Humidifer vs. Vaporizer? Help!

Hi there, I'm pretty new here, and eager for advice on all the health problems we've been experiencing in our four-cat household since adopting two feral kittens in the past month.

Any thoughts on whether a vaporizer or a warm-mist humidifier would be better for treating a URI in my 3-1/2-month-old kitten, Possum? Are there models you like? I need to buy something in the morning. Tonight we're trying a steamy bathroom, a wet sponge on the nose, and breathing steam from my condensation dryer.

Possum is having a tough time with his stuffy nose. He went from losing his voice to sniffling and sneezing, and recently to gagging and pawing his nose. The vet is finally starting him on antibiotics and lysine gel.

We think he brought the virus with him from his feral foster home. He may have given it to my 14-year old Persian, too. Snalbert's throat is inflamed and he lost his voice and he was a constant talker. We've been giving him pain-med injections twice a day for about 10 days. He's finally starting on lysine and antibiotics, too. He's been having trouble swallowing so I've been feeding him all-meat baby food on a tiny spoon. He refuses just about everything else, although he's purring and interested in luring me to the kitchen to try things. Today he even started regurgitating baby food, painful to watch. Fingers crossed that the antibiotics do the trick and that it's nothing worse than a virus....

I'm going to make him (onion-free) chicken broth tomorrow. Any other suggestions for caring for my two invalids will be warmly welcomed. Thanks!

Here's an article about humidifiers vs. vaporizers that does a good job explaining the difference between them.

http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/...ebaby_sixo.htm

I chose a vaporizer since I didn't want stuff spit throughout my house and I preferred the water being boiled before being spread out into the air.

To help him want to eat, try warming up a bit of mushy canned food in the microwave for a few seconds. The warmth will enhance the smell of the food and he'll be more attracted to it. Also, ask your vet for some Science Diet a/d. That stuff is like kitty crack!

Thank you for that useful article. Good advice.

I went to four or five stores yesterday and no one could tell me anything useful about the differences. I decided on a vaporizer and now I'm glad I did. I never had good results in the past from humidifiers (I have allergies) and could never get them clean enough. The vaporizer seems easier to clean and less likely to pollute the place with bacteria/mold. I didn't notice much of a difference in the air last night when we used it, but maybe that's because it's on the floor. I'll move it higher.

Snalbert rejected AD yesterday, even on a spoon mixed with water into a pudding. Today he had some baby food and kept it down. Possum is eating well, very well. I hope my other two cats don't catch this...

I've never known a cat to reject a/d. WOW!