Cat colds....when to go to the vet?

I've got 4 cats, 3 of whom probably have one of the kitty cold viruses (herpes or calici) latent in their systems.  I'm usually pretty good at figuring out when a vet visit is necessary but am wanting to make sure I'm working on good assumptions.  (Our newest, Lucy, has a cold right now and I'm struggling with whether to take her in.)  All the cats get lysine and a healthy diet (some raw and some grain free canned.)

Here's my thinking (correct me if I'm wrong)....

*  Cat colds are viruses and will often resolve without a vet visit.

*  Vets prescribe antibiotics for a cat cold to ward off secondary bacterial infections (or treat those that have already developed.)

*  A vet visit is needed if the symptoms are especially severe or long lasting (I've read a normal cold can take 3 weeks to pass.) 

*  I work under the assumption that if the symptoms are mild and the cat is eating and playing okay, then I hold off on a vet visit.  In the case of a personality change (Leo hid under the bed during one cold) we visit the vet. 

Are these assumptions correct?  Lucy has her second cold since she we adopted her (she's 6 yrs old and been with us two months.)  She is eating fine and playful, just little bits of clear nasal discharge....lasting for a week now.  BUT, she has had a slight cough.  That worries me a bit more.  It looked like a hairball cough and someone did vomit a hairball (not a frequent thing with my cats...guessing it was Lucy.)  Hairball would make sense since Lucy just started grooming herself more (recovering from dental surgery for a mouth infection) and has been shedding a bunch lately (on a healthier diet, go figure.) 

Anyways, even after the hairball was vomited, I've seen the cough a few more times over the course of a week.  I know coughs can be serious.  But she seems to feel well and I sort of dread having the vet prescribe antibiotics again.  (She has been on 4 different antibiotics in the last few months...some for a URI and some related to the dental surgery.  And she is getting a probiotic now.)  Of course, if she needs antibiotics I'd want her to have them. 

I'd love any advice on whether it's time to head for the vet.  Thanks.

I would probably take her to the vet.  Are you giving your cats L-Lysine?  I know it sounds so simple, but since I started giving it, Silly has had no more flare-ups (taking out the infected eye probably helped a lot) and Julie's are milder.  S&S have shown no signs of herpes and Sheba is clear also.

Yeah, they are getting l-lysine.  Thanks.  I think it has saved us several vet visits because the colds are often mild enough to treat at home (or just wait for them to pass at home.)

I would take her in, especially with the cough.  She could possibly have asthma.  Of course, the cough could be a result of excessive drainage.  Something else I would suggest is to get a culture and sensitivity test of they nasal or eye discharge and have a culture and sensitivity test run on it.  That will tell you if you're dealing with a viral or bacterial infection and which antibiotic (if any) would most effectively treat it.  You might also ask the vet to run a PCR-URD test to see if she has herpes or some other persistent type of upper respiratory disease (URD). 

What are you feeding them?  How stressful is your home?  Do you notice these outbreaks happen after a change in schedule/routine or after you've had people over or anything unusual like that?  Do you run a feliway diffuser?  Stress is a big reason for upper respiratory outbreaks and since she's only been with you for a short period of time, it wouldn't surprise me that she's still stressed, to some degree, which is why these things are continuing to happen.  She could also have an underlying condition or infection that is rearing its head. 
 

We do run a feliway diffuser and don't have many guests over (the main cause of stress I notice for them.)  I keep trying to see if there is a link between stressful events and colds for them.  We put them through the most stressful event of all (boarding....three day trip for a family emergency) and nobody got sick.  Of course, a 4 cat home is inherently a bit stressful (that is why we run the feliway), even though they all get along well.

Yeah, the cough (though pretty slight and infrequent) is the biggest red flag for me too.  I'm figuring it could be just post-nasal drip (I'm guessing cats get that just like humans do?)  But I know coughs can be serious.  It was only twice that she has had a coughing episode (rhythmic and repeated...chin to the ground)...once before the hairball passed and once after.  Other than that I have heard just a few isolated one time hacks over the week. 

Really, we're lucky (or the lysine is really helping)....Leo and Eko get very mild flare ups.  Neither has ever had any congestion....just sneezes and Eko gets eye squintiness, sometimes eye discharge.

Yes, cats can get post nasal drip just like humans.  What about the weather there?  Is it changing?  She could be allergic or sensitive to something in the air.  You could try an antihistamine.  We give our Hannah kitty 1/8 to 1/4 of a 10mg loratadine (Claritin--NOT ClaritinD) once a day and it helps tremendously with her allergies, runny eyes, itchy ears, runny nose and sneezes. She also gets Lysine in her food twice daily.  However, you really want to rule out any underlying conditions and then work on keeping her healthy.  Are you feeding a grain free diet?
 

She gets raw food (balanced with taurine added....mostly from Hare Today, some Stella and Chewy's and Nature's Variety Instinct) and munches on a little grain free canned food from the other cats' bowls (the other cats eat 50% raw and 50% grain free canned.)  Allergies are a possiblility, I suppose, but since she lived in a shelter for two years I'm guessing URI.  We live in Lubbock and the outdoor allergens are nasty.  She's indoors, but I'm sure she still gets exposed some. 

The URI she had when we adopted (early August) her responded well to doxycycline (a 30 day course.)  Of course, time and good nutrition (and lysine) probably played a role in the recovery too.  They took chest x-rays at her first vet visit and there was just the slightest bit of inflammation at the top of her lungs (touch of bronchitis?....I think that is what the vet said...)  Otherwise, the vet was pleased with how her lungs looked at that time.

She did have severe stomatitis when we adopted her.  Most of her teeth were extracted in September (after she got over her URI.)  Her mouth is recovering...too soon to say if the stomatitis is "cured."  Both stomatitis and repeated URI's can be due to all sorts of viruses and bacteria, from what I've read, so some further testing might be useful.  (She is FeLV and FIV neg by the way.)  I appreciate you mentioning the specific tests that might be useful.

For stomatitis, you need to send a PM to Carolina.  Her kitty has stomatitis and she has lots of words of wisdom.

For stomatitis, you need to send a PM to Carolina. 

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Thanks.  I've been in touch with her.  I've corresponded with her vet some about possible long distance treatment (working with our vet here....5 hours away) if Lucy needs ongoing treatment after she is fully healed from the surgery.

Meanwhile, Lucy's URI symptoms are so mild right now.  I think she is improving.  I have a busy couple of days, so I probably wouldn't be able to take her in until Wed. unless it became very serious.  I'll re-evaluate then.