(URI) Upper Respiratory Infection with multiple cats what would you do?

Hello I joined so I could ask this question and have a look around at some other posts.

I've posted this on other forums but there seems to be move activity here.

I’m sorry this is a long post and maybe I’m worrying to much but I would much rather be safe then sorry. I’m going to start with some info before getting to the questions in hopes you answers can be better based off that.

We recently found 2 really sickly little kittens. They both have bad upper respiratory infections. 1 looked/acted like it was going to die the other didn’t look bad but sounds as bad as the 1st one looks. They’re really young just have very small teeth in. I’m asking these questions as we would like to keep 1 or both but want to know if it would be best not to. We don’t want to risk our cats.

We already have 2 cats. A 3 year old with FHS (Feline hyperesthesia syndrome) She’s under stress 24/7 because of her FHS. FHS is where the cat thinks everything is out to kill them and they well run from there own tail. We also have an 11 month old we found in the same place as the new kittens when he was 7 weeks old. He’s a very hyper out going kitten that could use a friend as he wants the play with the cat with FHS but that just makes her have an attack. :/ So we think a kitten he can play with would help cut down on the FHS cat being bugged. He is good about it and well leaves her alone when she runs to the couch but chasing her that far is still more then we would care for. They both do not have any of there shots but have never been sick. They have also been tested and cleared for FeLV/FIV.

1st question: I read that after they have URI they well always carry it and when under stress they can be contagious to other cats. Is that true? If so how likely are they to pass it to the other cats?

2nd question: I also have a family member that has a kitten that had URI when they got there kittens. By what I read it’s very contagious and can live for some time out of the cat. They also don’t have to show symptoms them self to be spreading the virus, If that’s true. How liking is it I can give my cats URI by just being over there house with there cats for a few hours? I was also thinking of letting our kittens have a play dates. Our kitten if fine with car rides and used to go on play dates but his friend moved away. Would that be a bad idea and make there cats give ours URI?

3rd question: Being as the cat with FHS is always in a stressed stat how bad would it be if she were to get it? Would she always be sick?

4th question: We got our Kitten 9 months ago from the same feral cat group. How likely is it he already has URI and has just never shown a signs? We were told that someone got a sick kitten from that group around the same time that got better. We were also told the group has been there for over 7 years. How likely is it that or kitten doesn’t have URI?

5th question: When you get a cat from a rescue or humane society there’s no way for them to tell if that cats had URI in the past and carries it is there? So I’d be taking the same risk adopting a kitten with an unknown past from a rescue as I would be these kittens that I know some of the past on?

I’m sure I have more questions I just can’t think of ATM but here’s the last question for now. What would you guys do? Keep the kittens and introduce them after they get better? Re-home the kittens as to make sure they don’t get your cats sick? Any other thoughts?

And now for some sad pictures of the little sick kittens.

It seems like you are keeping the new kittens quarantined from your other cats which is critical. The new kittens should not be in any contact with them until they are treated for the URI and tested for FIV/FELV.

There are different causes for URIs in cats. I think you are referring to feline herpes which many cats have. Some show URI symptoms while others show no symptoms. If you are concerned about it, you can have all cats tested for it.

As for whether or not not to keep them, that's a tough one. I do think the kittens will be good playmates for your young cat. Whether or not the new kittens will stress out your FHS cat is hard to say. I think the only way to know would be to try it and see.

Thank you for the rely and yes there in a spare room in a dog cage in the picture now there in a ferret cage. I use different clothes when holding them as to make sure I don't pass anything to my cats.

The new kittens will be seeing a vet tomorrow and I'm hoping I well have a few of my questions answered then.

The FHS cat Snickers is a sweet cat and with our little one used to just hit him 1 time to tell him she didn't want him to move. She didn't mind him laying with her as long as he wasn't moving. lol He also was a very good kitten tho and understood what she meant. But now he's already 11lbs and nothing but muscle and she's only 9lbs of cat(not fat but not muscular) and she find's him running after her scary now. Back then he used to also play with our puppy that's now 60lbs and a little much for him to handle now. We have a lot of different toys for him but its not the same as a live animal I guess.

We have tried older Kittens around a year or so of age and they seem to always pick up on her being scared and just want to kill her. At least with our kitten Chief it's just "I WANT TO PLAY" and he stops when he sees her run to us on the couch. So I'm Sure keeping a kitten would give him someone to play with and Snickers can teach as she did with him. I just don't know if I want to do so if they carry URI all the life after having it as him having a friend isn't worth them getting sick.

BTW I'm thinking I'm going to call the tiger one Loki and the gray one Hinto, but there so sick ATM that I can't tell what their personalities will be like. All cats are mischievous tho so Loki should fit just find and Hinto means blue and being as gray cats are called blue the name can't not fit. lol

So I was looking some more and fond a few more sites on URIs. I'm trying to guess what one I think they have and to me ATM Bordetella bronchiseptica (B. bronchiseptica) sounds the most likely but they all have around the same symptoms. I also found a different site that gave to times the sickness lasts and how long there carries for.

They have sneezes now and then but now more then 1 time here or there and that only started after they were giving meds and stuff started to brake up. They are REALLY rattely and you can hear it before even picking them up. Loki nose and eyes are kind of runny but not a lot just to the point that it makes him look sick. Dinto doesn't have the runny nose and eyes but sounds a lot worse then Loki. They both were eating ok from the 2nd day I'm guessing the 1st day they were just to scared with being in a new place getting a bath and not feeling well. They both still only want to lay down for the most part but the do sit up to say hi when you walk in the room. Loki seems more friendly atm and well try to purr and knead you when you pick him up but all you can hear is the rattling. Dinto is still more like a stray and tries to move away from you but as he has no where to run he just ducks when you go to touch him.

• Feline herpesvirus type-1 (FHV-1); also known as feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR) was carries for life and shed in times of stress
• Feline calicivirus (FVC) some carries for life but more lose some point in there life. How late that point is I couldn't find
• Bordetella bronchiseptica (B. bronchiseptica) they are carriers for around 5 months after being treated.
• Chlamydophila felis (C. felis) not sure on this one
• Less commonly, Mycoplasma spp. (bacteria) or a feline retrovirus, such as FIV or FeLV, are contributing factors in an upper respiratory infection.  I believe this one is unlikely has a few cats from the group have tested negative.
•  

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/feline-upper-respiratory-infection

https://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-health/cat-upper-respiratory-infection/

Since they are shelter kitties, they probably don't have bordatella, but most likely it's a severe upper respiratory infection.  They could also have feline herpes virus, which presents as an URI and makes recovery a longer process.  (I adopted a kitty with an URI who turned out to have FHV and has only had one flare up in the 6 years since being diagnosed with FHV.)  I know it's hard, but let the vet make the diagnosis rather than trying to figure it out by looking up symptoms online.  You'll just cause yourself undue worry and stress.  Been there, done that!

Continue to keep them separated from the other kitties.  Get them to the vet for meds.  If they stop eating, try warming their food up or watering it down and syringe feeding them.  Know that stress just aggravates the illness and might cause the others in your house to come down with an URI as well.  Run a vaporizer in the room 24/7 or steam them in the bathroom as many times a day as possible.  Get the bathroom nice and steamy, then sit in there with them until the steam dissipates.

Thank you for the reply

There strays from outside I was just asking if the risk would be the same with rescue cats. There from a group of around 9 babies, and 10+ adults.

There eating dry food, caned wet food and baby milk from a bowl ATM. They have been getting taken in the bathroom for the steam.

I'm bad about the over looking up of info and everything I know I shouldn't but when I don't know and have to wait to find out I get bugged and just think about it 24/7.

Do you have more then the 1 cat with FHV? How likely is it they will catch it?

I guess I have to try and just sit here without bugging about it till tomorrow.

So the vet visit didn't go as well as I'd like. They got 10 days more of meds but all the vet would really say about how contagious they could be or how at risk my cats could be was give them shots. Didn't even get a time frame that it would be ok to stop the quarantine or if they even still had to be. :/ so I'm had the same place I was before the vets but with more meds on hand. :/

Im having the same issue with my kitten, the vet said he ether has herpes or chlamydia, my kitten is currently sneezing, one eye is inflammed abd the other is starting to show the same signs , he is currently on 4-5 meds given by the vet, and I am near the point of mt hair ripping out with worry and stress, after bugging my vet he stated to calm down and you want to create as much as a stress free atmosphere as possible, as long as they dont have yellow or green discharge from nose or eyes my vet says its ok and just keep giving the meds, but trust me I'm a nervous wreck along with you, I actually rescued my kitten from a rescue group who didn't care for the kittens and had them all taken from the womens house, I grapped this lil guy whos my profile pic, now 400.00 later im still battling this URI, im gonna stay on this form if anyone has advice to help my kitty get better faster, good luck on your babies, I completly understand what you are going thru

@kyleebrown, can you start a new thread with your situation so it doesn't get lost in this thread and also so this thread doesn't get hijacked?  Be sure to let us know how long you've been dealing with this, the symptoms, and the meds you're giving.  Also, let us know if the vet has run the PCR URD (upper respiratory diseases) test for the herpes and chlamydia.

@yasha2802 I have only the one cat with herpes and have since adopted 2 other cats that don't have it and haven't caught it.  Herpes usually attacks kitties with weakened immune systems and who are malnourished and their bodies are under stress.  URIs are very contagious, especially for kitties who are stressed out, so your resident cats might (but they also might not) pick it up.  The incubation period is about 10 days from exposure, so if it's been more than 10-14 days and your resident kitties aren't showing symptoms, they might not get sick, but it's good to have meds on hand just in case.

Thank you both

stephanietx

That's good to know and more info then I got from the vet. :/

kyleebrown

It's nice to know I'm not the only one that seems to get no where with vets. almost seems you can find better info online sadly. They say its common but act like they know nothing about it when you ask them. :/ It goes to show how right a saying my BF always says is "there's a reason they call it practice medicine". No one seems to really know what there doing it's like this meds works for others and we have heard it passed on to other cats.

It would be really nice to keep 1 or both the kittens as a friend for mine but I don't have a lot of money so couldn't do like you have and if I end up with 4 sick cats I'd have no idea what to do *dies*. 

That's why keeping my 2 current cats healthy is WAY more important. I really like the gray kitten but its seems like maybe it would be better to find a different kitten that i can have someone say they have never had URI problems with. :/

Save one for the stress and have a very healthy happy cat try saving two more and end up at a lose of what is the right thing for this house and all the people and animals involved. So at a lose.

I do hope your kittens feel better soon. These two are starting to play like little demons. lol but they still have to take breaks so not all better.