5 mo coughing, gagging vomiting kitten....HELP!

One of the strays that I took in has a terrible cough and is vomiting. He was just neutered about 10 days ago and before that was perfectly healthy. I know he needs to go to the vet but I'll be lucky if I can afford the normal business hour fees so the additional weekend/holiday fees are out of the question.

Prior to this past Friday night there were only a few coughing episodes between the three of them. While the others are no longer coughing, the smallest one is and it's only gotten worse. He goes into the typical cough stance, stretches his neck out and just barks out a dry cough and sometimes closes it out with gagging and/or vomiting. His appetite is normal, he just can't keep it down. As of this morning he has stopped drinking, playing, etc. Early this morning I added a tiny but of chicken broth to his water which he did drink but it looked as if it was uncomfortable or that he had to force it down. Since then, he has had nothing else to drink. What can I do? I do have some Cerenia ( for nausea ) left from when the others were sick a few months back which also happened days after visiting the same low cost clinic. Coincidence? Any ideas what might be going on with him or what the tests or treatments he might need or what it might possibly cost me? How about forcing water on him...how much, how often, and HOW.

When I took these guys in, it was only suppose to be until they were weaned and I could find them a home. I would love to keep them but I can't since I can't afford them. Would anybody in the NKY area care to give one of them a home?

Any input, opinions, ideas, etc. is greatly appreciated.

It could be pneumonia.  You can try holding him in the bathroom and running a hot steamy shower.

Thanks for the reply. I really hope that that is not the case. It doesn't sound as easy or affordable to treat not to mention how horrible he must feel if it is. Unfortunately, the steamy shower isn't possible. We live in an old farm house and there is no way to get it to steam up in the winter. Ohhh...I think my sister has a dehumidifier though. I'll give that a try.

I talked to a receptionist at PetSmart and she said it sounds like URI. I've dealt with only one other cat that had a URI and the symptoms were nothing alike.

Knock on wood, he isn't coughing quite as often as earlier but you can just look at him and tell he doesn't feel good. He did eat and even drank some more diluted broth. And...no more vomiting since this morning. I did give him a small does of Cerenia and I guess it helped. I don't expect it to go away on its own but I will be thrilled if continues to improve. My luck though, he is waiting until I'm asleep before he wakes me up coughing and vomiting. Cleaning up vomit is gross but something about the middle of the night makes it that much worse.

This is him and his BIG brother

The other brother

And, let's not forget Momma before she let me grab the babies to bring them all inside.

If he is coughing a lot, it probably stimulates his gag reflex. Bronchitis or pneumonia would need antibiotics which aren't terribly expensive. Hopefully the vet can make it in a liquid form which Is easier to administer than pills in a little kitty.  I suppose it could be some sort of parasite too. When kitties have worms, they work their way up and makes the cat cough. There's definitely a de-worming medication for cats that is liquid. It's not expensive. You should collect a sample from his litter box for the vet to test.

As for keeping kitty warm, looks like the other are doing that. But a box with a towel or polarfleece might feel cozy for the kitty.

Laura Mae said:

If he is coughing a lot, it probably stimulates his gag reflex. Bronchitis or pneumonia would need antibiotics which aren't terribly expensive. Hopefully the vet can make it in a liquid form which Is easier to administer than pills in a little kitty.  I suppose it could be some sort of parasite too. When kitties have worms, they work their way up and makes the cat cough. There's definitely a de-worming medication for cats that is liquid. It's not expensive. You should collect a sample from his litter box for the vet to test.

As for keeping kitty warm, looks like the other are doing that. But a box with a towel or polarfleece might feel cozy for the kitty.

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I'm starting to doubt he has a URI. ive done some additional searches based on his symptoms and I'm thinking bronchitis, pneumonia or maybe even asthma or allergies. Regardless, I hope it's easy to treat and won't cost me an arm and a leg.

While they were at the clinic to be fixed, they ended up treating Momma for worms but not the boys. I don't know if that means that the boys were ok or if they didn't check. I do recall reading something about lungworms which might explain some of the symptoms.

They have practically taken over my room and have plenty of warm and cozy places. Heck, they have more room than I do! If he isn't in my lap, he is usually cuddled up with one of the others.

Thank you for your help!!!

Sounds like a vet trip.  Remember, the worse things get, the more it costs.  So don't wait.