Gizmo has to go to the vets this evening.

his sneezing running nose a like a coughing sound. it started y/day but it was just coughing and sounded more like he was trying to bring up a hairball. but today his sneezing and the running nose has started. his uptodate with shots, any ideas? i know i will be seeing the vet soon anyway, but im a bit worried about the others especially the kittens as he was round them y/day.

I hope all goes well at the vets, they would be able to tell you more than we could so no guesses at to what is wrong, but hugs and vibes for the visit

not good news....
i ended up having to take chloe and sophie aswell as gizmo as they started showing the same signs. they have a strain of cat flu, even though they have had their shots it dosnt cover all strains?? i didnt know that.

they each had an antibiotic injection and are all on a 7 day course of anitibiotics twice a day.
they told me to bleach EVERYTHING and to keep them in a seprate room from all of the other cats. the 4 kittens will be starting their vacs in a week so everything in their room has been sterlised and NO one is allowed in their apart from myself. we have been told that we have to wash hands etc everytime we touch gizmo,chloe or sophie or we can carry it on ourselfs.
this will sound bad but it just cost me £176.00 if the other cats start with symptons i really dont know how i will afford this. dont worry i will find the money, its just a matter of how.
iv been in tears , my partner told me i had to find homes for all the cats at one point, anyone here experinced cat flu?

Has there been any new stress in their lives or yours?

Essentially, you've got a URI going through your home. It is airborne. Some cats may get it, some won't. It's weird sometimes. About all you can do is make sure all the cats are staying hydrated(Do you know how to check for dehydration?), give them the meds, & watch them closely.

My cats have gotten it from foster kittens even though they've got their shots.

Ummm...there's one more thing, but it escaped me before I could post it.

yep i know how to check for dehydration gently pinch the the fur on the back of their necks if it returns to normal right away its fine. if it stays lose then they need more fluids.
the more reading up iv done the less it sounds like cat flu. the vet didnt take any swabs. there eating/drinking fine, there playing as normal and dont act sick atall.its just the sneezing and runny nose's. they dont have any mouth ucles SP? atall, they have a slightly high temp. i was reading that vets should take a swab to find out what strain the flu is, FCH or FVC i think it was. iv been lucky to not have delt with cat flu or any other major feline viruses. so this is all a blur at the moment. thanx for your reply.

It sounds like a URI, like Natalie said. My cats have caught that from new kittens before too. You can think of a URI as a cold, the calicivirus (the one w/mouth ulcers, etc) would be more like flu...if that makes sense.

The only other thing that I can think of to add is that if they get real stuffy they may not eat as well...so some extra stinky and/or warm wet food would help in that case.

I have no experience with "the cat flu" per se, so I'm not a ton of help in that area. But, to me, it just sounds like textbook URI from what I've seen at the shelter. I really do hope it spreads no further!

If it does continue to spread...can you simply pick up oral antibiotics from the vet? Skip the visit & the injection?

thanks for all you help. im not sure if i can pick some up without a vet vist, i will have to find out about it.
they are eating great no change in any of their behavier , just the sneezing and today just a slight runny nose. so maybe it is just an uri, hopefully once there better that will be the end of it. thanks again