New kitty has upper respiratory infection

Hi, all. This is my first post here and I was hoping to get some reassurance on a situation going on with my new kitten.

I adopted a 5 1/2 month old kitten from the Humane Society 11 days ago and noticed that his eyes were drainy/gunky. The woman I was working with told me he probably had an upper respiratory infection, but I loved him to death so I still adopted him. I took him to the vet immediately, who agreed with the original woman and gave me Clavamix (antibiotic), Erythromycin (eye ointment), and Viralys (for the virus, I guess?). The first two were to be used for 7 days and the 3rd for 30. After about 5 days he seemed to be getting better, but on the 6th day I moved to a new apartment. Since then he's been very congested (he was wheezing a little bit earlier and I can hear him breathing most of the time) and his eyes have been draining about 3 times as much as before.

His appetite is still good and he's more energetic than before. His medical history says he's had a URI before and got better in about week, but he just seems so sick. I'm worried that the stress of moving made it really bad. Should I be worried and take him to the vet again? Or should I wait it out a few more days?

Edit to add:
Here's a picture of my pretty boy

Your baby is GORGEOUS!

More than likely it was a flair up due to the stress of the move and it'll probably go away on it's own, however, that being said, keep a close eye on him and if his behavior/eating habits change, then get him back to the vet. You may want to even call your vet and see what they think, but a lot of times URI's just need to clear up on their own and kitties can be OVER medicated. Good luck!

The fact that the symptoms increased with the move makes me thing he has the herpes virus. Stress can bring it out.

Keep on with the viralys. How much are you giving? He should be on 500 mg of l-lysine a day.

Or even get a more pure form of l-lysine.

The l-lysine will control the herpes (not cure). I would get the pure l-lysine and give it to him every day in his food. Much more cost effective.

YOur boy is so beautiful! What's his name?

Welcome to TCS and thank you for adopting from a shelter!

Just chiming in to say he's absolutely beautiful - and, if your vet is like mine, never fear just calling in to ask for advice - especially in view of moving to the new place. If nothing else, you'll feel more at ease, and if your practice isn't nice about questions, you'll know it's time to start shopping around a bit for a new one!

Bless you for adopting.

Welcome to TCS! You have a gorgeous little boy there and I'm so glad he has you to care for him.

Five years ago, I adopted a cat who had an URI that took forever to clear up. We did later find out that she has herpes. She is now a happy, sassy 5.5 year old who rules the roost at this house!

To help with the congestion, do what you would do for a human with a severe head cold. Run a vaporizer 24/7 to help break up the congestion and breathe better. If you don't have a vaporizer, get your bathroom nice and steamy, take him in there and close the door (you can do this while you shower). Let him stay in there until the steam dissipates, about 20-30 minutes. The wheezing does concern me, though, since that indicates that there's stuff in the lungs, so you may want to take him back to the vet to be sure the lungs are clear. I'd hate for him to develop pneumonia (been there, done that, not fun!).

You may also want to elevate his food dish so he'll eat better if he's not eating well now. If he has lots of drainage, when he bends over to eat, the drainage will run down his nose and he'll not want to eat. It's important for him to keep eating. You can also warm up his wet food for about 7-10 seconds in the microwave or in a water bath (put the dish in a pan of hot water) for a couple of minutes. This will enhance the aroma and entice him to eat.

You may also want to get a feliway diffuser to help lower the stress level.

Keep us posted!

Originally Posted by otto

The fact that the symptoms increased with the move makes me thing he has the herpes virus. Stress can bring it out.

Keep on with the viralys. How much are you giving? He should be on 500 mg of l-lysine a day.

Or even get a more pure form of l-lysine.

The l-lysine will control the herpes (not cure). I would get the pure l-lysine and give it to him every day in his food. Much more cost effective.

YOur boy is so beautiful! What's his name?

Welcome to TCS and thank you for adopting from a shelter!

Click to expand...

His name is Salvatore. He's pretty cute.

He's getting .65ml of Viralys gel twice a day. Giving it to him isn't really a problem. He enjoys it much more than the Clavamix and doesn't put up a fight.

I didn't actually hear him wheezing. Someone else told me about it when I wasn't around. Since his breathing has been audible due to the stuffy nose, I'm not sure how much I believe her. Sometimes he does a big breath/sigh so it can sound like a wheeze. I would think if he was, it would come out when we were playing and he runs around, but I haven't heard anything.

I'll keep an eye on him for the next few days. Hopefully everything clears up soon.

How's Salvatore doing today?

His eyes are still draining, but it seems like the amount is way less. It just looks like his eyelids are swollen, which I'm kind of concerned about. His energy is still high and he's still eating. He's still congested, but it sounds like slightly less so than before. I really hope he gets better soon. I don't know when I should start being concerned.

Is he vaccinated? 90% of kitty colds are caused by the feline herpesvirus and the calici virus. In kittens (young ones with weak immune systems) it can be fatal. I would start giving this kitten some powdered vitamin c to help bump up the immune system. If the drainage in the nose is severe, you can buy a baby bulb syringe and start clearing up the sinuses a few times a day. Is he walking okay? Are there sores in his mouth especially under the tongue? Are you monitoring the temperature? You can also get some saline drops and put that in his nose- warm up his food because if he can't smell it, he won't eat. Push push fluids and watch him for signs of dehydration.

I just recently lost some beautiful kittens to the calici virus as it had mutated. The kittens were younger though and at a greater risk than a 5 month old kitten would be. Amino acid l-lysine will help, just be sure that there is no propolenye glycol in it as that is the same thing they use to make anti freeze. Buy it a health food store and be sure it is in its purest form. Also be sure you keep him away from other cats and wash your hands after you have had contact with him if you have other cats. The stuff is tricky and it spreads quickly.

Originally Posted by hissy

Is he vaccinated?

Click to expand...

No.

If the drainage in the nose is severe, you can buy a baby bulb syringe and start clearing up the sinuses a few times a day.

Click to expand...

His nose isn't draining at all. He's just a little stuffy. It's his eyes that are the main problem.

Is he walking okay? Are there sores in his mouth especially under the tongue? Are you monitoring the temperature?

Click to expand...

Yes, no, yes.

You can also get some saline drops and put that in his nose- warm up his food because if he can't smell it, he won't eat. Push push fluids and watch him for signs of dehydration.

Click to expand...

He's eating and drinking a ton. In the last 2 weeks he's visibly put on weight (was a little bony before).

I just recently lost some beautiful kittens to the calici virus as it had mutated. The kittens were younger though and at a greater risk than a 5 month old kitten would be. Amino acid l-lysine will help, just be sure that there is no propolenye glycol in it as that is the same thing they use to make anti freeze. Buy it a health food store and be sure it is in its purest form. Also be sure you keep him away from other cats and wash your hands after you have had contact with him if you have other cats. The stuff is tricky and it spreads quickly.

Click to expand...

I'm so sorry to hear about your babies!
I just reviewed his medical records and his last URI lasted 20 days, so I guess slow recovery isn't out of the norm for him. His l-lysine was from the vet's office. There's no label with ingredients, but I'm going to assume there are no unnecessary additives.

Thanks for your input.

Don't forget you can steam him in the bathroom to help cut down on the congestion. Is the eye discharge colored (yellow, green, or some combination) or is it clear?