Harley- breathing funny.

i think it's probably a mix of stress and new kitty germs.....stoli had that when luxor came home....

Originally Posted by Renovia

i think it's probably a mix of stress and new kitty germs.....stoli had that when luxor came home....

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Really? I'm gonna try to get him in next week, our vet always books up so quickly

Thanks for all the well wishes, my boys just aren't having very good luck lately!

Hope Harley is feeling better soon! Any chance you can get him to the vet a little sooner? Might not be a bad idea? I would be freaking out.

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

Hope Harley is feeling better soon! Any chance you can get him to the vet a little sooner? Might not be a bad idea? I would be freaking out.

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I am freaking out, but I just spent over $100 yesterday on Bayley @ the vet, so I need to get my finances in order a bit before I can spend another chunk of change at the vet. Being unemployed is hard enough, now w/ 2 sick cats, its even harder

Originally Posted by babyharley

I am freaking out, but I just spent over $100 yesterday on Bayley @ the vet, so I need to get my finances in order a bit before I can spend another chunk of change at the vet. Being unemployed is hard enough, now w/ 2 sick cats, its even harder

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I Understand all about that. I'm working and it's still hard sometimes!

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

I Understand all about that. I'm working and it's still hard sometimes!

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Its never easy, is it!?
I've always had such good luck w/ the boys' health, now w/ Davidson gone, Bayley sick, and Harley depressed. Its one thing after another.

He just ate his wet meal, so at least he ate that...

Awww, Kenz, I hope he starts feeling better soon. There are vibes and prayers for both of your boys from the Birman boys and me, and I know that Davidson is looking out for his brothers too!

It's spring, the weather is changing, loads of bugs do the rounds at this time of year. Radar has had an infection this week, scared me rigid because he had quite a high fever and was really very ill, but antibiotics have put him right in no time. He had what I thought was gagging but was probably coughing with no voice - his throat was so inflamed that he'd lost his voice completely, and he slept all of Monday and only perked up a tiny bit Tuesday typically enough as I was getting ready to take him to the vet.

Vet bills suck, is there any way your vet will let you pay in installments if you have to take him in?

Don't forget that stress and change depress the immune system, Harley has lost his buddy and the stress from that makes him more vulnerable to infection. I hope he is ok soon, loads of vibes coming your way

My dh and I adopted Elvin from a shelter. When we adopted him, he apparently had an upper respiratory infection (URI) that he proceded to pass on to Garp. (Our vet at the time told later us that it is fairly common for shelter cats to have URIs and for other cats in the household to catch them. The treatment is an oral antibiotic, which isn't that expensive.) Unfortunately, I didn't catch the warning signs early enough and by the time I noticed, Garp was very lethargic, wouldn't eat or drink water, and I couldn't get him to move. I rushed him to the vet, who gave him fluids (which made the bill much higher). He apparently had a very high fever and the vet said if I had waited much longer (ie, another day), I might have lost him or he may have suffered brain damage. So, I don't mean to scare you but, since the weekend is approaching, you might not want to wait too long (ie, over the weekend) to get Harley to the vet.

When we adopted Hilda, who was a barn cat, she also passed on a URI to both of ther brothers!

H-M, who we adopted from a shelter, didn't pass on a URI but she did pass on ringworm (the "gift" that keeps on "giving")!

Anyway, if it is a URI, it is a fairly simple (ie, inexpensive) thing to fix if caught early enough.

I am sorry to hear Harley could be sick too. Is he sneezing alot? Does he breathe with his mouth open? My little abyssinian has upper respitory stuff alot. Allergies and herpes virus.

What might help Harley till you get him to the vet is a cold air humidifier.

Sounds like calicivirus to me. My feral brought it home to my other cats when I got him a couple of years ago. My elderly cat became very very ill. Since it's a virus, there really is nothing to be done other than comfort measures and wait for it to pass. Lots of wet food with chicken broth and TLC got us through it.

Good luck.

Cally

Aww mackenzie. I'm so sorry, hopefully both the boys will get well soon. You don't need this after losing your sweet baby *hugs* it will be okay

Originally Posted by Epona

It's spring, the weather is changing, loads of bugs do the rounds at this time of year. Radar has had an infection this week, scared me rigid because he had quite a high fever and was really very ill, but antibiotics have put him right in no time. He had what I thought was gagging but was probably coughing with no voice - his throat was so inflamed that he'd lost his voice completely, and he slept all of Monday and only perked up a tiny bit Tuesday typically enough as I was getting ready to take him to the vet.

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You JUST described whats happening to him, minus the fever.

He has a really hoarse voice when he tries to meow, and he's doing the gagging thing too.

I think I'm gonna definately call my vet tomorrow morning and explain to them whats happening and see if they can get me on any type of installments since I've spent WAY too much money there the past 6 months (like around $300+!)

I had a friend over tonight, and when she came over, he came out of the bedroom to see what was going on, and sat with us for a good 1/2 hr for some scitches and rubs- and layed on the counter like he always does, but hasn't in awhile

Kenz, I've got a few things to add!

Harley is stressed wich can cause over-grooming, which will cause hairballs. Can you get any hairball meds anywhere(Wal Mart, vet clinic, Petco, etc)?

I agree that it sounds like he could have a URI. Cats get them easily, esp. in shelters & Bayley could've brought it home. Whehter Harley was/is healthy or not, he could succuumb to a URI easy.

I also second the idea of changing the routine. Can you get another wet food for awhile? Maybe feed Harley at a different time than you used to & in a differnet place?

to you & {{{VIBES}}} to Harley!

I feel for you hun! I really hope your babies start feeling better.

Possibly he caught something from Bailey. Or maybe it is depression. One way to tell if your cat's overweight is to check if you can feel their ribs without searching. Sometimes thyroid issues can make them breath funny. Thyroid is easy to treat, it's just a pill a day. But I don't recall that Harley is old, so i doubt that he has thyroid problems.
Fred is overweight, though it's not super obvious. I can't feel his ribs without searching and prodding. Nermal I can feel them quite easily. Also, I can feel some little love handles under Fred's fur when he's sleeping, etc. He's only 15lbs and doesn't over-eat, but he's still f_t (and I don't mean fit).

Harley has been through a lot of change lately, plus he's probably sensed your grief.

The vet is a good idea just in case.

Kenz, I agree with those who suspect that Harley has caught something from Bayley...this is basically a very common scenario when a shelter kitty is introduced to a pet that is already in your home. When I brought home 8 week-old Ripley from the shelter, I noticed immediately that she was snuffly, sneezing, hacking, watery-eyed, etc. And, after her URI was treated, it was just in a matter of a day or two, when Fergus (8 months old at the time) started having the same symptoms!

Also, stress can compromise the feline immune system. With the loss of Davidson, and the newcomer, and the changing weather, etc., Harley's immunity was probably having a tough time fighting off whatever Bayley brought into the environment. That being said, you did NOT make a mistake by introducing a new cat immediately into the situation for Harley. If Bayley weren't there, there would be far less distraction for Harley in terms of the grieving process, and I can almost promise you that you'd be seeing a far more depressed and lonesome kitty. And once he's feeling up to snuff with some antibiotics (which are suprisingly inexpensive, most of the time), he'll be able to focus more on bonding with Bayley, and accepting him as a new companion.

Ripley and Fergus were put on Clavomox for their URI's, and another thing that works really well, is to give him a steam bath, which is sort of like what you do with a baby that has the crupe. Run your shower for about 5 minutes, until it gets HOT (I mean piping hot, with lots of steam!!!), and sit with Harley in your bathroom while the shower runs for about 20 minutes. The steam will moisten his throat, and help with any nasal congestion, and will also clear his chest a bit too. I steamed both of my kitties, and it helped a lot. Maybe just put Harley's laundry basket in there for him to snooze in, and sit there with him, so he's comfy. This wouldn't be bad for Bayley either.

Sending lots of get well soon vibes Harley's way!

Hugs to you and Bailey. Get some lab work done up on him. If he's not eating much and is *big* and now the breathing, he could have something really wrong with him. Best wishes!

Charity
Faith Hope Love Persians

I will be sending lots of vibes Harley's way.