Cat Flu or Just A Cold? Please Help!

Hi Jayne,

It is very common for cats to come down with upper respiratory infections after a vet visit. Mine came back with one several months ago and although I just took her back in this weekend for a quick check of her bloodwork (no actual appointment), she seems to be coming down with another one. The most important thing you can do is offer supportive care (hand-feed food/water if they won't eat, give them some steam to help them breathe) but mostly you just have to wait it out. It took about 10 days for my cat to get over her last one. If the cat gets pretty bad, you should call your vet as most will put them on an antibiotic to help with any secondary infections that come with it. You can also try supplementing the cat with l-lysine to assist as most URI's in cats are caused by a form of herpes virus. I think 500mg is the max daily dose and I gave my cat 250mg twice a day while she had the URI.

On a second note, please look further into the metacam your vet prescribed. Metacam is NOT FDA approved for use in cats and even warns that it can cause kidney failure in them. I sadly know this from first-hand experience so I wanted to give you a heads up as I wish I had had at the time. There is even an entire website dedicated to educating others called metacamkills.com. Don't panic or anything, but please educate yourself on it and see if you can get your kitty on something else.

I hope your baby starts feeling better soon!

Kelli

Has the vet taken x-rays or anything? He just put her straight on Metacam? The first thing I would do, if that was my cat, is to stop that medication immediately. That is a medication that has killed a lot of cats... Does your cat have a proper diagnosis? Metacam has been related to numerous cases of kidney failure - I would urge you to go back to your vet and discuss another pain medication, and also a proper anti-inflammatory, if that is the case.

Sorry if this scares you, but it is serious... Here is a link with more information.

Now to the cold - yes, cats ca catch a cold URI (upper respiratory infection), in the majority of cases it is related to the feline herpes virus. It is estimated that over 75% of the cats have herpes, but not all of them develop the symptoms. In cats, the symptoms are usually of a cold, plus runny eyes...
Stress contribute greatly to flare ups, so yes, the trip to the vet, and the stress of daily medication can very well put a kitty into a flare.

A great thing for a kitty on a flare is Lysine, since you are in the UK, you get it in a health store (make sure it is pure L-Lysine), or from your vet. Lysine stops the Herpes virus on its tracks, and also increases the immune system.

All my cats take 500mg/day, and if there is a flare up, 1g/day. You can mix it on the water (if you buy 100% pure L-Lysine), or on the wet food, if you buy the one from the vet.

For now there is no need to hurry her to the vet, as long as she is eating, drinking and using the box. Check her snot and make sure it is clear - if green or yellow, that can be a sign of a secondary infection, in which case you will have to take her to the vet.

Steam baths are great to make her breath better - go to the bathroom with her, run the hot water, let it fill with steam, and stay there a while...
If you have a vaporizer, that is great too.

Good Luck!

^ I think that it is approved for cat use in the UK. It has it's place, but needs to be use sparingly. Talk to your vet, make your concerns known. Don't attempt to treat your cat with anything without talking to your vet first - no advice found here is meant to replace vet care, ever.

Make sure to keep an eye on her hyrdation, and as gross as this may sound, the color of her snot. Yellow or green nasal discharge is a sign of bacterial infection, and warrants antibiotics. As long as she's eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping all well, then I wouldn't be too concerned.

Metacam... now that is a very tricky subject. From the research I've done, as well as personal experience, metcam can cause renal failure if given during periods of low blood pressure. The kidneys then cannot process the meloxicam properly, thus creating kidney failure. If given during surgery or while under sedation/anesthesia, this is where the main problems have been seen. Giving metacam to an awake kitty is a different story.
Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of cats, even 3-4 month old kittens, for renal failure from receiving metacam injections, and I don't particuarily like the stuff anymore, however, the injections were given pre-op on sedated cats. In my experience, giving metacam orally has not caused renal insufficiency.

Good luck!

Okie

There are alternatives you can discuss with your vet for Metacam... You can get a different pain killer and a different anti-inflammatory.
IMO You shouldn't stop the medication on your own, but call your vet to replace it for something else, so your girl is not in pain, is being treated, and most of all, is safe.

Awww, they are beautiful!

Many times, stress can trigger an upper respiratory infection. For most cats, a trip to the vet is a very stressful experience, so it's not surprising Polly's come down with an URI. Also, the pain medication will make her sleepier than normal and may even cause her appetite to be off. Like Carolina mentioned, though, steaming her in the bathroom will help with the congestion. Also, if feeding her canned food, warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave or in a warm water bath (heat up the water, then place the bowl in the water to warm) will enhance the aroma of the food and entice her to eat.

I would second (or third) the opinion to discontinue using Metacam for the many side-effects, mainly the damage it can do to a cat's kidneys. There are many effective and much safer pain medications that can be used instead.

Thanks for the update. Its good to know that's she's doing better all around. As mentioned, stress can cause virus flare up so that's something you may want to look out for in the future with her.

It can be hard to tell on age. I can usually guess up to a year and a half fairly well, and tell if they're an older cat - though not how much older.

This is terrible that she took a bad turn. Make sure they keep an eye on her kidneys and make sure she's eating and drinks well.

Sorry to hear her leg is hurting her again. Hopefully, her doctor(s) can find out what's wrong with her and get her better!

Aging a pet is difficult. When they are young (usually up to a year old), you can tell fairly well judging by the development of permanent teeth and the uprooting of deciduous (baby) teeth. After that, you just have to judge by the tartar on the teeth, the aging of the eyes, the overall appearance, which can be swayed by pets who have had dentals or poor dental diets, pets who have chronic allergies and it affects their eyes, or pets who are in poor health or better than normal health. So, when a cat is aged with out knowing the actual birthday or if you've had her since she was at or less than a year old, it's really just a guess-timate, judged by the average cat.