Outside Cat Coughing!!!

We saved a bright orange tabby from Paws For Cause at Petsmart a year ago. his name is Travis... He's about 3 years old... and He is over weight.. but when i saw him sitting the cage he just warmed my heart.. He's huge..

ANyway..I came home from work today ( Its always when I come home from work) My mother told me Travis had been kinda coughing.. I went outside to see him and hes not eating.. He doesn't want to move.. and he's not coughing over and over.. its more like just one cough every now an then..
I called the Vet. She told me to come in tomorrow morning at 8:30...
But what do you think it could be?!
Im worried about him..

Might be a URI. Roo and Crystal both had one a few years ago and they coughed. (i never heard a cat cough before that though) The vet gave them some antibiotic and that did the trick.
Hopefully it's nothing serious....sending get well vibes to Travis.

Originally Posted by stormy

Might be a URI. Roo and Crystal both had one a few years ago and they coughed. (i never heard a cat cough before that though) The vet gave them some antibiotic and that did the trick.
Hopefully it's nothing serious....sending get well vibes to Travis.

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Hey Stormy! thanks for replying. I took Travis to the Vet this morning and the Vet thinks thats what Travis has too.. He gave me some pills (28 of them) to give Travis twice a day..
Its just scary.. Travis won't move.. he doesn't wanna eat or drink... Tonight I tried to mash his pill into some can catfood. he wouldn't touch it.. Im not so sure i can shove it down his throat. Hopefully he's eatten his pill by now.. Im gonna go check in a few minutes.

I would ask your vet for a pill gun. That is the easiest way to get a pill down a cat. Trust me, I am having to pill Squirrel and our pill gun finally bit the dust, so I am getting bit and scratched on a regular basis. Thankfully the pills are given only once a day. Another trick to try is spray cheese. Put a little bit of cheese on your finger and hold your finger over the cat's nose so she has to lift her head to take it (though if she is congested she won't be able to smell it) Let her eat it, then do it again, only this time tuck the pill (whole) inside. Make sure her throat is arched and head is up and the pill should slide down her throat. Unfortunately, my kitty squirrel does not like cheese-

Awww, I hope Travis takes his meds like a good boy! Luckily my vet always gives me an option of either pills or liquid (if the meds come in both forms) so I always get the liquid...it's a little easier to get down their throats.

Travis isn't taking his pills.. and he won't eat or drink! If this is URI it's hitting him really hard. What should I do ? I've tried to give him a taste of the food on his tongue but that didn't even help. I thought maybe he just couldn't smell his food. Which I'm sure he can't.
I've had my mom help me hold travis while I give him his pill but my hands are taking a huge beating and I haven't seen any signs of improvement since he's been taking his meds..
What do you all think I should do? Should I take him back to the VEt and have him stay in their care for a few days?
He won't eat, drink, won't move.. or open his eyes very much.. he looks so sad....

I just called the Vet and she said I should bring him intoday so they can check to see if he's dehydrated. Im SURE he is!!
Oohh Im so worried... He goes in at 2pm.

The trick to pill giving without a pill gun is to be firm, fast and confident. Take the thumb and first finger of your left hand and place the fingers on either side of his mouth at the point where the "lips" start, back towards the jaw... apply gentle pressure and the mouth will open. Using your right hand, slide the pill into the back of the throat and then remove your fingers quickly - release the hand holding open the mouth and immediately stroke the throat with a downward motion to stimulate swallowing. Offer water immediately.

The vet can also show you how to pill him if you ask.

Hope this helps,

Gaye

Originally Posted by gayef

The trick to pill giving without a pill gun is to be firm, fast and confident. Take the thumb and first finger of your left hand and place the fingers on either side of his mouth at the point where the "lips" start, back towards the jaw... apply gentle pressure and the mouth will open. Using your right hand, slide the pill into the back of the throat and then remove your fingers quickly - release the hand holding open the mouth and immediately stroke the throat with a downward motion to stimulate swallowing. Offer water immediately.

The vet can also show you how to pill him if you ask.

Hope this helps,

Gaye

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thanks Gaye Travis is just such a strong kitty. I've tried all the methods and we got two down him but he's been fighting us ever since. Him being overweight doesn't help either.

I just got done at the vet with Travis... He was running a really high fever and Dr. Alburs and I both agreed that Travis should be kept over night if not two days... He needs to eat and drink... which is something he is not doing.
Im worried about my poor kitty. I've never left him at the vets before..

I wonder how much this is gonna cost me!

Does everyone think it was a good idea that i put Travis under Vet Care because he would not eat or drink for several days?
I just didn't know what else to do..

Yes, I think it's a good idea to leave him at the vet, though I know it's hard on the nerves. He'll get the medicine down him wether he wants it or not Stormy had to stay at the vet for 3 days when she was a kitten and had a bad URI.


Sending more good vibes to Travis.

I think its a good idea he goes back to the vets too. Otherwise you worry when the onus is on you to know how he's doing and whether hes getting everything he needs. Its the best place for a poorly kitty.

Poor boy - can you visit him?

Keep us posted!

Originally Posted by Jaspercat

I think its a good idea he goes back to the vets too. Otherwise you worry when the onus is on you to know how he's doing and whether hes getting everything he needs. Its the best place for a poorly kitty.

Poor boy - can you visit him?

Keep us posted!

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Yes! They told me i could come visit travis any time I wanted to ,but the only problem is , I work full time so I don't see how I'm going to be able to do that... Thankfully though, my mother said she would go see him for me today once she's off work for her morning break.

Last night I had horrible nightmares about poor Travis.. Im so worried about him being there.. alone and sick... Its heartbreaking.. But i know he's getting the care he needs to fight this flu or URI. He just worried me so when he stopped eating.. and it's been 4 days since he stopped eatingand drinking...

Tomorrow hopefully I'll get to take Travis home and we'll be able to care for him. I think he just needed a kick start .

The vet is the best place for him to be. They can monitor his fever and his hydration level; they can provide him with medication, fluids and, if necessary, calories through IV feeding. With a high fever, a stuffed up nose and general malaise he just has no appetite even though he has to eat.

If you need to you can also force feed him until he starts to get over the URI and begins to eat on his own. Ask your vet about a feeding syringe and she may even have special food or liquid that can be fed through a syringe. Baby food (100% meat -nothing else) can also be mixed with a bit of warm water and then fed through a syringe. Pedialyte - the electrolyte fluids given to sick babies - can also be given to him by syringing it in the side of his mouth slowly so he swallows. It will help prevent dehydration and help his blood to rebalance chemically. Get the unflavoured kind -a nd buy it in the single serving size as you won't waste as much. It has a very short shelf life once opened.

Good luck. I sure hope Travis is feeling better soon. Maybe you can stop in and see him at the vets before work or after work? My vets always let me do that as long as someone was still there - I just made arrangements before hand and it was never a problem.

Kathryn

I just called the vet to see how Travis is progressing..
She told me that they gave him a Stimulant to help him eat and drink...so he's started eating... and his fever is down slightly but they wanna keep him there for another day..Which I completely agree on... So i'm gonna call back later this afternoon and see how he's doing, I might be able to go out there and see him too.

I work in a small town about 20 minutes from home and from home the vet is about 15 minutes away.. but with the traffic and such in the afternoon I know it would take me a good hour to get out there to the vet. *sighs* And i get off at 5pm.. so Im not so sure they'd be willing to keep their doors open for me. :\\
But I'll ask for sure!

I might get to pick up Travis this morning! Im suppose to call Dr. Alburs and see how Travis is doing.. I called yesterday before 5pm and he said Travis is doing wonderful, he's eating and drinking and taking his pills... his fever was a little high still so he's stayed over night again.. This morning he may be better to come home!!! I've missed him!

Well... Dr Alburs said that Travis doesn't have a fever anymore BUT he didn't eat for them last night... So Im suppose to call back later this afternoon.. he might eat today and then we can take him home tonight. *sighs* Im gonna make sure I ask for a pill gun and a feeding syringe. I've never had a cat who stopped eating when they were sick..
It's scary....

Travis is still at the vet.. and they did a test to see if he had kitty aids.. Which he tested negitive to.. THank god! I went to the vet last night to visit Travis.. he's sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes... His fever is down and he's taking his medication with the Pill Popper thing... but Dr. Alburs wanted him to stay one more night because he wasn't eating for him yesterday...
Hopefully.. we can take him home today.. Plleeeaase pray that we can take him home today... I Miss him so much and I want to take care of him.... he's been gone from home since Monday and now it's Thursday....

Okay, i've recently posted a threat on here about my sick cat Travis...
but i want some opinions please....

Travis came down with a cough on Friday last week. I took him into the vet Saturday to get checked out. Dr. Alburs said it was probably the beginning of a URI. He gave us some medication and I took Travis home.. Travis ate a little bit and took one pill... Sunday he wouldn't eat, bit the crap out of me when I tried to give him his pill... Monday he still was not eating and he wouldn't move.. walk around.. eat.. drink.. nothing.. he started sneezing too...
I took him back to the Vet Monday on my lunch break. We checked him into Dr. Alburs.. Travis was running a high fever too.

Tuesday I called Dr. Alburs and he told me Travis ate that night and took his medication.. but still has a high fever so he wanted to keep him another night...

Wednesday I call back and they said He hasn't eating anything all day or the night before BUT his fever has gone down quite a bit.... I told them i wanted to come in and see Travis.. So I went up there after work and visited my poor kitty.. He had a runny nose, his eyes were watery, he was sneezing .. but no more coughing..
He looked like he didn't feel good..
So I talked to Dr. Alburs about Travis condition and he said that he could have Kitty Aids... The reason why he mentioned this was because I told him that Travis has incountered other kitties in the neigborhood who like to fight..
So we did a test to see if he had Aids.. But all is clear. Thank god...

They told me I'd probably be able to take him home today..
So I CALLED.. this is THURSDAY... and They told me he is still not eating, BUT he is drinking, using the litter box, taking his pills AND he has no more fever...
BUT they wanna wait till tomorrow and give him some kind of feeding tube thing? IV? *sighs* I Just wonder if they should have done that to start with....
I don't know what to do... I know this is getting expensive too... it's close to 200 dollars right now..
*Sighs* What should I do? Should I go somewhere else? Should I let them keep Travis another night and give him a feeding IV? I just.. I wonder also if Travis would eat if he was at home...

*sighs* I miss my cat damnit!

I would ask why does he need the feeding tube. And he might be homesick is why he isn't eating... And another day wouldn't hurt him to stay there since he's been so sick.. Prayers are with you!