Lower Respiratory Infection - Won't Eat...Advice?

I am a newbie to this forum and I hope that someone can give me some info about the length of time "most" adult cats bounce back from lower respiratory infections.  I have been taking my cat Milo (8 yr old), to the vet on a near weekly basis now for the past 7 weeks.  It started off when a stray kitten "adopted" us the first week of April.  I kept him away from my other 2 cats for 1 week before I introduced him to them.  I understand now that it wasn't  long enough.  By the end of the month, both of my previously very healthy cats developed upper respiratory infections brought on by the soon to be sneezing and watery eyed kitten; (he wasn't like that when we 1st got him). After a visit from the vet, 2 liquid antibiotics and an eye ointment Rx, my older cat of 14yrs got over it and is eating a normal diet but Milo is having a very hard time.  He didn't respond well to the same antibiotics and he also started throwing up a lot and didn't want to eat.  The vet hospitalized him last week and ran extensive blood, urine, and thyroid tests to rule out any fatal diseases he may have contracted from the kitten.  He tested negative for everything but his white blood count was abnormally high and he was running a fever.  She also said that the infection had went into his lungs so he had a lower respiratory infection. He was given iv fluids, force fed through a syringe, and given antibiotics.  I was able to take him home a few days ago with a Rx for Orbax and cans of A/D Hill diet formula to feed him with through a syringe 3 times a day.   

I am concern as I have never seen him this ill before.  He was so active and into everything before.  Now he just sleeps all day either under my bed or computer desk.  He has lost a great deal of weight and he walks very slowly, like he's in pain.  He absolutely hates to be fed with the syringe!  I have to water it down a lot because now he barely drinks water on his own and I don't want him to get dehydrated again.  He is still urinating in the litterbox but not as much as before.  The vet told me that right now it's just a "wait and see" time for him and to keep him separated from the other cats and to continue to give him the meds and force feed. 

I know that when I had the flu a few years ago, I could barely get out of the bed because of the pain and dizziness.  I remember the fever and not wanting to eat anything but sleep all day and it lasted for days. I did not really feel  100%"normal" again for almost two weeks.  Do you think cats feel the same way when they are sick? Is it ok to syringe feed a cat for more than a week? Do they make ibuprofen for cats to help with the fever and pain?  Has anyone had a cat that had this problem and if so how long did it take before they started feeling better? Sorry for all the questions.  I haven't been able to sleep or eat normally myself because I have been so worried.

As for the kitten...I took him to the vet last week for a checkup and found out that he was already neutered and microchipped. After a quick call to the microchip company, the owner was located and she told the vet that he was vaccinated for everything except he got lost after the first booster of the upper respiratory vaccination so he didn't get a chance to complete the other 2 series.  The owner also said that if the kitten had already bonded with us, then we could have him; much to the delight of my daughter.  The kitten, who we named "Wolowitz", was given a clean bill of health by our vet but as a precaution, was given an antibiotic injection because he still occasionally sneezes. Now, I just pray that the vet can give Milo a clean bill of health very soon as well. 

Thanks for any and all advice!

This sounds like what I went through with my RB kitty, Callie, when we adopted Hannah.  One thing that is probably contributing to the situation is stress, so I would recommend using either a Feliway diffuser or two, depending on the size of your house or Rescue Remedy.  Both of these are good for decreasing the stress in your home.

To get your kitty to eat, (a/d is very good for sick kitties and they usually love it)  add a bit of water to the wet food and warm in it the microwave for a few seconds to enhance the aroma.  You can also get a can of tuna, drain off the juice and freeze it in a baggie.  Lay the baggie on its side in the freezer so it freezes very thinly. Then, break the frozen juice up and put those tuna chips in the food.  They'll enhance the aroma of the food as they melt, too.  Also, if he's congested, steam him in the bathroom when you take your shower and any other time during the day you can do it.  Get the bathroom nice and steamy and then sit in the bathroom with him until the steam dissipates. 
 

I am also dealing with a cat off food. Has your vet done an ultrasound to see if there is something blocking his digestive tract?

As for the syringe feeding we have an expert on here Carolina who did a great thread on the topic (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating). You need to replace all of calories he would normally get and should aim for at least an entire can or more. 29 CC= 1 ounce so you really have to be feeding a lot. My vet gave me the wrong information on how much to feed so I just wanted to let you know you may need to do more feedings.

What has really helped my cat is Cyproheptadine which is an appetite stimulant and Cerenia for nausea- again thanks to Carolina!  Fortiflora is also great to attract them to food-it is kind of like kitty crack. He may not want his regular food but try giving him his favourite treats- right now my cat is eating mainly freeze dried chicken and temptations and we are supplementing with syringe feeding. He hates the syringe feeding too but we wrap him in a towel so it isn't too hard (wish I had a kitty bag like Carolina in the video).

Thanks for the info about the syringe feeding video.  I purchased some cat calm down spray that supposed to have pherones (I think that's how you spell it) after the kitten entered our lives and all heck broke loose between the cats.  I am going to spray it in the bedroom where Milo is convalescing before I start syringe feeding him this evening.  I will let you know if it makes a difference.  I wonder where I can get a cat bag???  I spoke to the vet this morning to let her know about Milo's weekend.  I don't know why she didn't straight up tell me this when I picked him up from the hospital on Friday but she said that he had septicemia and it could go either way for him right now.  My heart dropped to my stomach.  It is very important that I continue the supportive care for him and monitor him to make sure that he doesn't take a turn for the worse.  He still absolutely hates being force fed but he won't eat on his own.  He barely drinks and his urine output is almost nonexistent. The vet said that's to be expected.  Although he is only able to tolerate a 1/2 can a day of the canned food and he needs the full can, she said it was better than nothing. Hopefully he will allow me to give him a little more with each feeding.

  For some reason he likes laying in my bathtub.  He never did this before he became ill.  I guess he is still running a fever and the tub feels cool.  I lowered the a/c for him and I also keep the ceiling fan on for him. 

I wish that I could get a tube placed in him for feeding/hydration purposes but, unless it's to get a prescription for a new medication, taking him back to the hospital is no longer an option. I simply cannot afford the expense anymore.  The vet reluctantly left a prescription for pain for me to pick up for him; "buprenorphine".  After googling it, I can understand why.  Because of the side effects, I am going to wait a day or two to see if Milo snaps out of his depression before I get it.  Although it works very well for pain, it has a sedating effect that can make his depression worse and prolong his unwillingness to eat on his own.  I NEED him to start eating asap!    

I found wrapping my cat in a towel worked out fine, but the bag does look really good. Honestly Cyproheptadine  has been a godsend and it really does get them to eat- or at least with my cat it worked 24 hours after his first dose. 

I think that this may be the end.  Milo has not urinated for 24 hrs now and he is swollen.  He won't open his mouth for water or food and he can't walk no more than a foot or two before he lays down.  I cannot watch him suffer like this anymore.  I am taking him to the vet when it opens in 45 minutes.  I have been up with him for most of the night.  He jumped up into my bed before I went to sleep last night.  The first time he has done this since he became really ill.  He got really close to me and I petted him and as I was talking to him he looked up with those big eyes of his as if to say that " it was ok to let him go."  He knew I loved him and I have done everything that I could.  This is breaking my heart.  My teenage daughter is outside on the patio right now holding him and letting him enjoy watching the birds for the last time.  She is also devastated. This is so hard!

cardencal said:

I think that this may be the end.  Milo has not urinated for 24 hrs now and he is swollen.  He won't open his mouth for water or food and he can't walk no more than a foot or two before he lays down.  I cannot watch him suffer like this anymore.  I am taking him to the vet when it opens in 45 minutes.  I have been up with him for most of the night.  He jumped up into my bed before I went to sleep last night.  The first time he has done this since he became really ill.  He got really close to me and I petted him and as I was talking to him he looked up with those big eyes of his as if to say that " it was ok to let him go."  He knew I loved him and I have done everything that I could.  This is breaking my heart.  My teenage daughter is outside on the patio right now holding him and letting him enjoy watching the birds for the last time.  She is also devastated. This is so hard!

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I am so sorry! You really have done all you could and you gave him a great life. Praying for you guys!

I'm so sorry.

I am so glad I called a co-worker/friend this morning before I took Milo to the animal emergency room.  She suggested that I wait until our regular vet's office opens and see if there was anything else that could be done before I made a permanent decision in ending his life.  The vet that had been treating him wasn't in this morning so another person examined him.  He had a fever of 103 and was still lethargic. She said that he did not appear to have any neurological issues and that he was just weak from not getting enough nutrition.  As for him not urinating, he just isn't getting enough fluids. She told me that although she couldn't make any guarantees that going through the expense of having a feeding tube and iv tube inserted  would definitely cure him as he hasn't responded variably yet to anything that has been previously done, she told me that he can get the same benefits if I started giving him subcutaneous fluid injections twice a day and increase his feedings to every 4-6 hrs at home. She then demonstrated how to perform the injection procedure and how they syringe feed sick cats.  Suprisingly, Milo took it better than I expected.  She told me that I need to make sure that I am prepared to do this for the long haul as she had patients who required this kind of care for up to 3 months although each cat is different and Milo could bounce back in as little as a week or two.  Of course I am committed if this means we can keep our baby with us!!  I asked her about the appetite stimulants that was suggested here and she said to wait a few days before introducing him to anything else except tuna or salmon.

10 minutes after we came back from the vet, Milo used the litterbox. The fluid injection works. I was so happy.  He also was able to take in more food with the syringe this afternoon. For some reason, this really tires him out.  He took a two hour nap and when I opened my bedroom door to check on him, he trotted out into the kitchen!  He hasn't left my bedroom on his own since he got out of the hospital!  He is still very weak but this gives us hope that we made the right decision to give him another chance to get better.   Thanks for your prayers @"Frank's Mom."  God heard them and has given us some more time.  I just hope that it's not temporary.

Great update!  I hope all continues to go well with Milo and this is just the start of his recovery.

cardencal said:

I am so glad I called a co-worker/friend this morning before I took Milo to the animal emergency room.  She suggested that I wait until our regular vet's office opens and see if there was anything else that could be done before I made a permanent decision in ending his life.  The vet that had been treating him wasn't in this morning so another person examined him.  He had a fever of 103 and was still lethargic. She said that he did not appear to have any neurological issues and that he was just weak from not getting enough nutrition.  As for him not urinating, he just isn't getting enough fluids. She told me that although she couldn't make any guarantees that going through the expense of having a feeding tube and iv tube inserted  would definitely cure him as he hasn't responded variably yet to anything that has been previously done, she told me that he can get the same benefits if I started giving him subcutaneous fluid injections twice a day and increase his feedings to every 4-6 hrs at home. She then demonstrated how to perform the injection procedure and how they syringe feed sick cats.  Suprisingly, Milo took it better than I expected.  She told me that I need to make sure that I am prepared to do this for the long haul as she had patients who required this kind of care for up to 3 months although each cat is different and Milo could bounce back in as little as a week or two.  Of course I am committed if this means we can keep our baby with us!!  I asked her about the appetite stimulants that was suggested here and she said to wait a few days before introducing him to anything else except tuna or salmon.

10 minutes after we came back from the vet, Milo used the litterbox. The fluid injection works. I was so happy.  He also was able to take in more food with the syringe this afternoon. For some reason, this really tires him out.  He took a two hour nap and when I opened my bedroom door to check on him, he trotted out into the kitchen!  He hasn't left my bedroom on his own since he got out of the hospital!  He is still very weak but this gives us hope that we made the right decision to give him another chance to get better.   Thanks for your prayers @"Frank's Mom."  God heard them and has given us some more time.  I just hope that it's not temporary.

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So happy for you guys! I think this is all great news!!

If he still isn't eating for sure follow up with the vet about the cypro I can say it saved my cat- he is now eating normally again.

It saddens me to say that after the one good day that Milo had the other day, he took a sudden and rapid turn for the worst last night.  He got really swollen and his pupils were dilated and his breathing became labored.  I knew that he didn't have but a couple of hours left so there was no sense in taking him to the animal emergency room.  I wanted him to be at home with his family when his time came.  My daughter insisted that she wanted to be with him for his last night here with us.  I was too broken up to stay with him to the end.  I told him how much joy he had bought into our lives and that I loved him.  I stroked and kissed him goodbye and left the room.  My daughter made him a comfortable pallet on the floor of my room and she got her pillows and blanket to lay next to him as I laid on the couch praying that God wouldn't let him suffer for too much longer.  He answered my prayers.  Somehow Milo found the strength to leave my daughter's side as she fell asleep a few short hours later and wandered into my bathroom.  That's where I found him; before dawn this morning. The pain and suffering is over as he has now entered into eternal rest. 

A big part of me is relieved that he doesn't have to endure the trauma that was his life over the course of the past two months but a part of me is  also grieving terribly as I selfishly want him back.  I cannot stop crying! I didn't cry this much when my beloved grandmother died of Alzheimer's 10 yrs ago.  I believe that the other two cats know that their brother is gone.  They have been unusually quiet today and getting along well with each other.   

I don't know if there are any scripture verses in the Bible that indicate that animals will be in heaven but I sure do pray that God does allow us to reunite with our departed pets when it's our turn to walk through those pearly gates.

I am so very sorry to read this. I know how hard you fought for him. I am sure he knew how much he was loved. May Milo rest in peace.

Thank you.

I am so sorry to read this.  You fought so hard for him.  I'm so saddened for your loss. 
 

I'm so sorry for your loss. When you feel up to it, please consider posting a memorial thread in our Crossing the Bridge section.

With sadness, I will now close this thread. May Milo rest in peace.