advise on URI

I went last weekend to pick up two new kitties from a foster mom who works with PAWS. They were finishing up the last medication for a URI and ringworm. I wasnt too concerned about either and she told me how to treat the ringworm. Took the kittens to the vet on thursday and they said they needed to continue another round of antibiotics due to sneezing and they gave me pills to help dry up the nose. Well this seemed to work great on Samson cleared him right up by saturday. But Vanna is worse she has so much sneezing and now is blowing bubbles out her nose and now the infection has moved to her eyes. She has trouble sleeping and will only drink water. I,m taking her back to the vet today, but is there anything I can do to help ease her? I took her in the bathroom and turned on the shower to steam up the bathroom, it gave her and me about an hour sleep which I badly needed and so did she. Is there anything else I can do. Please any advise is welcomed and needed.

Sorry, I haven't dealt with URI's (knock wood) but I'm bumping you up so you can get some answers. This is the best place for advice.

Until you get her back to the vet, suggest that you put her in a small room with a vaporizor - they help when I have a cold and will help her with her congestion. Keep a close eye on her eating, and if she stops, switch her to a very strong smelling wet food.

Good luck - URI's can be frustrating!

I would notch up your concern just a bit. Ringworm is very contagious, and handling the kittens even in the latter stages of this condition can result in you, or someone in your family getting ringworm as well. Trust me, that is not fun to fight. I would handle the kittens as little as possible for now and make sure they get their medications and medicated bath- depending on what stage they are in. I would also finish out the antibiotics, as URI are very hard to get rid of, and keep them away from other cats until they are completely healthy. The best thing I have found that works after conventional medicine has been tried, is GSE Grapefruitseed Extract. You buy at the health food store, you get the liquid (it is very bitter) and you put 2 drops in their canned food every feeding. Stir it up well, and buy the canned food that is really brothy or soupy to help mask the bitterness.

Good luck, hope you don't catch ringworm!

Just returned to the vet. They did x-rays and found lungs were clear and that she just has a very bad case of URI. They doubled her Clavamox and the deconjestion meds. They also gave me prescription for medicine to put in a vaporizor. So Im on my way to the store for all that. He said her lungs were really clear and that she is breathing good. It just doesnt sound that way right now. No Fever. On the ringworm issue. Vanna doesnt have it anymore. But Samson still has some on his tail. He has had two treatments of Program and is due for his third and final dose in a week. His foster mom said it was real bad in November and covered his entire body but now is just at the tail end of his tail. The vet said this was very good because some cats just cant get rid of it and he is showing rapid signs of improvement. We us lotramin (I think thats how you spell it) and the vet said that should keep everyone safe. I know there is always a chance. I try so hard not to do too much touching but its so hard they are so loving and want to get and receive love.

Thanks for the help and support.

Forgot to ask. They said the same thing about her eating because she has eaten since yesterday. They said because she cant smell her food she wont eat it. They also said to get really smelly food. Whats a really good and smelly cat food? I dont normally feed any of my other cats wet cat food. So I dont know which one is really smelly. Someone at work told me to get Kosy Kittens but its food you get at jr food store or a 7-11. I dont ever get my cat food from there. I could ask Petland. Does anyone have any suggestions.

just wanted to give an update. the vaporizer with meds worked wonders. She is sleeping so peacefully tonight. Breathing really easier. Put her is her cat bed in a huge box and put the cool mist vaporizer in there next to her and lightly closed three corners of the box and let her stay in for one hour and she slept right through the whole treatment. She has another treatment this morning. I felt like I was giving my son a breathing treatment for asthma. Except I dont put him in a box!