new kitty not feeling well

So, I just returned from the trip to the vet with New Kitten (NK) and he has upper respiratory infection. He has some congestion, some puss and runny nose. Vet gave him Zithromax for 10 days. And 2 refills. So is the medication for a month or he just gave me extra? Also he said that since it is highly contagious, I may have to give it to Calvin, too, if he catches it.
Any advice on how to handle this?
Also this kitty has a heart murmur. Anyone have any experience with this? The vet suggested we get an ultrasound once he's doing a little better.
Please send some vibes for NK. He's such a sweetheart.

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.

darlili- Did you mean we should return him to his shelter? We are so in love with him, though. I don't know what kind of care he will get if we return him, though.
He is just the sweetest little thing, though.
I called his foster mom and told her what the vet said. She did not seem to know any of this was going on. I told her that we are getting him treated.
Really, are things that bad that we should return him?

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.

Originally Posted by stephanietx

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.

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Thanks. We got New Kitten yesteday but still not calling him by the obvious name that does with Calvin since we want to observe him some - though he's hiding under the bed.
Now worried about his health.
Called the cardiologist. Intial consult and testing will be about 500$. But we'll know for sure. I cried and called hubby and he feels that since NK's come to us, he'll stay with us. We'll treat the infection as of now and then think of seeing the cardiologist. It may be nothing and if it is something, my regular vet thinks that it will not be something that he'll survive. At least, he'll be with people who love him and get the best care we can afford, which will be more than what he'll get at the foster mom's place.

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

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

Thanks darlili and LDG. I was on the phone and did not see your posts and suggestions but it seems I did what the experts suggest. Thank God for TCS!
I think since he's Calvin's little kitty, we'll go ahead and call him Hobbes (not the best name but I can hope they'll be like Calvin and Hobbes - our favorite comic characters!)

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.

Originally Posted by LDG

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

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We always spoke of getting a Hobbes for Calvin and I think, knowing Calvin, that Hobbes will most likely be Hobbes-ish. We realized that we needed a name for the vet and decided to finalize it. However, if we see later that he's very different, we are open to changes.

Btw, Calvin was smelling my sweater sleeve and hissed at it. Should I just let him hiss and get used to the smell? That was that I wore when I took Hobbes to the vet and so I think he could smell Hobbes on me.

Also I Hobbes ate a little tuna. The vet suggested I perhaps try a little tuna, if all else fails. I had some tuna in water and poured a little water and tuna. He ignored it. Then after a while when I went back to the room and touched some tuna water to his nose and he licked it. Then he ate a bit
Am open to suggestions on stinky food. And what about baby food?

Thanks so much for sharing. He did not and I did not know about the grades or would have asked. I was talking to DH who is a physician in training, and he thinks that we may not get the correct grade now because of his infection and stress. One of the office managers looked up Hobbes's chart and said that the vet puts him in the middle of severity of murmurs. I think once the infection clears, we'll go to see the cardiologist. My one concern is that this may make it difficult for us to get insurance for Hobbes but the vet said that once we have the tests done, he can write a report and see what kind of insurance we can get for him.

Originally Posted by eilcon

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 (HCH), 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.

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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.

I dropped the prescription off and will go to pick it up - so I do not know the dosage off hand.
What is Lysine? Is that by prescription?
I guess we will need a probiotic. I know what happens to me if I do not take probiotics with antibiotics. What would I have done without all of you?
I you all

Originally Posted by stephanietx

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.

Click to expand...

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!

@ Kas: Aww - am glad she's OK. I was thinking of getting a syringe from petsmart when I go later today to get the little one some stinky fishy food. Baby food is something that Hobbes's foster mom suggested too. Will pick up some.

@stephanietx. It says .75 ml everyday for 10 days for the antibiotic.

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.