Possible Upper Respiratory Infection(URI)

Hi,

Yesterday I took my neutered male 12 year old cat to the veterinarian because he was hoarse and not eating. The vet thought he might have a URI and prescribed amoxicillian and Pred Sm for his fever. With the exception of some sneezing before he became hoarse, he doesn't have watery eyes or a runny nose. I'm also giving him about 250 mg of Lysine a day.

This might play into it, so I'll share it - we just rescued a kitten on Memorial Day so that could have had something to do with it. Although, he was sneezing before she came along.

Next week we will be driving across the country to go back home, so I'd like him to be as healthy as possible for what is sure to be a stressful trip.

I'm interested in holistic medicine and from what I've read people are pretty divided about giving an antibiotic for a URI. I'd love to know what has worked in your experience. Thanks for the advice.

I'm thinking the stress of the new arrival has caused the illness. Stress can really do a number on humans and kitties alike.

I would up the dose to at least 500mg daily to begin with. Steam your kitty in the bathroom as frequently as possible. Just get the bathroom nice and steamy, take kitty in and close the door. Sit in the bathroom with the kitty until the steam dissipates. Be sure your kitty continues to eat, drink, and use the box normally.

Invest in a Feliway diffuser and spray. Use the diffuser where you can plug it in (home, hotel room) and the spray in the car. You can spray once a day. This will help decrease the stress level for your kitty.