Humidifier vs Vaporizer?? Help Dearly Needed for Congested Cat :(

My cat, who has feline herpes and has been having chronic chest congestion for months now is having a very bad spell with her breathing.  I have started syringing her Lysine gel last night.I plan to keep on with it today. The only thing that seems to give her some relief at the moment is steam treatments in the bathroom where I leave the hot shower running for 15 minutes, keeping the room steamy warm for at least a half hour or so.  She is still miserable tho and this only gives her temporary minor relief.  I don't think she's even sleeping much because she can't get comfortable.  She's had episodes like this before but I don't recall her having one that's been this bad. I think it's the cooler weather and the furnace recently being turned on that has triggered this latest nasty episode. 

Here's my problem: I can't keep running the shower all day. Yesterday I did it like 8 times for her.  This is the second time this morning now that i have it running.  I've been told that ideally a vaporizer, the old fashioned kind that uses heat, would be best to use for her but I don't have one of those!   I do, however, have a humidifier that uses cool water.  Would this be helpful?  We have company coming to the house tonight (a Halloween party) and I can't be keeping her in the bathroom all day.  I could put her in a quiet room, one of the guest rooms maybe, with the humidifier running..but would that be helpful?  or do I really need a vaporizer..  In the meantime, i definitely plan to be shopping for an actual vaporizer for her.

Well, I'm thinking about heading out to the store very soon and getting an inexpensive vaporizer...I see that Vicks makes one for under $20.  Might set her up in the small guest room with it along with litter pan, food and water.  It will be quieter in there for her anyhow for when company is here.

We use a humidifier for our kitties with herpes. It does seem to offer them some relief. We were advised NOT to use the kind that uses hot water since they can get burned by them. They are very active/curious kitties (2 yrs old) and definitely investigate all things around them. IMO, I definitely would not leave a kitty unsupervised around the hot water vaporizer.

Maybe you should bring your cat into your vets. It could be some sort of infection in her chest? Just to be safe..

well I had thought about that...the hot water danger, but the kind I'm looking to get is designed to be child friendly with a steam guard. I seriously doubt Twinkle would go anywhere near it anyhow with the way she is now, she has no energy to be curious, poor girl. She's drinking a little, but not eating, or at least not much.  Even on her good days she never was a playful curious type of cat.  I definitely plan on using my humidifier this winter, both for her and myself (the dry air really gets to me), but the way she is now, its warm steam that is helping her most.  I'm thinking it would be good to have both options on hand anyhow.

I had brought her to the vet during the last bad episode she had.  Vet listened carefully to her heart and lungs and then prescribed clavamox and suggested I get her on lysine.  The clavamox seemed to help a little but the congestion never did clear up.  I got the Lysine in gel form and was able to get her to lick it off my hand (she tends to be a hand licker) and within a few days it seemed she was improving.  But lately I haven't been able to get her to take the lysine, and so that's why I'm now syringing it, which I don't like having to do.

If it is truly just a "flare-up" of the herpes, have you tried doxycycline and Famcyclovir? Doxy is an antibiotic, Famcyclovir (Famvir) is an antiviral. This med combo works well for my cats. They also get 1-2 eye Meds as the herpes severely affects their eyes.

She's only ever been on the Clavamox.  And early on after I first got her she got Convenia a couple of times. The Convenia did seem to help her but there's a lot of controversy now about that med so I'm very hesitant to do it again.  Animals have a knack for knowing when to get sick.  This happens during a weekend, on a day when we're having a party.  Last year around this exact same time, during our last Halloween party, my other cat, Mauli, got very sick with a fever (was cleared up with Baytril)  Anyhow, I have the vaporizer set up and it's working and I'm getting the guest room all comfy for her. I do feel bad to isolate her in a room but she doesn't have much energy or interest in anything right now anyhow, and it will be more peaceful for her in there while company is here.  She's never had any trouble with her eyes. For her it's all been nasal congestion and lots of sneezing.  The chronic chest congestion started late last winter. Anyhow, fingers crossed she won't get any worse within this next day or so and I hope the lysine helps like it did before. I'm also worried about dehydration.  I have seen her at the water bowl a few times so I know she is drinking at least a little bit but I don't know how much.  Gonna be keeping a close eye on that.

You want a warm mist vaporizer, just like you use with a baby.  Also, she needs to be on the lysine daily to help control the herpes virus.  If you can do it, a grain free diet will help as well.

I put my cat in her cat carrier with the steam vaporizer right in front of the box.  I cover the sides with plastic bags and have a towel covering the vaporizer so the steam will go into the cage.  I have about 5 inches of the cage open so it wont get too hot.  I try on about 30 minutes and check frequently to make sure she is ok.  My question is, does anyone know if I can add anything to the vaporizer like herbs to help the treatment?  

Mrroberge,
I've read tons of medical articles that say herbs and essential oils are toxic to cats. They don't metabolize the same way humans do. This goes for breathing the herbs and oils as well.eucalyptus, lavendar, citrus and many more are all toxic to cats. Please humidify your cats without the ioils. No Vicks either...