Severe sinus issues

I have a very sick cat, 13 years old. She almost died 6 weeks ago. She had seriously infected teeth that went into her sinuses. the fist Vet did not check her well and I was told it wasnt anything and would go away on its own. It was just a virus! BUT IT WAS NOT! I took her back 7 weeks later and the infection went wild. They finally pulled teeth but NEVER cleaned out the infection! Just put her on basic antibiotics! Finally after 10 more days of this game I changed hospitals. And the new Vet has been wonderful. Had to do surgery to clean out the sinuses and scrape out alot of infection and even dieing tissue! Many weeks later this new Vet is afraid of taking my kitty off antibiots and she was improving but now her sinuses are filling back up and Im wondering if there is any decongestant I can use on her for humans. I like the Vicks idea.

Please help. She will eventually die if this keeps up. She is still eating but so clogged up eats very little. She tries to eat 4 and 5 times aday and drinks alot of water. And wants my attention. All that is a good sign. She still grooms too.

DebP5 said:

Can I just jump in? I dont know how to use this. Sorry. I have a very sick cat, 13 years old. She almost died 6 weeks ago. She had seriously infected teeth that went into her sinuses. the fist Vet did not check her well and I was told it wasnt anything and would go away on its own. It was just a virus! BUT IT WAS NOT! I took her back 7 weeks later and the infection went wild. They finally pulled teeth but NEVER cleaned out the infection! Just put her on basic antibiotics! Finally after 10 more days of this game I changed hospitals. And the new Vet has been wonderful. Had to do surgery to clean out the sinuses and scrape out alot of infection and even dieing tissue! Many weeks later this new Vet is afraid of taking my kitty off antibiots and she was improving but now her sinuses are filling back up and Im wondering if there is any decongestant I can use on her for humans. I like the Vicks idea.
Please help. She will eventually die if this keeps up. She is still eating but so clogged up eats very little. She tries to eat 4 and 5 times aday and drinks alot of water. And wants my attention. All that is a good sign. She still grooms too.

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Hi, and welcome to TCS

Vicks is not a good idea for cats. It contains eucalyptus oil, which is toxic to them. Obviously, this danger is greatest when ingested or absorbed through the skin, but simply inhaling it can cause problems if enough is inhaled.

Having her in a steamy room may help (think how much even a plain steam inhalation can help us when we're congested).

With food, the biggest reason she's eating so little is probably simply the congestion. Cats are very motivated by the scent of food, and when she's congested that sense virtually disappears. Try warming her food to make it smellier, and chose the stinkiest the foods you can find.

I know that when my sinuses are bad, putting my head down makes the pain worse because it increases the pressure. The same may be true for your girl too. Try holding the bowl up for her so she doesn't have to put her head down so far. Hand feeding may help too. Another trick is to smear a little food onto her gums or tongue to give her a taste of it. Sometimes that's enough to make them realise that they really are hungry, thereby stimulating them to eat.

Toppers may encourage her too. Purina FortiFlora is a probiotic powder. It's not the greatest probiotic (it's only single strain), but the primary ingredient is animal digest - the same stuff most kibbles are sprayed with to make them taste yummy. Most cats find it irresistible, and, as you're not using it as a probiotic, you don't need to use anything like the dosage stated on the pack. A sprinkling will do just fine Other stinky toppers are bonitio flakes, freeze dried treats (especially fishy ones or stronger tasting meats), tuna/tuna water (make sure it's spring water, NOT brine) and parmesan cheese.

If these tricks don't help, talk to your vet about trying Hills a/d canned food. It's designed to be extra tasty, and is especially for sick/convalescent cats. It can also be watered down a little and syringe fed - something you may have to look into if you can't get her eating enough on her own.

I really hope your girl gets better soon Your first vet sounds absolutely appalling - I'd definitely be making a formal complaint at the very least No one should have to go through what you and your girl have. I'm so glad you've found a good vet now. [article="33011"][/article][article="32998"][/article]

When you say her sinuses are "filling back up", do you she is simply congested, or are they filling back up with infection?  If infection, then that is something your new Vet must deal with.  If congestion, then what Columbine suggested above is what I think any of us would advise.  Those are the standbys for cats with cold. 

One other thing that some people do us actually use one of those things they use with babies to suck out the junk in their little noses.  Sorry, I don't know what they are called, so hopefully you know what I'm talking about.  I think they are kind of like an eye dropper, but instead of dropping thing IN, they pull stuff OUT.  I imagine they are very, very flexible however, so as not to hurt anything in their noses. 

If you haven't already, I would discuss this with your Vet, even if it's NOT infection, but plain old congestion.  It could actually BE from a Herpes Virus, along with the other stuff going on, and it's possible that L-Lysine and possibly Lactoferrin might help too.