New kitten is sick

we were given a third kitten and it was our first time not adopting from a shelter. Echo has a vet appointment tomorrow morning ( soonest we could get him in ) and he's totally got an upper respertory infection. Has sneezing, runny eyes and nose. What can I do to make him more comfy til his vet visit tomorrow? He's still playful and eating and drinking but I just want to do whatever I can to help him?

L Lysine is oftentimes recommended.

I've successfully treated a URI in an adult cat with Lysine and Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother, Bragg's is a great brand).  You just put the Lysine in their food 2x a day, am/pm rub the ACV on their fur.  They ingest it as they lick it off.  My cat was better in 2-3 days and it saved me a costly (and traumatic) vet trip and medication.  As a cat owner of 7, I keep Lysine and ACV (both available at walmart) on hand to treat any allergy or sneezing or whatever issues that arise, which is rarely, but never at a good time.    I use earthclinic as my goto website for me, cat and dog home remedies and it's got some great advice.  ACV is such a crazy multi-purpose liquid, I'd recommend it in a D-Day box, even if you have no pets, as there are so many things it helps cure.

ACV and lysine might be helpful AFTER your cat has seen a vet. Ask your vet what they think.

Until then, you can steam up the bathroom using the shower and then take the kitten in there. Also make sure to wipe the eyes so they don't get sealed shut.

Thank you everyone! I did take him for a steam ( and sat with him) and he did seem a little less ... Well drippy. Tomorrow can't come fast enough!

let us know what your vet says

He's got antibiotics and nose drops. He was given to us just a few days ago and noooo idea that he had fleas too [emoji]128542[/emoji]. So treatment for him and the other two. Everyone's happy...except myself and my boyfriend over the fleas lol. He took his first round and nose drops very well!

Good, you should see an improvement by tomorrow. 

I've heard that steam can help open up the nasal passages and relieve the pressure.  One way to do this is to run a hot bath and then take him into the bathroom, shut the door, and sit with him for awhile (10-15 minutes or longer) so that he can get the benefits of the steam.  If you have a humidifier and a warm environment inside today, that would also work.  If these are not possible, I would think that wringing out a washrag that's been soaked in hot water and placing it over his upper nose (not the nostrils!) for a few minutes might have the same benefits -- just make sure it's not too hot.  Use your own skin as a test.  If it's too hot for you, it's too hot for him.  Good luck!  He sure is adorable. 

Thank you! He's a total cutie [emoji]128521[/emoji] and hopefully in a few days he'll be right as rain!

Ten years ago, I got a kitten from a shelter in California.  I was just taking him temporarily because he was about to be put down.  I couldn't have pets where I was living, so I had to keep him hidden.  Anyway, he got sick the day after I took him home.  Took him to the vet and they gave me antibiotics and charged me almost $200.  He was having trouble breathing so I called the vet's office to ask if there was anything more I could do for him.  I was told, "We gave you medicine.  Give him the meds and if he dies, deal with it."  Needless to say, I never went back to that vet.  I called my vet in Missouri (the same vet I take my boys to now) and he told me the proper dosage of children's Benadryl to give him.  I think it was like half a mil or something.  You should probably check with a vet.  But it cleared his nose so he could breathe and he pulled through and I was able to find him a forever home.

I had a foster with a really bad URI, she was a young kitten and it ended up taking close to two months for it to clear up. They had her on three different very strong antibiotics and nothing seemed to be working. We ended up supplementing with Lysine and that's when things started getting better so I definitely would look into getting some Lysine treats! Other than that it more than likely is viral and will just have to run its course, but the Lysine helps the immune system fight it! I think one of the best places price wise I have found to order it is on Chewy.com

if its a virus then antibiotics will not matter BUT even with viral infections it sets up the groundwork for bacteria to get in there and multiply. So its always a good idea to try the antibiotics and if it doesn't work-you can try a different one or get the nasal junk on a microscope slide and see if they can send it out to see what exactly it is. Lysine stops the viral RNA from replication. That's why lysine works so well.

Often cat flu is viral and as we know viral cells are not able to be killed with antibiotics as those are for bacteria.

The other thing to do is get cat approved probiotics to keep the gut flora from getting killed off. This will help any soft poop that is often a side effect of antibiotics. you can try plain canned pumpkin for this as well. just need 1/4 tsp for the kitten-this stops diareahhea and constipation. Just plain pumpkin not pie filling. I have been using canned pumpkin for about 5 years now and it works wonders. Once the illness is over I just give it twice a week-or every third day to keep bowels moving.

the shower steam will help with the breathing. The nose drops as well. Keep us posted, also it's not uncommon for shelter kitties to come down with a cold-it incubates for 3-7 days I think I read somewhere and often shelters are a stressful environment which is why we see so many upper respiratory infections. It can be treated.

If kitty isn't eating you may want to put out stinky wet cat food or tuna. you may have to syringe feed water as well to make sure they are hydrated. A dehydrated kitty will feel yucky. The vets can do subfluids as well but that's if the cat isn't responding to eating and running around. I have had one episode of a bad URI and my Honeybee got sub fluids 3 times a week for 3 weeks..it was a bad one that we caught from going to a cat show. So this is just incase kitten doesn't improve. Let us know how the little mite is doing!

His sneezing has gone down drastically but he seems a little dripper, his breathing seems easier but he's quite mad and pouting under the bed a lot because he's not liking the nose drops.in hoping to see even more improvement tomorrow.

How is the little guy doing?

Echo is SO MUCH better today! He's eating normal, way less drippy, his eyes are clearer and he's just a purr machine all day! Still some nose drips and congestion but worlds different from a few days ago! [emoji]128154[/emoji]

He looks so much better!!

Sending *PRAYERS* and best wishes for him to continue well, happy, and loved!