My cats are lethargic,sneezing, and drooling.

I had my 4 cats neutered on the april 30th. They are indoor cats and have always been healthy until now. 2or 3 days after surgery Tiger started sneezing and acted like he wasnt feeling very well. Yesterday Littlebit started sneezing also. Now today Irving is sneezing. They all have runny noses and Littlebit is drooling today.

Im so worried about them and I dont have the money to take them to the vet right now because i am off with a back injury. I have been giving them Lysine once a day because someone I know gives this to her cat when he has a cold. I could use any help or suggestions. Thank you in advance.  My boys are rescued cats and I love them very much!

Did they also receive vaccines while being sterilized?

If they get any worse then they really should be looked at. Might be they picked something up at the vets!

It's not uncommon for cats to pick up a cold at the vet's office :/. Just make sure they keep eating and drinking. Make them special treats if you have to (chicken broth, cooked meat, etc.). If they seem congested, run a hot shower and let them sit in the steamy bathroom. Most colds pass in a week or so with supportive care.

If they at any point seem to be eating or drinking less, or seem to be getting worse not better, it's definitely time for a vet visit.

I think you could make a case given the timeline that they picked up the colds at the vet's and therefore it would be very nice if they also picked up the bill for treatment.

L-Lysine is only for one type of cold (feline herpes) and that isn't for treating it so much as to reduce the chances of it coming back as it tends to me chronic.

Your cats should be on meds to prevent a bacterial infection from taking hold in their lungs, again I would ask your vet to cover this.

They was just given a rabies shot.

Yes I agree. Im really worried. It was a SNAP mobile unit that did the procedure and they was around alot of cats that day. They are inside cats so that was the only time that they could have been exposed to anything.

Thank you for the input

Stephen I called the SNAP office 3 times today and finally someone called me back. I told her when they was neutered and when they got sick. Her response was that they couldnt help me. She said they only took care of well animals, and I needed to call another Vet. 

It could be a vaccine reaction, however seeing it in all 3 cats would not be typical. More than likely an upper respiratory infection.

And since it sounds like a low cost spay/neuter van, rather than a regular private clinic, you more than likely signed something during surgical consent that absolved them of any responsibility for loss or injury, and I have to say that I agree. It is part of the risk of using such a service. Their job is to sterilize as many animals as possible, and while I'd hope that they practice sterile techniques and proper kennel care, the work environment is much different from that of a private clinic. A private clinic offers more one on one care with the doctor, few animals, staff that can spend more time on attention to detail during cleaning, etc. This is not to say that a low cost clinic is inherently unsafe, but the bottom line is that more animals equals a greater chance of is disease outbreak. Period.

Also, upper respiratory infections are usually viral in nature, so running off for antibiotics may be futile anyway. They will most likely treat the symptoms, not the illness, and with some careful monitoring you can most likely pull them through a URI on your own.

Watch their temp, make sure they're drinking (or supplement with high moisture food - canned food or soaked kibble or boiled and shredded chicken with lots of the poaching liquid, etc), and be aware of signs of dehydration and shock so that you can intervene if necessary. Also, investing in a high calorie nutritional supplement like nutrical may be beneficial if their appetite is low.

Good luck. I'm sure they'll be ok. Just keep and eye on them. I have one cat who reacts to the rabies vaccine, and thankfully our county has switched to the 3 year vaccine schedule (and even then I won't re-vaccinate in 3 years... but that's a whole other topic), but the poor guy was pitiful after his rabies vax - sneezing and watery eyes, lethargic and diarrhea. It took a good 4-5 days for his poops to return to normal, so hang in there!

Highly likely it was contracted from another cat. It only takes one sneeze and the tiny droplets spray up to four feet away and in width. That's ALOT of area!

The most common is the herpevirus, 2nd is calicivirus. Both are big uri;s, and the large majority of cat upper respiratory infections ARE one of the 2.

They should have a policy in place that states the cat or kitten MUST have been vaccinated at least 5 days PRIOR to being spayed/neutered to prevent this occurrence.

It's crazy not to have them protected for a mass clinic like this.

It's actually no fault of the mobile clinic's they can't be held liable for unprotected cats, nor cats that might have something contagious.

Sorry, but it's true unfortunately.

They actually should all 3 be put on clavamox, which prevents any chance of it turning bacterial while the cat's immune system works to fight this virus off.

When it turns bacterial and they are NOT on antibiotics, their systems work so hard to fight the bacteria off that they never really seem to get rid of the virus symptoms. Immune systems are not strong enough to fight off virus and bacterial infection both together.

Just make sure they stay well hydrated or they will be quite ill and lethargic, then worse things can happen.

Try to find the money to take one cat in and ask for med for all 3. Most vets are fine doing this and keeps the cost down.

Oh!! Big props for getting them all fixed!! Good job!

Thank you so much for the input. If  I had been working I would have taken them to a regular Vet clinic, but when It was called to my attention that the SNAP mobile unit would be in town and it was only going to be $25 for 2 cats and it included the rabie vac. I decided to get them taken care of. I honestly never thought about the chances of complications because of this. Being a nurse myself I should have thought about that. I also feel very guilty that i put my babies through this because I wanted to save money. Guess I cant change it now, I just have to take care of them and get them over it. 

I totally agree with you, just wish I had been a little smarter about my choices. I still need to have my cocker spaniel fixed, and knowing what I know now I will do things differently with her. Thanks for your advice. I always had dogs through out the years until I took my Sophie found the boys. She attacked the same dog on 3 different occasions when it was carrying off these little kittens (the boys) We couldnt find the mother and they was in really bad shape. I bottle fed them and had planned to get rid of them when they was old enough, but I accidentally feel in love lol.  

Do NOT beat yourself up. Far worse could have happened keeping them in fact - fighting, straying, getting hit by a car, breeding, infections, more babies, SICK babies, you name it. I've used low cost clinics at times, and my vet (who I've even worked for) has been fine with it. I even had her review films from a LCC one time because I just couldn't afford their rates. The important thing is that you had them fixed.

I spring my female tuxy from AC&C with an upper respiratory infection. She too was post surgical, and only 2 pounds. She was an itty bitty thing. I kept her isolated and well hydrated, and gave her steam treatments with a hot shower running in the bathroom to help her breath. If they have trouble breathing it helps.

I have a question. Tiger and Littlebit have been drooling constantly and it looks like they keep their mouth open alot of the time. Is this normal for a cat with a upper respiratory problem? I have been trying to figure out if its because they have a sore throat, cant breath or both? It just looks so bad when they sit there with drool running out of their mouths. Last night I couldnt stop crying because im not use to seeing them like this. Im trying to figure out how to get them to a vet tomorrow.

I agree about not beating yourself up, gosh I would jump on an opportunity at that price too!! Who wouldn't?!

Lots of people out there don't realize about vaccines and how much they are really needed either, believe me, you are NOT the only one!

Be proud to the fact that you got them all fixed, we are very, very pro spay/neuter on this site!

It happens if a cat is stuffed up he won't be able to breath through his nose causing open mouth breathing.

The big issue with that is, when they can't smell, they won't eat. So it's very important if you see their appetites go down, to offer fragrant food like chicken only baby food, watered down 50/50 to ensure water intake since hydration is of the utmost importance. Warm it up in the micro, and it's irresistable to them. This will help get them through.

As for the noses, run a hot shower so the steam fills the bathroom well, close the shower curtain and put them in the bathroom for 15 minutes or so to help unclog.

There is also nasal spray called little noses, it's made for babies, is simply saline solution and can be used as often as needed. It's harmless, this helps too.

Just need to get some clavamox liquid from the vet for them. They will be fine, you're a good kitty mom

Hi,
In my experience ANY illness that involved the respiratory tract was BADNEWS.you see no matter if it involves the throat or not ,it's very uncomfortable ,if not painful.Makes them weak.in addition to that,a cat relies on smell to distinguish or not if their food is edible,spoiled etc.When you add that on top of being weak ,a cat can go down quick.Im so sorry for your babies.Do what ever you can to encourage them to eat like offering tuna fish or mackerel in he can.This has worked miracles getting some very finicky kittens to eat.The steam shower idea was a great way to help them breathe. ASAP,to the vet though if their fever comes on or if they get dehydrated.You've gotten so many great suggestions.Everybody is so helpful,and have some solid advice.My heart goes out to you and those lovely kittens .please hang in there you have a couple of sweeties that depend on you taking care of yourself as well..send prayers vibes and awful good thoughts for you and your fluffy dependants.

I just wanted to thank everyone here for your help with my boys. Tiger is doing much better today, hes actually purring today! Taz seems a little better but has a ways to go, and Little bit and Irving are still pretty sick. I do feel better about them pulling through since Tiger has bounced back. I have to say this whole ordeal has been really scarey for me. I have learned alot in the last 2 weeks. Beiyan thank you so much for all of the help you have given me. You are a angel! 

I hate to be a devil's advocate and PANTING IS A VERY BAD SIGN...is that what u mean when u say their mouths are open?

I also disagree on the "u signed it and it was low-cost so tough luck" comments

there are laws against that

whoever sponsored the van should put you in touch with the administrator who should know you are a nurse and expect them to be held to the same standards you would be for treating an uninsured person

JUST MY TWO CENTS

I NEVER said "tough luck", so if you're going to use quotations, use them correctly.

My point, however, remains the same, and anyone who has worked in a shelter or high turn over clinic will probably agree, and that is whenever there are high numbers of animals the risks for disease go up exponentially, and as such, most clinics have you sign something acknowledging such when you choose to use that service.