Help! Scooter has a cold!

jwheeler

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Hi everyone!

I'm looking for a bit of help/advice. My 3-year-old boy, Scooter, seems to have a cold. It has been going on for about 5-6 days. Maybe I am worrying about it too much since cats can get colds just like humans, but my animals are like my kids and I can't help it. Plus, our oldest cat, Max, passed away a few weeks ago, so now I am even more of a worry wart. I miss him so, so much. I just read that cat colds can last from 7-10 days, so he should be coming to the end of it soon. I have had cats all my life, but this is the first time I have run into this problem. (Our cats are strictly indoor cats).

Scooter sounds very nasally congested and is sneezing quite a bit. He has a clear discharge from his nose, but only when he sneezes, and his eyes seem a bit watery and puffy. He doesn't want to eat the dry food, but he will eat wet food without hesitating. He probably can't smell the dry food since he has a stuffy nose. He also doesn't want to play like he normally does, which is understandable. I put a vaporizer near him while he was sleeping today, which seemed to make him sneeze a bit more. I called our vet last week and they advised me to watch him for a few days, but if he's not better by Monday I think I will take him in for an exam. Our other 2 cats are fine, and I know that cats can easily pass colds back and forth, so part of me thinks that he could be allergic to something. About 3 weeks ago, we adopted a really long-haired Maine coon mix kitty and I am wondering if he could be allergic to her. We rescued her from the shelter and her coat was really dusty when we got her and it still is, even though we have bathed her and brush her daily. I don't have cat allergies myself, but the dust and dander from her coat even irritates me whenever I pet her. Even my mouth gets dry and my eyes get itchy when I pet her. I am thinking of giving her another bath. I have never owned a cat with hair as long as hers before. She is such a sweet girl! Anyway, in the meantime, until I can get him to the vets, is there anything I can do to help Scooter get better?

Thanks to anyone who offers me advice!
 

stephanietx

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He really needs to go to the vet sooner rather than later. Most likely, the cold was brought on by the stress of losing his buddy. Keep pushing the wet food. If he starts to not want that, or he decreases his eating, then he needs to go to the emergency vet.

You can help enhance the aroma of the food by warming it up a bit by nuking it in the microwave for about 10 seconds or letting the bowl sit in a bigger bowl of hot water for a couple of minutes. Continue to steam him in the bathroom while you're in the shower and run the vaporizer continually. If you have some eucalyptus oil, put some in the vaporizer's little well for an inhalant (I think that's what it's called.) as the eucalyptus will help open up nasal passageways. Don't let your kitty ingest the eucalyptus oil as it can be fatal, but letting them breathe it is okay.
 

mrblanche

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The timing is about right for your new cat to have brought in a new mutation of the virus, which is as common in cats as it is in people.

But the vet might want to give him antibiotics to fight secondary infections.
 
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jwheeler

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Thanks for the replies! We will definitely be making a trip to the vet tomorrow if he's no better. He is still eating the wet food with no problems. I know that stress can bring on colds in cats and losing his close buddy, Max, is probably as hard on him as it is on us, but that was almost 3 weeks ago. Would it take that long to set it? Also, we had about 15 people at our house for Thanksgiving and Scooter is really shy and hid the whole time. Could that stress have brought it on as well? Either way, he's going to the vet.
 

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Sounds like a stress trifecta. Death, new addition, and a noisy party with lots of people. Poor Scooter. Sorry for your loss as well.

the new cat could have easily brought along a common cat virus that is similar to the human cold, it runs rampant at shelters. It can easily turn into an upper respitory infection or other infections. Having been through what you are going through I would bring Scooter to the vet. Better to have some meds now than get an infection and have it be ten times worse and possibly fatal.

Hope Scooter feels better. BTW; you are doing great by using the humidifier helping to keep the mucous loosened is important.
 

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I think you bought in the germs with the other cat and it is because he lost his friend.
Meeko got very sick after Yoshi was pts.
She had a fever of almost 105.
She was so upset after stormy was pts she threw up so we went to the vet.
She was fine except she was dehydrated and refused to eat and drink.
She was depressed.
Then Yoshi was pts about 3 weeks later and Meeko got very sick so i took her to the vet and this time she was sick.
The vet said since she was upset they died it made it easier for her to get sick and they think she got sick from the vets.
I would take your cat to the vet.
Meeko got clavamox and a shot to make her want to eat and sub q's.
She did end up given it to Coco my old cat only Coco never got the high fever.
 
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jwheeler

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Thanks! I will definitely be calling the vets tomorrow to see if we can get in if it's no better. I really do think that stress might be playing a part in this. It started the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving. He was fine and playing before I went to bed Saturday night and then he actually woke me up early Sunday morning with his sneezing. We had lots of people at our house for Thanksgiving and people were going in and out. For some strange reason, Scooter has always been a very shy cat and will really only come up to my fiance and I and will run from other people and won't really go near them. We have had him since he was 8 weeks old, so we don't know where this stems from. Plus, Max passed away on November 17th and he and Scooter were nap buddies, and then we adopted Abby (our new cat). I really think he misses Max a great deal. Our other 2 cats and 2 dogs are fine and don't have any of these symptoms. Scooter is still eating his wet food without any problems and I have been occasionally adding a bit of water to it to help make sure he stays hydrated. You can tell by listening to him breathe that the mucus is pretty loose, probably from using the vaporizer. I've pretty much been chasing after him with the vaporizer wherever he goes and he does NOT like it!
 

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Chances are, your kitty probably did pick up something when you adopted the new kitty. Animal shelters and the like are usually breeding grounds for many cat diseases. I've had it happen to me several times when adopting a new cat. And I'm sure the stress isn't helping any, either.

I would have him checked by a vet, b/c a cat cold can turn into upper respitory infection, which can be fatal if not treated. It's better to be safe than sorry.

I hope your baby feels better soon!
 
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jwheeler

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Here's a little update on Scooter. He slept in the closet in my office for several hours today with the vaporizer pointed right in his direction. He sneezed several times, but he still has that nasal congestion sound to his breathing. I heated up some chicken broth and poured a good amount of it on top of his wet canned food along with a little water and he drank it up like crazy, so that's definitely a good sign. I also tried to take him in the bathroom with me with the shower running hot for some extra steam, but he had a fit and was fighting me while I was holding him and then jumped down and starting pounding on the door with his paws to be let out and rolling around on the floor trying to stick his paws underneath the door, so it must be a good sign that he had all that energy to throw an absolute fit in the bathroom! I'm still definitely going to call the vet's office in the AM.
 
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jwheeler

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There is no colored discharge whatsoever. It has always been clear. Could this even be a cold if there is no colored discharge? Maybe an allergy? I literally JUST remembered something. The night before this happened, right before I went to bed, Scooter and my other cat, Bailey, were chasing some sort of bug. I have no idea what it was, but maybe Scooter ingested this or something??? That was the last thing I saw him do before he came down with this. That next morning, he woke me up with his sneezes. Now I'm wondering if that bug he was chasing has something to do with it....
 

mews2much

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It can be a allergy also.
I have a very allergic cat but she eats when its a allergy.
Of course she had the worst uri and still ate so you never know.
Maybe he got the bug and had a reaction.
You never know.
 
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jwheeler

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I think I'll feel much more at ease once I get him to the vet. Hopefully they can get us in tomorrow. I just want my old Scooter back! I hate seeing him like this.
 
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jwheeler

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This is going to make me insane until I get to the vet. He only has nasal discharge when he sneezes and it's completely clear, and his eyes get a bit watery, but that seems to have been a bit better today. It makes me wonder if it's not a URI since there is no colored discharge at all and never has been.
 

mews2much

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Meeko never did have a colored discharge with her sickness last Jan but she did have a almost 105 fever.
What time are you seeing the vet?
Let me know how it goes.
 
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jwheeler

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I'm going to call first thing in the morning to see if we can get him in. I need my fiance to help me take him so one of us can hold his carrier in the car, and he leaves for work around 2 PM, so it would need to be in the early part of the day. I'm going to aim for around 11 AM or anywhere in that time frame. I'll definitely post an update when we get back home! I sure hope all goes well and my little guy starts getting better!

Scooter did feel very warm and feverish a few days ago, but that went away quickly and he hasn't felt unusually warm since then. Also, he was sleeping underneath a heavy comforter on our bed. He had somehow managed to wrap himself all up in it. LOL
 
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jwheeler

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I'm sure they'll be able to get us right in. We were just there a week ago with our Golden Retriever puppy for his shots. They are really great there. I'm thinking they'll probably give Scooter some antibiotics.
 

stephanietx

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I would guess this episode was a result of all the things you mentioned. The loss of his buddy, the stress of the new kitty, and the stress of the people in the house during Thanksgiving. Not all URIs have colored discharge every time. My Callie gets URIs and never has colored discharge when she sneezes. Be sure to let us know what the vet says!
 
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