cat colds?

Hi there. My female cat is sneezing and sniffling like crazy. Do your cats get colds? Does she need to go to the vet or will it go away, like human colds do? It's breaking my heart! Any info would be appreciated! Thanks.

go to the vet as soon as you can! my cat has had bronchitis before, and the vet gave her a shot and put her on special food. if your cat can't smell, it won't eat and can get even sicker

First, yes, cats do get colds. If she seems pretty miserable, definitely get her to the vet so he can put her on antibiotics. Is she eating, drinking? Does she seem lethargic? If the answer is yes, get her to a vet.

My Max got a cold but he just sneezed every once and a while and was otherwise totally normal. He got over it on his own.

Of course, my other cat, Simon, caught it from him and ended up much sicker. He was lethargic and pitiful and needed antibiotics.

If you are unsure, take her to the vet. Don't let her get worse and worse.

Moving this to Health & Nutrition.

I lost my job a couple of months ago and I don't have a dime, my credit cards are maxed. My cat has a cold. Does anyone know if it is possible to get her some antibiotics without taking her to the vet? Thanks.

You really should ask your vet this question. I am hoping you mean cat antiboitics and not ones you yourself would take? Normally any antibiotic given to you by a vet has to be used on the cat that is ill, even when the cat appears to be getting better. Clavamox and amoxy drops lose their potency if exposed to light so even if this was stored in your refrigerator it could be non-effective or even spoiled by now. I would call you vet and explain your situation and ask him about payment options. This could just be a cold, or something else, but really only he would know.

Also most Vets, if you explain your situation, will work with you.

Please take a look at this link:
What to do if you're having trouble affording veterinary care

Please try one or all of the suggested methods in the link to get your cat in to see the vet - NEVER give your cat medication without a vet's supervision - some medications that are safe for humans can be deadly to cats. Also, considering the different possibilites of things that could be wrong with your cat, antibiotics may or may not help, and if they are prescribed, getting the right kind and proper dosage is very important.

I hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

p.s.
I hope you find a good job soon.

Hello,

I'm definitely not expert on cats yet as I've only had my 2 boys, who are 8 months old, for a short while. BUT, unfortunately, I did become an "expert" on kitty colds very quickly. We got both of our kitties from the Humane Society within the last 6 months, each at a different time. When got our second kitty, he was just coming down with a very bad kitty cold which we discoved the night we got him home.....AAHHHHHCHOOOOOO! Flying boogers!!!! The following week our second kitty got it. We tried to keep them separated but in our small home it was next to impossible. So vey quickly, we learned about cat colds. I would agree, take your kitty to the vet, especially to make sure it isn't something else. If it is a cold, your kitty may or may not get medicine. One of ours did and the other didn't. The one that came home with it was from a stressful situation so they wanted to make sure he didn't come down with a secondary infection. We had to watch them both very closely. My kitties were quite sick and never did I know a kitty could produce so much snot, HUGE sneezes, but they did get better, it took about a week for each, a little more for full recovery and now they are very healthy. This happened in November. They slept A LOT!!!!. I kept them warm and the big thing was to keep them hydrated and eating. Stinky is the word. Like us, they can't smell with a cold, so the stinkier the better. I put away the hard food for a few days and fed them canned cat food warmed up and I also made scrambled eggs with a little tuna water. It made a huge difference. They would hardly touch the dry food. So in a nutshell, warmth, sleep and stinky food. Oh, and for a couple of days, when they were really sick, I put the litter box upstairs too. But make sure it's cold. The best to you!!! Hope your baby gets better real quickly. :-)

Amy - I went ahead an merged your two threads together as they are so closely related to each other. Again, please do not give old meds to your cat or kitten, nor give human medication or over the counter meds to your cat without a vet's recommendation first.

Good luck with your cat and your job search!

Hello again,

I had just written about my experience with my two kitties. At the end I put "Make sure it's cold." It sounded like I said make sure the litter box is cold....brrrrrr, I don't think they would like that. I meant, make sure that what your kitty has is a cold, have your baby checked out. :-) Just had to clarify.

Because I'd heard so much about distemper and immune deficiencies, I used to always rush straight to the vet as soon as my cat sneezed and got watery eyes and nose symptoms. It cost me between 75 and a hundred bucks, by the time you add up the vet visit, the shot, the medicine, some kind of test, and you never want to say no! But my neighbor with 3 cats told me that cats get a cold just like we do, and they get over them, just like we do. She said she never took any of her cats to the vet for a cold and they had always gotten better in 2-3 weeks. So the next time my cat caught one, I tried her advice. Sure enough, he didn't die, and it did come and go, just like people colds. So now I do the same thing I do with my human kids- if it gets thick and green, it needs antibiotics. If they are lethargic, feverish and won't eat, it's time for the doctor. Other than that, no. Just wait and see how it develops.

A note to our well-meaning members. Please do not try and diagnose other people's cats unless you yourself are a vet. Giving suggestions is part of the wonderful support system here, but leaving names of actual medications that you can buy over the counter and saying give this to your sick cat, might cause some problems for the owner of the cat!

Although it is true that some cats get colds and get over it without going to the vet, it is also true that some URI's are very dangerous and the cat needs to be seen by a qualified vet. If you don't have money for a vet visit, there are alternatives, IMOM being one and another is just to contact your vet. If you are a long-standing client they will usually work with you unless you never pay your bills on time. I know, because right now I am buried in vet bill debt. But my vet is working with me not against me. I had to go to the office manager and make an arrangement, but they will work with you when it comes to the welfare of your animal. There are always options, but leaving information out here that might be a detrement to the cat of this poster, is not an option. Therefore, some of this thread has been edited.

Thank you for your concern- but you will find that even our resident vet on board Deb Eldridge does not diagnose any cat in the posts she answers, and she IS a vet! She suggests options, and always that option is for the poster to take the cat to the vet for more tests.


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No online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. If you suspect that your cat may be ill, please contact your vet immediately. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care while waiting for internet advice. Remember that cats, and especially kittens, are very adept at keeping pain to themselves, and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.
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Are not Antibiotics only useful for a bacterial infection?
I don't think they can do anything for a Viral infection except
maybe mess up the Cat's natural immune system and cost you some
money. Antibiotics are prescribed like handing out lollie pops
to kids, over use is creating resistant bacterial strains in animals
and in people. I guess what might be needed is some restraint
and maybe a few cultures to see what the problem really is first.

Cats do get colds from time to time, some need antibiotics and some don't. One thing to remember is that one of thier natural instincts is to try and hide any signs of being sick and/or weak. One of the most important reasons to take them to the vet is to have an expert look for things we wouldn't know to look for. I know most people don't take thier cats temperature. It could be low or high, and we wouldn't be the wiser. There are also signs of illness in the gums and eyes that we wouldn't know to look for.
When talking about medication, there are alot of things that cats systems cant break down. When a vet gives you a dosage for an over the counter medication it's after checking to make sure it's safe for cats. Also, the dosage is specific to YOUR cats weight. Which is why it's important to get the okay from your vet, and have an accurate weight. If you just try something someone suggested you could end up giving more than recomended for your cat and cause harm, on the other hand if you give too little there's really no point in even doing it. I can't stress enough that even calling your vet for advice is the only way to go.

Originally posted by cla517
First, yes, cats do get colds. If she seems pretty miserable, definitely get her to the vet so he can put her on antibiotics.

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I know in humans antibiotics wont touch a cold , would it for some reason in a cat? Im asking so Ill know