2 new kittens now my 13 yr old cat got sick

Hi, All,

I recently lost one of my cats to renal failure, and his companion, my cat, Lola, has always been with him for company. I'm gone 10 hours a day due to a very long commute. She's a goodnatured cat, so I decided a couple of older kittens would be good, and they'd have each other to play with, if Lola wasn't into playing a ton. (But, she's very active and loves to run and play.)

She accepted them, I had them separate, intros through a baby gate. a week after they're all out, she stops eating much, then at all. 3 vet trips later, and they admitted her for syringe feeding and fluids and antibiotics as she had some mucus nasal discharge. she's prone to respiratory things, and will all the changes recently, plus she just got a dental cleaning done, maybe her immune system was depressed.

she's home now, she's been eating too-special critical care food -and i hope she keeps getting better. I was told to separate her from the new kittens until her recheck in two weeks.

Does this all sound like it happens frequently with new cats coming in? the kittens were at a very clean no kill shelter.

I'm going to ask my vet about the L-lysine, and if the two kittens should come in and maybe get on antibiotics too-he's a little sneezy.

They had a cold type thing back in March/April which the shelter said was stubborn but maybe they're still carrying it?

Thoughts?

From my understanding, your kittens probably have an URI or herpes virus. The latter affects the majority of cats, unfortunately. Your vet will probably prescribe an antibiotic, but if it's due to a virus, the antibiotic may not do much. L-lyine is safe, as it is an amino acid and any over-ingestion will be expelled out with their urine. It also does increase their immune function, so I'd buy a large bottle of 500 mgs, and give your adult cat either one capsule  (dump out contents) into her wet food once a day, or half the contents (250 mg) capsule in each feeding (twice a day). Kittens can also get 250 mgs per day in their wet food. Keep some in stock for future use may also be good.

On another note: if your cats are ever on antibiotics, you may also purchase human probiotics while at the health food store and put some in their wet food for as long as they are on their medication. This will keep their normal flora in balance while eliminating or reducing the harmful ones in their GI tract and thus you'll reduce the chances of runny stools that antibiotcs can have. Some folks even feed their cats a spoonful of unflavored, plain, low fat yogurt, but my cats personally do not favor them.

Hoping you have good results with L-lysine and few bumps in the future road!  Healing wishes for all felines! 

Thanks,

my vet did prescribe an antibiotic, Lola had some green nasal discharge, but her lungs were clear and she never had a temperature during all of this. The vet said the nasal thing was most likely secondary and she's fighting a virus which made her more susceptible to bacterial things.

she's eating the "critical care" special food right now, and she's eating which I'm thankful for.

Her recheck is 7/15 and i was told keep her separate from the two new kitties while she recovers.

she's not her usual self, she really had something take it out of her, she's never been like this.

I bought a new litter box, washed her dishes in hot soapy water and changed out the bedding on my bed where they've all hung out, just to remove the possibility of the virus hanging around.

So, after this, should she have some better immunity against this? Because eventually she will be mixing and mingling with the two new cats, who have been acting fine. I'm very afraid of her getting sick all over again

If this is due to feline herpes virus, it is usually dormant. Most likely the recent stresses losing one of your cats, then the addition of new kittens, dental cleanings, and any other changes all clustered around the same time have all played a part in her becoming immuno-compromised. Direct contact with your sneezy kittens could also be another factor. I've read many times when just a new addition alone can be the trigger. Though there is no real cure for feline viruses, there are ways to make her more comfortable.

If your older kitty still has mucus, I suggest you leaving her in a hot steamy bathroom for 15-20 minutes a couple of times a day. You can also help with the use of L-lysine added to her food as I have outlined earlier. L-lysine can help both herpes and URIs. It works by preventing viral replication of itself, thus eventually allowing your cat's natural immune system to bring it back in its dormant state. It can also shorten the duration of a flare-up and reduce the symptoms. Some folks continue to keep L-lysine as a maintenance, and double the doses when a flare-up occurs. You can also minimize recurrence by inducing the least amount of stress for her as possible: Engage her in some interactive play with fishing pole toys like "da bird" or with mouse/bug attachments, Offer her excellent nutrition, hydration, and keep things as routine as possible. Also important to consider is that she is now your senior cat, make sure she is always first in everything. First to be fed, first to be played, first to get treats, up to sleep on your bed, etc. Treat her as the new queen of felines! 

Additonal links that may be helpful: 

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pe...ealth/feline-upper-respiratory-infection/4102

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pe...nfection-or-feline-viral-rhinotracheitis/4107

Hope this helps with some of your questions. And good work on washing/cleaning things up for your kitty! I'm sure she's happier with a new litter box, too! 

Thanks so much! Yes, she is my girl, I got her from a shelter when she was 9 months old, and she & my cat who passed have been through a lot. (both 9/11 survivors when I lived in NYC, Manhattan)

I make sure she gets extra attention and time. she has been through a lot.

I had no intention of getting new cats this quickly, but a coworker volunteers at a shelter and told me about these 8 & 1/2 month olds that were very sweet and loved other cats, and i wanted the into process to go smoothly, with my Lola not feeling threatened.

not one hiss or growl from Lola, she's so good natured too, and not territorial. She'd even started some play with them, like jumping out at one of them when she heard him coming lol, in a good way. so, I was really careful in choosing what cats to bring into the home, based on Lola's personality, and not wanting a cat who'd come in and take over.

It's just me in the house with them, and it's very routine, the house has a lot of room for the cats to spread out if they want to.

Before my other kitty passed, she was on his K/D diet, but then I switched her-gradually-over to Tiki Cat & Halo brands, no grains, all natural. She loves it and before she got sick, i noticed her coat got even softer after 6 weeks.

I'll ask my vet about the L-Lysine, sounds fine from what I read, but I'd like her take anyway. It does sound like something I'll be buying if she thinks it can help too.

just heard from my mother who'd stopped by my house to check on things, and Lola had eaten all her food-yay!-so she put more down and Lola was getting into eating that too.