Upper respiratory infection or something else?

Hi, everybody. Maybe a week after we adopted Moyra and Gloria, one of Moyra's eyes was red and puffy. Gloria's eye was like that, too. We took Moyra to the vet and we were told it was an upper respiratory infection. The doctor got us some antibiotics, and after a week of giving both of them the meds, it went away. That was about a month ago. Recently, Moyra's eye got all red and puffy again. We had some eye ointment left over from the last time, so I have been putting it in her eye. It doesn't look like it's helping much. She has been sneezing a little, but I don't know how much sneezing is too much. I want to catch whatever this is before it gets worse. So, could this be URI again, or something different? Should I take them to the vet? What else could help?

 BTW, they are both 4 months.

It wouldn't surprise me if they have Feline herpes.  Are you giving lysine daily?  That might help.  Also, do these flare ups seem to happen when the weather changes?  It could be airborne allergies and you could try giving an antihistamine.
 

I hate to break this news to you but theres a huge chance it is infact the herpesvirus (rhinotracheitis) It's one of the top 2 upper respiratory infections and found commonly in shelters or high volume animal places. They are vaccinated against it but often have exposure before they get vaccinated, and can also have come from mom. It's VERY common. It sounds to me that you have not had these kids very long, they are still adjusting emotionally too, which will bring it on.

It's the R in the cat FVRCP vaccine. (FELINE VIRAL RHINOTRACHEITIS, CALICIVIRUS, PANLEUKOPENIA)

The bad news is, it is a recurring, lifelong virus. During times of stress, etc it will be an onset of symptoms, eye, sneezing, for the most part.

The good news is, as they grow up and become much stronger adults, many times/many cats will not or rarely pop up with this. It's not going to be a constant thing. Eventually it might pop up once a year, every couple or few even.

One big helper is making lysine part of their regular daily diet.

Please do some reading and research, it will help you understand this ugly sounding virus. Many, many cats start out the same way, or unvaccinated/homeless cats suffer from this often.

It's not so bad and will get so much better as they mature.

yes, it sounds like the herpes virus. your kitties need a lysine supplement daily. also, seeing the vet again for the infected eye is important. if left untreated, it could become ulcerated. not to scare you, just to help you and your babies...

jlc20m

I have a herpes kitty and I can tell you from my own experience that there is A LOT you can do to improve the health of your kitties so they can fight off future flare ups.  Don't be discouraged if you find out they (or 1) have herpes.  It is a life-long disease, but your kitties can live perfectly normal lives.
 

I took Moyra to the vet yesterday. The doctor said it was a mild case of a URI, but if Moyra doesn't get better within the week of giving her the antibiotics, it's possible she could have herpes. She gave us Clavamox and a tube of lysine for Mo. I started giving her the meds today, so I'll see how she's doing within a week. Thanks everyone for the answers!!!

Hi there. I've got a cat with rhinitis (spelling?), Mia, a little siamese.  At times it can be pretty bad then she can go weeks feeling pretty good, but she always always sneezes and its messy too. I've learned to live with wiping cat boogers off everything, lol  She's 8 months old now, has had it for 3 months and goes longer between bad/good days now. I give her the L-Lysine supplement, use pediatric nose drops to keep her nostrils moist, and right now give her a nebulizer treatment once a day. The nebulizer is great for her. During a treatment she sneezes alot and gets that discharge out of her nose. I'm hoping she'll "outgrow" it but who knows. Either way, we deal with it and I'll do all I can for her to be comfortable