Help!! I need some advice with Garfield's chest cold. Home remedies if possible! <3

Hi everyone- My furr baby's name is Garfield and he's 9 1/2 years old in human years and he acts exactly like the cartoon character in the movies.

Garfield is very congested and has a runny nose and discharge coming out of his right eye-

This has been going on for several days and just yesterday I've noticed that he is refusing to drink his water,

normally we just give him cold milk (2%) whenever he walks into the door because that's his choice of drink. When he wants ice water , he goes to the fridge & sits there by his water dish & meows & pushes the water dish with his paw toward whoever is opening the fridge.

I stopped giving him milk the day before yesterday because I'm afraid that he might get more congested.

I've been turning on the asthma machine and letting Garfield breathe in the vapors when it seems like he is having a much more difficult time breathing for a couple of minutes each time- It works every time.

** My question to all of you: Is it normal to see some blood in the eye boogie & nose boogie?

 P.S.  Both areas of discharge are only from the right side, not the left.

I know that with really bad chest congestions (colds) this sometimes happens in infants & children so I'm thinking that maybe this is the case with my Garfield.

signed - concerned furr baby's momma with no money for the vet

The blood is not a good sign. Neither is the not drinking if that is his norm. I really think he needs a vet visit. At a minimum I would keep him inside until he is better. It sounds like he is an indoor/outdoor kitty. When cats get sick, they tend to hide. If he hides outside and stops drinking and eating, you may never see him again, and you will not know what happened. I know this is worst case scenario, but it is typical behavior for cats who are sick. I don't mean to scare you, but please take precautions. Upper respiratory infections are tough because cats depend on their sense of smell. When they can't smell their food, they lose interest in eating, and a downward spiral begins.

Welcome to TCS!  I'm sorry it's under such a difficult situation, but that's how many of us landed here.  Since the eye boogers and nose boogers contain blood, I'm a bit concerned.  He most definitely needs to be seen by a vet.  Since you've already mentioned that you don't have the funds available, check out this thread for ideas to help you with vet expenses:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read   There's a lot of good advice there.

To help him in the meantime, try steaming him in the bathroom.  Get the bathroom nice and steamy, then sit in the bathroom with him until the steam dissipates.  This will help break up any congestion.  Wipe the eyes with a warm cloth which will help soothe the eye and get rid of the gunk.  It's absolutely imperative that he eat and drink.  Most likely, he's not eating because he can't smell the food.  Try adding a bit of water to canned food and warming up for a few minutes in the microwave or for a few minutes in a water bath.  This enhances the aroma and entices them to eat.  Elevate his food dish so he's not having to bend all the way over to the floor, too.  If he doesn't eat, you'll need to syringe feed him.  You can get a syringe at the pharmacy or at the feed store.  You don't need the needle part, just the syringe.  Water down canned food and slowly squirt it into the side of his mouth.  Be careful to not over do it at one time. 

Check for dehydration by pinching the skin at the back of the neck and pull it up gently like a teepee.  If it snaps back down, he's hydrated okay.  If it stays up like a teepee or goes down very slowly, he's dehydrated and needs to get to the vet ASAP, no matter what.  You can syringe feed him water and/or plain pedialyte to help with hydration.

It's not uncommon for a kitty to have discharge from only one eye or side of the nose.  I have a kitty who only has problems with her right eye.  Go figure!

@vball91- Garfield has been currently choosing to stay indoors on his favorite side of the couch only choosing to go outdoors when he needs to use the restroom. He still enjoys going for car rides & the occasional shopping cart ride through the pet section @ Wal-Mart. His appetite has become finicky since he's been feeling under the weather, only choosing to eat anything made with beef that has gravy on top of it. As for the water situation, Garfield has always favored milk over water & only chooses to drink water on those rare occasions when he somehow knows that we are giving him regular milk instead of 2%. I've been giving him non-flavored pedialyte water with a syringe 12cc every 3-4 hours. He's not showing signs of weakness but is sleeping a lot. Would it be ok if we start bringing him back into the bedrrom with AC so that he can sleep on his favorite bed or is it still too soon to let him back into the AC because of his congestion?

@ Stephanietx- Thank you for the info on checking to see if Garfield is fully hydrated or not. So far so good on the pedialyte & syringe action. As for the bathroom situation, when Garfield was a little guy he got bit by a full grown centipede that was about 8 in. long. "Traumatized"  till this very day every time he enters the bathroom. One of the down sides of living in Hawaii. The only other option I can think of is to keep letting him breathe in the vapors from our asthma machine when his breathing gets difficult.

You could get a human warm mist vaporizer and put it near where he sleeps.  Run it 24/7 to help him breathe, just like you would do with a congested baby.  I have also added some eucalyptus oil to the vaporizer as that helps open up nasal passages.  However, be very careful that your kitty doesn't ingest the oil as that's toxic.  Have you taken him to the vet or called the vet yet? 
 

Update on Garfield's status-

Since last check in, Garfield has gotten his appetite back, he's up to eating a large 3rd stage baby food jar in each feeding.

He seemed to be getting better but now his right eye has swollen shut & we no longer can see his eyeball.

The underside of both upper & lower lids on his right side are all that can be seen.

Last night we noticed that there's a lump above his right eye, this morning the lump has grown to above the bridge of his nose now.

The discharge from Garfield's eye doesn't have boogie's any more, now it looks like he's discharging watery blood.

Garfield's right nostril still has boogies nixed with some blood @ times.

His bowel movements are normal & he has clear urine... No blood in either one. 

Can I give him infants' ibuprofen?

I know that animals don't show their pain like humans & I want him to not have to feel any type of discomfort during this very bad bout of flu that he has.

Do you think that the Pedialyte could be the cause of Garfield's swollen forehead?

I'm going to ask the pharmacist on what type of congestion relief they have available for infants.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

And, as of yet, we still can't afford the vet.

They told me that to even have him seen & diagnosed, cash up front or credit card would be acceptable.

I asked to be billed & if I would be able to do a payment plan... NO was the answer.

Please don't give him any ibuprofen - it's toxic for cats. http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/ibuprofen/

****, ****, ****!!! Just got on our site & saw your message. I gave Garfield 0.625 ibupropen The least amount on the syringe. Gonna try & flush out his system with lots of water. be right back in 15 minutes

Have you tried another vet, or care credit?

No I haven't . I recently gave him ibuprofen but very little . Then I noticed that ibuprofen is poison to cats , now his stomach looks really bloated as if it's swelling from the inside . What should I do ?

Ok... phew!!! Garfield's stomach was bloated & rock hard when I went down stairs to see how he was doing.

Since Garfield just ate & had his water before giving him a small dose of the infamous poison ibuprofen (which I knew nothing about ) after flushing his system out with lots of water, it wasn't hard to make him throw up the medicine. I made him walk it out & massaged his stomach until it wasn't bloated any more.

*** As for the help from other vets on our island... Same answer as the rest of them-

NO MONEY OR CREDIT CARD... NO SERVICE.

As for our Humane Society- because they are in the red, staff & budget cuts have been at an all time high.

Swelling in Garfield's head has gone down 85% now & we can finally see some of the old Garfield coming around again.

We're hoping & praying that what they say is true about cats having 9 lives because to date Garfield has only used 2 so far.

THANK YOU FOR THE HEADS UP ON IBUPROFEN BEING TOXIC FOR CATS!!

Because of your quick response to my Garfield's dilemma, we were able to respond & help him before, before, well.. I don't want to even think about

any type of tragic scenario..

Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank You Very Much)

Garfield's Momma & family. <3

I am so relieved you think his system is clear of the Ibuprofen. He does sound like he's not very well and fighting off something really nasty.  Please do continue to keep a close eye on him in case anything changes, and keep up with the warm mist vaporization.    for Garfield to get better. I hate the thought that there is no way to get veterinary care unless someone can pay for it. We are so lucky in the UK to have a charity that provides veterinary clinics for animals who come in with people that can't pay costs- at least in the major cities.  

Have you read the '101 things that can harm your cat' post on this site?  I found it VERY informative when I first joined up!  Here's the link:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/174854/101-things-that-can-harm-your-cat

I had this cold thing when I brought home a cat from the humane soceity.Peanut Butter almost died.What worked for him was fish meds.It doesn't matter what kind of animal it is for its all the same meds. Cat, dog or fish.What you look for is the ingredents.Metronidazole worked the best. I still use that in their water when they look sickly.I sprinkle it in water. Not enough so they taste it, very little.I bought Amoxicillin on the internet. That worked too. The other one was easier to get and cheeper.Then I bought one of those Vicks plug in thngs. The one you use a pad. I think its just a pad warmer, really. That is replugged in when I here snuffing or sneezing. The cold did come back different times of the year. Hasn't yet this year. He is three now.

Here is the link to Care Credit for vet care.  You should apply and see if you qualify.  http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/   His eye really needs to be addressed by a vet, especially now that he's got a bloody discharge from it.
 

Let him rest keep him eating and hydrated mostly hydrated if neccicery take him to the vet let him rest lots forse feed him if he won't eat make shure he drinks lots of water

I want to thank all of you that posted comments regarding Garfield's care

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• garfieldsmom
• Sep 13, 2013

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         Rest In Love Garfield!!     
                     12/02/03 - 08/27/13
 

The only pet that could put fear into dogs & humans,
& sleep in the middle of the bed while we slept on the edge of it
or on the couch so that you wouldn't wake up. We miss you
so-o-o much but know that you're not suffering any more.

He died?

I am so sad to hear Garfield has lost his fight to stay with you and that he has crossed the RB. May he be running freely with all the other little cats there knowing how much you loved and cared for him. You did everything you could. My heart goes out to you.       ​

Garfield's flu took a turn for the worst.

Thank you for replying to my post with your kind suggestions on his care.

Heaven has a new best friend now... Aloha