Cat Cold?

[kerry]

I have two grey tabbys. They are both inside cats. The one who is ill we adopted about 2 years ago. Babs is estimated to be about 5 years old and seems to have a cold. Her sinus seem congested and her nose drips some clear fluid for about the last 2 days. One of the two had a little diarrea about 3 days ago. It passed in a day so I could not tell who had it. She eats well and just sneezes some and has some nasal drainage. She had a bath about 10 days ago due to a few fleas and while she was a little stressed from it I kept her warm while she dried off and tried to comfort her after her bath. She has never been very active but for the last 2 to 3 weeks seems to have a little problem with balance. After waking up on the back of the couch I have seen her stretch and then fall off when she woke up.

A little history on her. She has always had bad breath and to me seems that she has been hit by a car or something as she gets around ok but is not very active and jumps around kind of gingerly. We got her when she was about 3-4 years old and according to the adoption agency tested negetive for Felv. I took her to a vet when got her and according to him she checked out ok but I believe that something has happened to her in the past, maybe hit by a car or something.

I have been trying to keep her warm and well feed/watered. I am going to start giving her a little vitamin C in her food. I hope that this is just a cold and will pass soon. Any ideas on this? Any suggestions on how to treat her if it is a cold or if you think it is something more serious would be very appreciated. TIA

Kerry

 

[sandie]

My guess is that at some point she was infected with one of the upper respitrory infections. Most cats who come into contact or come down with the infection become carriers for thier lifetime. Usually stress,weakened immune system etc will bring it back. First line of defense is a somewhat regular vaccine schedule. It is easily passed from one cat to another, so it is likely that the other cat will have the same thing. If she is not feeling well for more than a few days, a vet visit is in order. If left untreated it can develope into phneumonia. Especially when you mention loss of balance, that is a definate red flag for a trip to the vet.