Cats passing sickness to each other,

Hi, all our cats have been sick with a cough and sneezing and plugged up head, not all at the same time, one cat gets it then gets better than another till they all had it. Now its starting all over again, How do I stop this stuff from going around and around to all of our cats? I think when I got Tuffy he must have started the whole cycle of them getting sick. I asked the vet if there was any vaccination [sp?] for this stuff and she said not really.

Keep the kitties separated and get the *sick* one (meaning, whoever is sick now) to the vet ASAP. Napoleon passed a URI to Cassie, who up until that point had never been sick. I had to get her on antibiotics and Napoleon sepaarated. If you don't separate them, they will keep passing it on to each other. Also, keep their food/water bowls separated.

You need to throw out allof the toys, beds or anything that you cannot wash with bleach out. The virus or whatever the sickness is, is sticking around somehow. I would also disenfect EVERYTHING that they are in contact with. The floors, walls, litter area, food area window perches etc... BTW what food do you feed them? They may need one with something to help bbost their immune system.

I wonder if all the cats have recurring herpes? Seems like all the other viruses develop immunity and I can't see why they'd keep getting sick.

I was also hoping that once they had it they wouldn't get it again. Today I am not so sure that Panther is getting it again.He seems fine today, maybe he was coughing yesturday from some other reason. Missy is just getting over whatever they had. If I compaired it to what people get it is just like a bad cold. Coughing ,sneezing, watery eyes, clear stuff from nose, lasts about a week.

This sounds so familiar! We got a new kitty the Sunday after Thanksgiving and she had an URI, then last Friday our older kitty came down with it. Remember, too, that the germs will circulate to some degree through the heating/AC system in your house.

Separate the currently sick one from the others and allow no exposure to the sick one. Wash your hands with antibacterial hand soap before & after visiting with the one in isolation. Make sure the sick one is on some kind of antibiotic. If possible, wash the food bowls and water bowls in antibacterial dishwashing liquid daily and use HOT water. Wash any towels or wash cloths used in the sick room frequently.

To help with the congestion, you can use a humidifier or vaporizor to moisten the air. I've also been putting a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil on a washcloth near where the kitties are sleeping to help clear up the stuffiness in their noses. My vet also recommended putting just a little dab of Vick's on the tip of the nose to help open them up. (We have been using Baby Vick's).

The best thing is to remember to wash your hands and any other exposed part of your body that the sick one sneezes on or rubs on.

Stephanie