Sick kitty

Hi, I have a ginger male kitty I have been taking care of for a couple of years. I call him Gold Kitty. He woul let my husband and I pet him but not pick him up. The one time we tried to bring him in he jumped at my windows and tore up my curtain. He became listless and coughing. On Monday he wouldn't come out of his winter shelter. We picked up the shelter and bought it in to our basement. Gold Kitty still wouldn't Come out so we took the lid off and took him to the vet. Vet says he has an upper. Respiratory infection and gave us antibotics. Gold Kitty seemed to be getting better but now doesn't wantto eat. He is still in the basement and we are wondering if he might want back outside. Not what we want with the cold but he seems down. Another trip to the. Vet is not in the books. Cost to much we already spent almost $300 on this treatment and with hubby out of work we just can't afford any more. Sorry for writing a book but would appreciate any advise.

Hi Steelewolsy, I have a ginger male too - they are such great cats thanks for taking care of your Gold Kitty.    It would help to have more details.   How long has he been on antibiotics, what kind are they, and how much more is left for his treatment?    A URI often stops up their kitty noses so they can't smell their food so the appetite can be very low - try to offer him strong smelling food.    At this point I would not put him back outside as it is still a bit soon - even if he got a convenia shot you could still give it a full seven days to work on him.

Hi.  Thank you so much for caring for Gold Kitty. It sounds like he would be very sick by now if you hadn't taken care of him and got him to the vet quickly.   I agree you should try to keep him in just now, and it is really important you try to get him to eat something.  Strong smelling foods are a great idea from Bastfriend.  He may well not smell his food because of the infection, and then if he hasn't eaten for a bit he can start to feel nauseous and that puts him off even more.  Do you or your vet have any idea of how old this cat might be?  There are more risks for older cats if they loose weight quickly and have stopped eating as it causes other problems with their liver.  If you can't get him to eat anything and you think he is loosing weight it would be worth phoning your vet to talk through with them what you might be able to do: it is easier if you have a cat you can handle.

Hopefully more of the people regularly caring for stays and ferals will see your post over the next few hours and  know more about this kind of situation to give you more idea of anything you can do.  You are doing your best  and noone can ask for more than that.  

Gold Kitty is taking 2.5 ml of anitrobe aqua drops once a day. He did get a shot at the vet on Monday night but I am not sure what it was ( our vet is East Indian with a thick accent and is some times hard to understand). The vet did not say how old the cat was - will ask today we are going over to pick up more medicine today for gold kitty. He is drinking and was eating after he started the medicine but last night he did not eat good. This morning he more or less licked the gravy from the food (feeding him purrfectly chicken and fish by whiskas because they are his favorite food. He also has some dry whiskas to eat.). He did drink water and there was poo and clumps of pee in the litter box. He was looking lively until yesterday afternoon. I am getting worried. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. We can keep him inside in the basement but he does need to stay there because we have two indoor kiddies and I don't want him around them while sick. Especially our one cat Lear is a senior cat with some health issues of her own.

Hi, I'm glad  you're managing to get the medication in to him.  That is a big achievement.  He's taken a little food and still peeing and pooping which is something positive too.  I agree it is worrying and I want you to get the advice and support you need.  I've asked if any of the other advisors have more experience, esp with him being a rescue and not used to being inside with you.  

I'm thinking of you guys and hope the medication starts to get him feeling better and he picks up soon.  

Good he is inside, you took him inside. He needs it.  He is not "down under the weather" because he is depressed being inside, but it´s because he is very sick...

A big plus with this situation is, when they are very sick and gets help, the window of easy fostering opens again.

If he makes through this,  he will be fostered and socialized very easy and surprisingly quickly.  Much quicker than otherwise.

It is good you do have him isolated, by several reasons, so dont have bad conscience you dont have him in your own flat.  the basement is surely fine and he is unstressed there.  As long it is good air and warm in there, that is...

You got good advices how to give him better appetite.

My addition, is, you must be prepared to forcefeed him, if he doesnt eats or drinks.

For example, the food mixed in with much water.  Or watered down wet canned food...

Little at a time but often.

Get a dosage injector in plast from the vet.  Or use a dropper.  Or even a tea spoon or drinking straw - depending.

In the side of the mouth, NOT down into the throat.

Can you get hold on goat milk?  Very nourishing and healthsome.

a raw egg yolk in it adds nourishment (if you dont have problems with salomonella in eggs in your country)

Good luck!

ps. If he  struggles against the medication or forcefeeding, you can wrap him up in a soft, thick towel.  Wrapped up, and being warm and comfortable in there, he ceases resistance and let things happen.

Much better than wrestling down, or holding by sheer force  - THIS may cause protests later.

Ps2.   I want to repeat so it is even more clear.

You must be sure he is warm.  Sick people are always freezing, no?  Actively warming up is mandatory for small kittens, but also sick  adults must be warm.  Having them in a warm cat bed is not always enough.

And water.  The danger of dehydration is higher with sick cats, and it is often the first the vet must do,  give them injections with suitable fluids...

So keep him watered up,  good with a homemade pedialyte or even bough pedialyte.

Or watered down wet food...

And not stressed, but being in this basement he has it probably the very best solution as now.

Good luck!

Steelewolsey said:

Gold Kitty is taking 2.5 ml of anitrobe aqua drops once a day. He did get a shot at the vet on Monday night but I am not sure what it was ( our vet is East Indian with a thick accent and is some times hard to understand). The vet did not say how old the cat was - will ask today we are going over to pick up more medicine today for gold kitty. He is drinking and was eating after he started the medicine but last night he did not eat good. This morning he more or less licked the gravy from the food (feeding him purrfectly chicken and fish by whiskas because they are his favorite food. He also has some dry whiskas to eat.). He did drink water and there was poo and clumps of pee in the litter box. He was looking lively until yesterday afternoon. I am getting worried. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. We can keep him inside in the basement but he does need to stay there because we have two indoor kiddies and I don't want him around them while sick. Especially our one cat Lear is a senior cat with some health issues of her own.

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 It would be good if you can find out whether he got a Convenia injection or not.    That is a long acting antibiotic shot.    The antirobe aqua drops are clindamycin.   It is a good strong antibiotic, but it tastes horrible and can potentially cause severe diarrhea.    If Gold Kitty appears to decline and has not had Convenia, I would suggest switching him over to amoxicillin (not clavamox which is harder on the stomach) - I've had the best luck with it overall.    And of course it's not like we are free agents, we've got to get the vet to go along with these things!     But still if he's still eating some and going in the box that is a good sign - I wouldn't panic as long as that keeps going on and there's no diarrhea.    Healing vibes for Gold Kitty

Yes, he actually sounds like he's settled in.  Using the potty is great for a cat who has been outside and used to using dirt or leaves.  Feed him really smelly food, small meals four or five times a day.  Like Stephan said, goat's milk is good or you could get kitten replacement milk (its called KMR here in the states).  There is also a nutritional product for older cats, a  liquid, packed with vitamins and nutrients.  He may prefer lapping that up instead of eating.

Good luck and bless you for caring for him.  Oh - and very smart to keep him from interacting with your other cats.

Thank you for taking in this cat.  You have gotten excellent advise.

Smelly food, warmth (heating pad set on low--monitor closely though).

Regarding medication:  you could ask the vet to write you a prescription for the drug, generic form, and take it to your regular pharmacist.  Probably will be less expensive than at a vet.  And ask the pharmacist if they can flavor the medication (Ritz likes bubblegum flavor!), Gold Kitty might have an easier time swallowing it.

Keep us posted.  Vibes...

If you have one, run a vaporizer near where he sleeps.  This will help break up the congestion and help him breathe better.  If you don't have a vaporizer, you can steam him in the bathroom.  Get the bathroom nice and steamy and then take him in there with you.  Sit with him until the steam dissipates.

Warm his food up in the microwave.  Not for too long, but a few seconds to enhance the aroma.  You can also heat up a bowl of water, then set the bowl in the water for a couple of minutes.  If you notice him starting to eat, but then he stops to lift his head due to drainage, try elevating his bowl on a couple of books so he doesn't have to bend down as far and the snot won't drain out his nose.  You can add some plain meat baby food (no onions, no garlic), preferably chicken or turkey.  Also, you can add a bit of tuna juice to the mix to entice him to eat.  Bonito flakes work well, too, as a ploy to get a kitty to eat.

Be sure he's nice and warm.  You can put some dry rice in a sock and tie off the top.  Warm the sock in the microwave, but don't get it too hot, then place it next to him to help him warm up.  Sometimes, I wrap my rice sock in a hand towel or wash cloth, just to keep it from getting too warm next to the kitty initially.

Unfortunately, it takes a lot of TLC, time, and patience for the medications to work and for his body to start healing itself.  It's hard to wait and somewhat disheartening when you don't think the kitty is improving as fast as you'd like.  Been there, done that!  So, celebrate the small things like using the box, grooming himself, eating a bit on his own, eyes looking more alert, and things like that to gauge his recovery.  I know this is easier said than done, too, but try not to stress out too much about his illness.  He'll pick up on that stress and that will aggravate everything and can possibly hinder his recovery time. 

You're doing a great job and you've already gotten a lot of help.  Keep us posted on his progress!

I am also wondering if it was a covenia shot he was given. Although normally, since the shot is good for 14 days the vet would not have him on clindamycin at the same time.

He may have been given the 24 hour )I believe) antibiotic shot just to get his system a good hit of meds.

One thing I thought about here.

You mentioned that he seemed to be getting better but now is acting soprt of depressed, well here is a theory...

Whenever I take in a feral cat I have trapped because he needs help/medication to get well, it very often happens that, when they are more sick they are more easily handled, more accepting to where he is being kept, and so on.

Theeen as the cat starts feeling better, it starts to change, "I am NOT going to cooperate,  it is NOT okay to hold me captive, I do NOT like this lonely basement, I do NOT want that food, I want to go back home". (where they consider home) which for your guy is outdoors. They eat less, and seem depressed until I complete the meds and turn them loose again.

Maybe this is a possibility???

Stefan Z hit the nail on the head, you may have to force feed him. He has to have water , male cats can get urinary stones. He's pooping and peeing ok?

Antibiotics ruin MY appetite, and I'm not a stressed out kitty wondering why the sky suddenly has become 7 feet high and dark. Poor kitty. You're doing the right thing, but it's going to take time. A lot of good advice here.

Oh, when my kitty had to take antibiotics (clavamox, poor boy), they gave me some kind of dry powder to help regulate his intestinal flora-- Fortiflora?? I had to mix it with water and give via syringe, and it helped.

Good luck, and god bless!!

sillywabbit said:

Oh, when my kitty had to take antibiotics (clavamox, poor boy), they gave me some kind of dry powder to help regulate his intestinal flora-- Fortiflora?? I had to mix it with water and give via syringe, and it helped.

 

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The word you seek is probiotic where Fortiflora is one brand made for animal - yes, they are often useful as addition when given antibiotics.

Many cats and humans gets diarrhea from antibiotics (antibiotic kills the mean bacterias, but they also damage many of the good bacterias in the bowels).  So some sort of probiotic is nice and good.  Human probiotic are also OK,

Even common, plain youghurt is useful as a basic probiotic, especielly if it contains Acidofilus and Bifido-bacterias added as extra.

I didnt mentioned it as he didnt seems to have these rare / diarrheatic poo problems, but yes, I do second this proposal from SillyWabbit..

Such a youghurt as mentioned above is by itself  food.

Good luck!

One of my indoor cats has had 2 very serious URI infections.  Both times I was sure he wasn't going to make it.  The key is really smelly warm food.  The vet can even sell you some that is specific for ill cats.  Yet, canned smelly wet food is just fine too.  I would offer very small portions many times a day.  You could even try getting him to eat it off a spoon.  We ran a vaporizer too.  We had a soft ended syringe too that we used to hydrate him with water.  He didn't like it, but it was necessary.  It took almost 10 days for him to feel better.  He didn't eat for 3 days and then began to eat small amounts.  He is fine today, but the URI infections can be scary. 

I just love the name Gold Kitty.  I had a Ginger tom appear to me last December.  I called him Orange Kitty for 4 months until I changed his name to Marvin.  He now lives inside our house and is very sweet.

Wanted to thank everyone for all the advise and encouragement. Gold kitty did not make. We tried force feeding and got special food from the vet, but he just got weaker and weaker. He passed away this morning. At this point our vet thinks there may have been more wrong than uri. I will miss him very much. I am glad I was able to help him survive the last couple of years, and I hope I eased he last days.

   I am so sad to hear you have lost Gold Kitty, but what a blessing for him that you were there for him all this time, knew when he was very sick, and brought him in to shelter and cared for him.  I am sure his life was longer and more comfortable for all of your efforts, and while you worried about his looking unhappy his apprearance was a symptom of how sick he was, not that he was sad to be inside with you.  He was ill and he was in the best place he could be, with people around him who gave him everything they could, and showed him love when no one else did.  My heart goes out to you.    

Sorry to hear. We are going through our own battle right now. Our 4 year old "Boots" hadn't been eating or drinking and was lathargic. He is at the vet now and reportedly showing progress. We tried what we could but knew he needed more attention it was getting bad fast. Waiting is so hard, especially for my 11 year old who sleeps with him daily.

So sorry to hear this news.  RIP Gold Kitty...

He was very lucky to have had you help him through this ...

I am so very very sad to hear of Gold Kitty's passing.  You will be in my thoughts.  You made his final days peaceful and special for him.  Thank you so much for caring for him and giving him a better life.