new kitty not feeling well

Oh poor NK, he is in my prayers.

What an adorable little cat. I hope he will be fine.

Oh, poor little guy - I keep think of him as NicKie, now. I think URI's are not uncommon in cats raised with a lot of other cats, and of course, like humans, stress can lead to some minor illnesses as well.

I think there are a number of folks here who have cats with heart murmurs. I think they can range from pretty minimal to something pretty bad, but I'm thinking vet must not be panicked yet, since he said bring him back later for an ultrasound - not, hmm, you should return NK to his shelter owner right this minute becuase he's definitely a sick little kitty.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

WOW! Did I miss something? I didn't know you'd gotten a new kitty! Congratulations!

It's very common for kitties from shelters to have URIs due to stress of being in an environment with lots of other kitties they can't see and because they've often been rescued from who knows what kind of environment. Then, you throw them in a new home with new people, new sounds, and new kitties and their little systems just go bonkers.

I'm impressed that the vet gave you Zithromax! That's quite powerful. What's the dosage and how often do you give it? Usually URIs are started off with something a bit less strong. I'm sure the refills are in case the first round doesn't clear up the infection completely.

Have you already started him on Lysine and a probiotic? Those 2 things, plus a vaporizer 24/7 and a feliway diffuser will help.

Sorry I wasn't clearer; a lot of shelters ask their adoptive parents to take the pet in for a vet check within the first three days (assuming you don't have another pet - then it's good, if possible, to do the vet check before going home). Anyway, the idea is if the independent vet finds something seriously wrong with the new pet, the adoptive parent can 'return' the new pet to the shelter for further care (we hope!) and the parent can get a 'new' pet in return. A lot of people simply won't deal with a new pet that's not absolutely perfect.

So, I'm thinking if your vet wasn't suggesting you return NK to the shelter before you got too involved, he may not feel there's anything horribly wrong that can't be remedied pretty easily.

I know if it were me, I'd be keeping NK - I wouldn't be sure he'd get the type of care I could get him. And certainly you can give him more attention that the shelter owner can. But, don't panic - both URIs and heart murmurs aren't incredibly rare - vets see them, and treat them.

You know, feel free to call the vet's office back (or email them) with a list of your questions...I know I totally forget all the care instructions because I'm so anxious while I'm at the vet. If this vet is good at all, and I'm sure she is, she or her staff will be happy to run down the care and med instructions again and answer your questions. I would just just a note to myself of all my questions first - just so I wouldn't forget or get sidetracked.

Has little NK eaten anything yet - of course, he probably can't smell much. With an adult, you can always try very smelly food (Friskies wet, plain chicken or lamb baby food without onion or garlic) just to get the old taste buds going again. Maybe check with the vet again and see what they recommend you offer NK.

A cold and a heart murmur? I don't think they're so bad you should return him. But we rescue directly from outside, and all of our kitties required medical care at first, so "fixing" kitties we adopt or foster is part of the process to me, and a commitment we willingly take on. Knowing where he came from, I can GUARANTEE he'll get the care he needs with you, and likely was already sick and obviously wasn't getting the care he needed where he was.

URIs and internal parasites in rescue kitties - from fosters or shelters - is pretty normal. Better fosters manage to avoid these. But he came from an overcrowded foster home.

Kitty heart murmurs are odd beasts. Many kitties have a murmur just from the stress of going to the vet, but don't actually have a heart murmur. I'm assuming that's why he wants you to bring him back at some point in the future to do further tests.

Some - like the murmur I have - are just little murmurs, and don't require anything at all. I don't even need to take antibiotics before going to the dentist. Some people with murmurs do. Again, like people, some murmers require treatment so they don't progress into bigger problems. I think Eileen has experience with this, I'll PM her and ask.

My GUESS is that he was stressed and sick, and it could well be the murmur goes away.

I wouldn't return him. I'd treat him. I would keep him separate from Calvin for at least the course of meds - you need to make sure he's A-OK first.

...and the 10 day treatment should do it, especially with zithromax. Keep a close eye on Calvin.

And yes, a humidifier in his room will really help. If you notice he's still got the runny nose, you may want to get the bathroom really steamy and then just sit in there with him for a little while.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Treat his URI. Then see if the vet still hears the murmur before you decide how to proceed.

In my experience, they either name themselves - or they grow into the name you choose.

I'm so sorry to hear your kitty isn't feeling well.

Did you vet happen to mention what grade the murmur is? Murmurs in cats are measured by grades from 1-6, with one being mild and six being the most severe. Some kittens are born with murmurs that they outgrow. Many cats with heart murmurs live normal, healthy lives, although a murmur can also be an indicator of an underlying heart condition.

I have two adult cats, 6 1/2 year old litter mates with grade 2 murmurs, who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease in which the walls of the heart become increasingly enlarged. Pete was diagnosed 5 years ago via a cardiac ultrasound after our vet detected a murmur on several occasions and xrays showed his heart is slightly enlarged. Last fall during a routine vet visit our vet also detected a murmur while examining his sister, Claire, who was also referred for an ultrasound. There's no cure for HCM, but the progress of the disease can be slowed or even halted with daily medication. That's been the case with Pete and Claire. Both are doing well for now.

I'll be sending lots of vibes for your kitty.

Yes, he just needs to eat. Fancy Feast usually is a good option for sick kitties. We also like to heat up chicken, or chicken babyfood. Cat food is best for him because he needs the nutrition - but above all, it's important he eat.

You may need to help clear his nose - as Stephanie suggested, get the bathroom good and steamy and sit in there for a few with him. If it doesn't make him nervous, leave the hot water running and steaming up the place. (Though my guess is the noise will make him nervous). If you've got a humidifier, you should consider moving it to his room for a week or so.

When our Abby quit eating and drinking during her URI, I took chicken baby food and diluted it so it could be sucked up by a syringe. Then I squirted it a little at a time into her cheek so she would have some sort of nourishment. I also fed her plain water that way. Two days of that and her antibiotic and she was eating again. I thought she was going to die on me. She is my shoulder kitty!

L-Lysine, it's a supplement, no prescription needed. The normal dose is 250-500mg daily, sprinkled on (wet) food. 500mg was too much for Chum, he's on 250mg, and because he's not sick, we use it every other day more as a preventative. But as Hobbes has an active URI, I'd probably give him 500mg (250mg in the am and 250mg in the pm) for a few days. If it causes diarrhea, cut it back to half that.

If you buy pills to crush, just make sure they're propylene glycol-free. The best, of course, is the powder, as it has no additives. 1/4 t is 550mg, so you can figure out how much to give from there. We buy NOW L-lysine powder (online).

L-lysine reduces the amount of arginine (another amino acid) in the body, and the arginine helps the herpes virus reproduce.

At the shelter where I volunteer, we warn people that their new cat may come down with a URI due to stress. It's very common, and easily dealt with in the vast majority of cases.

Congratulations on the adorable NK. I hope he's feeling better very soon.


Robin

Yes, and probably a good idea. With his issues with the stool though, I'd start him at 250mg and work your way up. Some kitties have no issue with it - but just be safe.

You can find Lysine in the supplement section of Wal-Mart, drug stores, or the health food store. I, too, buy the NOW 1-lb container of lysine. If you decide to go the powdered route 1/4t = 500 mg.

When do we get to see pics of Hobbes??

Hi There!

Congrats on your new kitten!!! The L-Lysine several members referred above, from now foods, is also the one I use, and I find it super easy to give - and cheap too... Here is the link for it: NOW Foods L-Lysine. All my cats are on it, no exception; they take it daily...
As for the murmur, I wouldn't get too impressed just yet. I think many of us have cats with murmur here, including me... What my vet did, which you might want to do before going to a cardiologist, saving you some $$$, is to do a chest x-ray first, in a couple of angles, at the your vet's office to see if Hobbes heart is enlarged. If it is not, then you take an x-ray periodically (once every few years or so... or follow up with an ultrasound when kitty is older) and just watch the behavior closely for changes - lethargy, hiding, etc. If the heart is enlarged, then your vet will send you to the cardiologist - this can be done relatively cheaply and easily, and will save you quite a bit of $$$.
Keep feeding your little baby, fancy feast is a good idea.... Warm it up a little on the microwave... Baby food is good too, as long as it has no garlic and no onions...

It's like having a new real baby!!! Isn't it. Sorry to hear Hobbes (cute name) is not feeling well. If it is viral the antibiotics won't help to much, but the L-Lysine will. I have a hard time finding the powder form of Lysine so THANK ALL for posting about where to get the powdered form and I am going to order some. YEAH no more pill crushing

Hope Hobbes likes the tent, all of my cats love to play in them and you can add more tents and attach them together. Great fun for them. When you dismantle the bed, just put little Hobbes in a carrier while you do it so as not to scare him. It will be better do get that bed on the floor for two reasons now. So he can't hide from you and also you can keep a closer eye on him now that he has a cold. Hope he feels better soon

I'm so happy for you that you got a new kitten! I'm sorry he's sick.

Call the vet. Do they have an after hours service? If not, find an emergency vet that does. Unfortunately, they'll tell you to bring him in (most likely).

I would say use the syringe to get some food into him... but not if he's continually retching. Is he coughing? Or retching?

Once you go over 48 hours, it gets harder to kick-start the eating, and you run the risk of hipadic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). This is far more a disease of older kitties or overweight kitties, but... you need him to eat. I don't want to scare you with a link to info about fatty liver disease, because he's not a high probability candidate for it - but not eating can be serious.

Also, I know you feel like you're torturing him. But nurturing a sick kitty in need creates a different kind of bond between you, and no matter how much he doesn't like this or that (or being medicated), he knows you're trying to help him.

Poor baby! Poor you! Poor DH!