would cough alot and basically looked weak. So then... they were both treated in the end... and now, they're both almost fully recovered..

So I guess what i'm saying... it's possible that one cat might take longer to get infected... while another cat is just recovering..

So I would get Panther taken to the vet to see if Panther has a fever, so Panther can be put on antibiotics.

I agree with Tru87, its sounds like Panther has got the same "cold" Just keep them comfortable and then if poss a vets visit -are your vets open on a Sunday ? (its Sun 11.30am ish Spain)
Hope they are both well soon

Something you can do now to make them feel better is an old trick that I used when my kids were little. Steam up the bathroom and take them in there for a half an hour or so. The steam will open them up and help them breath a little easier. It is only temporary but they will get some relief for several hours.

Our vet isn't open on Sundays, but they always have one of the Dr's on call nights and weekends for emergencies. So if Panther goes down hill real bad today I will call, but if he don't get any worse I will call Monday morning first thing.

The girl I got Cozmo from said that Cozmo and the other 3 kittens were real sick when she got them home, but he seems fine now. I think Angel started to get sick before I got Cozmo so I don't think they got it from him.

The first one the was sneezing and coughing was Missy a couple weeks ago or more but it didn't get bad and she was over it in a couple days, then Angel started to sneeze and since Missy got over it so fast at her age I wasn't to worried, but Angel got real sick one night then I got worried, the meds fixed her up real fast, She still sneezes some but she is pretty much her old grumpy self otherwise. Angel never got as plugged up as Panther is though, she could breath OK but Panther has been breathing through his mouth starting last night. He don't feel or act like he has a fever yet though. This is going to sound crazy but I could tell Angel had a fever when she was licking the back of my hand, Her tongue and her breath was much warmer than normal, I could also tell just the way she was acting, she would lay there upright with her head hanging down just like Tuffy did when he started to get fevers from the FIP. Angel would also lay in front of the heat registers when the furnace ran to try and get warm, which she never did before.

I will keep a close eye on Panther today and see how he does. I still have some of the med for Angel left so maybe I can talk to who ever is on call if Panther gets worse, I am sure they will give Panther the same med as Angel anyway, but I better call before I give Panther the med.

You can try something I did for my kids when they were little and had bad colds. I would steam up the bathroom and take them in there for a half an hour or so. It's temporary but it might open them up a bit and give them some relief for a few hours.

Our vet isn't open on Sundays, but they always have one of the Dr's on call nights and weekends for emergencies.

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I'd give the doctor on call a buzz, explain the situation, and see if you can start Panther on the Clavamox you're giving Angel. You'll need to pick up more for both of them, and keep track of how many days Angel's been on it, so she'll get her complete round.

Originally Posted by Denice

Something you can do now to make them feel better is an old trick that I used when my kids were little. Steam up the bathroom and take them in there for a half an hour or so. The steam will open them up and help them breath a little easier. It is only temporary but they will get some relief for several hours.

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Absolutely! I always take my URI cats with me in the bathroom when I shower, particularly those that are bubbling snot or breathing thru their mouths. Keep the door closed afterwards and let them breath in the steam. If your vaporizor broke, get a new one and if necessary, lock them up in a bedroom with it on for a while.

Living in a household with a large number of cats, when a URI hits, it usually goes thru the entire household before it ends, and it sometimes takes months to work thru the house. Some get it much worse than others. What you are describing with yours is not unusal, just frustrating.

Just remember, URI's are usually viral based, and putting a cat on antibiotics doesn't help the virus, it just prevents your cat from getting opportunistic bacterial infections. A URI is usually just a cold - humans are not given antibiotics for your average cold. Some vets won't prescribe antibiotics at all, as similar to humans, they can build up a tolerance against them or develop an allergic reaction later in life. Too bad they don't make grandma's chicken soup for cats!!

I'd invest in a new vaporizer and confine the kitties for several minutes at a time a couple of times a day. Also, you just got Cozmo a few weeks ago and that's a stress inducer for the other kitties you have. Stress can trigger an URI. Lysine supplements (500mg/day) will help boost your kitty's immune system and help them get over the cold quicker.

Stephanie

Angel and Panther are doing much better. They both still sneeze some, but are pretty much back to there old selves again. I have not heard Rusty sneeze or cough yet so maybe he will be lucky and not catch it.