Another URI...

My 13 yo Mia, has contracted another URI after being good for a year.  My younger Princess seems to be doing okay.   Mia has been sick about two weeks now.  Mia's sneezes sound worst than usual and you can hear her trouble breathing from her nose like it's all swollen in there.  Every now and again she has I mean scary, horrid coughing like she can't catch a breath.  Now yesterday morning and then again this morning just for a short few minutes I see a little blood from one nostrl.  She has a white muzzle so it really shows.  It may be a broken small vessel from her poor little nose.

That all being said, both my girls take Lysine sprinkles twice a day in their wet food.  I give just a tiny spoon of wet food mixed with a little warm water and that way being such a small amount I know they (in separate bowls) are getting the full amount of Lysine I give them.   I'm just wondering....it seems some time back someone had mentioned something else that could be added to help them combat this?? 

A few days ago I took a friend with her dog to our vet and while there I mentioned it to them.   One assistant said "better safe than sorry" so I made an appt. for Mia but it is in lite 2 1/2 weeks!   She then said I could call every morning to see if there are any cancellations which she said they usually have many of those so.   I'm trying to give her much love and attention and comfort and wait and watch but then on the other hand how much watching is a good thing and how far to let it go in my old girl.   She is eating, drinking and using the box fine.  She sleeps most all day but mornings and evenings comes out and is active enough too.    Just trying to see what anyone else thinks, I guess..........thanks, Whatever

Sounds like she needs to see the vet sooner rather than later.  If you can't get her in tomorrow, ask your regular vet for a referral to another clinic so that your kitty can get the vet attention she needs.

I have to agree, go sooner than later, I had to use an emergency clinic, because of the weekend, and was seen right away. They do charge a lot more though. That sounds ridiculous to have to wait for over 2 weeks to get an appointment, I have never had to wait for more than a day to get in, at my regular vet. Good luck, and I hope they can find a cure.

Thanks folks.....my kitties go to Tufts Animal Hospital which is pretty well known country wide.  It is right across the street from my home.  It is the Tufts Vet School and it is for low income seniors also.  I am going to call first thing tomorrow and see what I can do.   Thank goodness she is still eating, drinking and using the BR.  But she had a drop more blood from one nostril this morning again.  I found near her bowl this morning some yellow with pink tinged mucous this morning.  She either sneezed it out or coughed it out.  I'm so concerned and can't wait till morning.

You definitely still need to get this cat to a vet.  Something that may help a little for now is to steam up the bathroom and sit in there with your cat.  This will at least help break up some of the congestion. I sat in the bathroom with my cat 3x daily for about 20 minutes.  I adopted a kitten from a rescue and before he had the symptoms for his URI he managed to share it with all of his siblings.  I came home from work one day and my oldest cat Starbuck was coughing badly to the point where it sounded like she was having trouble breathing.  I sat with her for 20 minutes in the bathroom and risked killing my cell phone to call vets until I found one that was opened long enough that night for me to get her there.  The vets office agreed with my decision to steam her even though it made it harder for them to see symptoms. They gave her an antibiotic shot since I had paperwork from another vet that was able to show she probably caught Casey's URI.  I steamed her for three days 3x a day until her symptoms went away.  Everyone got Casey's URI.  My other 2 cats were not as severe as they only had some sneezing but I steamed them 3x a day until their symptoms went away. None of my cats were sneezing or coughing up blood though and if they had been my friend who came over to give me a ride would have driven me to the closest ER vet and told me to pay her back whenever I could.

Thanks so much for your replies.   My daughter was going to take me this morning...if I could get a cancellation appt. however, her 10 yo son took a bad fall on his head last night and is home with concussion this morning.    I am in the middle of a bad sickness right now too.    I have no money (embarrassed) but last night I sat and Mia came up on my lap which is a big deal for her as she has feral from her mom and acts truly feral with everyone except only a little with me.  I gently got her settled and just covered her over on my lap and could see her relax and let go and fall asleep a long while.   I do love her so, so much as she is unusually scared and angry towards folks but loves me and pretty much trusts me after all these years.   Anyway, there is no sign of blood this morning, she seems to be sneezing and coughing less.   She comes out for morning breakfast and water and Lysine of course, hangs out a bit and then goes into my closet for most of the day and will come back out this evening around supper time and spend a good bit of the evening with me and my other kitty and dog.   So I did not make it to the vet this morning.    She weighs at least 20 lbs and I would have a long way to carry her to my car and it truly stresses her out horribly too.    Again, she is ambulating around well, is eating, drinking and using the bathroom.   I am watching her really close and am home all day to be with her.   When she comes out later and goes into my bathroom which is where the food bowl is, away from my dog, I will try the steam from the shower as you suggested.    Thanks so much for that.  It is a good idea.    Again, thanks for being in touch.....Whatever.   

Hi, it's me again, Whatever.   Mia has been to the vet a few times now       She has not gotten well, maybe is worse.   Let me start off by saying I have no money to do extraordinary measures of much.

My younger cat has never caught anything and they are together in close quarters.   Mia sounds horrid.   Cough is horrid, nose is really a problem.   She is now going into seclusion and doing a lot of sleeping and then  is spending a lot of time at my feet and on my lap.

A few days ago when I took her to the vet, my daughter came to help me with her into the carrier.   Mia has no front claws so she screamed and tore my daugher's arms and legs to shreds with her teeth.  Seven wounds with blood everywhere.      I am the only one who can get close to her and she bit me on one trip getting her into the carrier.  She had to be quarantined for 10 days twice as her rabis shot is way outdated.   It has been too traumatic for her to be taken to the vet but now has been too important to not take her.    It seems they think she has a lymphoma.   Due to my begging for it, they were putting her on two different antibiotics, one that would penetrate the bone more?   She just is not having any of this.   She has yet another appointment in a week or so after quarantine.   They said x-ray may not be good enough in the bony head and face area and she would be better with CT which is about 800.00.

I cry every day as I love her so.  She trusts only me and I feel I've been pushing that but she still comes to me and follows me around.   I went to start the first antibiotic as I waited to get the second one and she would have no part in syringe or food.   I am lucky she can and is still eating and drinking plenty of water. 

I had to soul search and decide and for Mia, if there is a chance of a matter of weeks here, do I really want things to end with me trying to jam meds down her throat that probably will not help anyway and drag her for testing of all sorts or spend quality time with her and let her do as she pleases.   She has one favorite spot in a corner of my closet.   I always go talk to and check on her there.    I put her favorite mouse toy in there this morning with her.   And when I think she is beginning to really be suffering or not eating at all or using the box, I will know it is time to release her to that Rainbow Bridge.  According to how things go this next week, I have another follow up appointment with the vet.   If she is not too bad, I may let them do labs and an x-ray.   If she is progressed worse, ......    I have to take a day at a time.

My daughter has a shunt in her head so she had to go to the ER as the bleeding was profuse from a few of the bites.  She had to get a shot and is on antibiotics now too.   I hope no one thinks bad of me and my choices but this is so hard.   I just want my end times with her to be of calm and love.

Thanks for letting me sound off here...........whatever.

I read in your other thread that it's possibly Nasal Lymphoma.  How did the Vet's come to this conclusion?  Could it just be Nasal Polyps?  Was that discussed? 

I understand your reluctance to try force pills or liquids down her throat if she only has a few days or weeks to live.  I am the same as you.  I believe in  Quality of Life versus Quantity.  I have a kidney cat, and although we DO give her sub-q fluids twice a week, if she really objected to them, we probably wouldn't do it.  Since she doesn't struggle or anything, we do them.  But we don't give her pills, even though we would LIKE to, because THAT is a real struggle.  She absolutely hates it, and I think stress is worse than anything with cats, so she doesn't get them.  Anything that can be done via injection is okay, otherwise, no go. 

Have you tried Rescue Remedy for Pets, or any other type of calming products when it comes time to take Mia to the Vet?  I find Rescue Remedy works pretty well.  It takes just 4 drops, and what I do is put them on my furries' favorite treats and let them soak in.  I put 1 or 2 drops on a treat, so they get more than one treat on "stress" days.  Plus, if you "scruff" her, getting her in the carrier should be a lot easier, especially if you have a top loading carrier.  And have everyone wear a leather jacket so she can't bite through it

So, bottom line, IF she can't be treated for whatever reason, then lavish her with love, and when the time comes that she no longer enjoys life, show her the greatest love, and let her go to the bridge