Cat has had constant URI’s for 2+ Years

[Jaxpax]

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping others with similar experience can chime in, because I’m at a loss. I have a 2 and a half year old cat that has had URI’s pretty much his whole life. They are fully bacterial in nature and he sneezes yellow discharge often, his eyes are always crusty. He has been to the vet many times, had blood work (normal), and tried many medications to no avail. Orbax, Clavamox, baytril, azithromycin, doxycycline. Also famciclovir. What else can I do? He is always better on antibiotics but no matter how high the dose, or how long, he just reverts quickly after coming off them. I can’t just keep temporarily putting him on antibiotics. But his colds are bad enough that it kills me to watch him low energy when he’s off meds. When he’s on antibiotics, he‘s like a totally normal cat. When he’s off, he‘s still playful and cuddly and eats/drinks well, appetite is never an issue, but it’s obvious he‘s struggling to breath and get comfortable often. He has fits at least several times a day of hacking/coughing. Is there any sort of natural remedy anyone has tried with success? Is there a protocol for a cat that has been on antibiotics too many times? He always completes his courses as directed but it’s obvious he has a resistance all the same. He has lived with 4 other cats this entire time, who are around him every day (for years) and they never get colds, not even infrequently, although all obviously carry the herpesvirus.

Thank you in advance for any ideas!

 

[Vulky]

Have you had allergy tests? Bad allergies can lead to bacterial infection if untreated. And too many antibiotic treatments and they just stop working no matter how strong they are.

As for remedies, I have two FIV+ cats and have used Vetoquinol Viralys Powder (lysine supplement) for URI for years with some success, though I will say I had a cat for many years who was supposedly fine but matched the description of your cat perfectly - we finally found out too late into his life that he had some sort of nasal deformity (plus allergies) that caused a lot of his problems and he probably needed surgery as a young cat to help with it. Instead we had put him on a hypoallergenic food (I think it was a Natural Balance one) and gave him clear baby Benedril (with our vets recommendation and blessing - but I don't remember the dose) or half a crushed adult Benedril pill once a day when he was really bad and it helped more than anything but probably contributed to his early kidney issues. Weirdly, out of desperation, we tried the "old wive's tale" or whatever you call it trick of wiping the back of his head with a little organic apple cider vinegar (on a cotton ball) and wiping his paws with a 50/50 vinegar/water mix twice a day and that often helped, too - though don't ask me how or why!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Also, have you had his discharge cultured to see exactly what this bacteria is? Some of them can be very specific for medications. Just a thought.

 

[Jaxpax]

Have you had allergy tests? Bad allergies can lead to bacterial infection if untreated. And too many antibiotic treatments and they just stop working no matter how strong they are.

As for remedies, I have two FIV+ cats and have used Vetoquinol Viralys Powder (lysine supplement) for URI for years with some success, though I will say I had a cat for many years who was supposedly fine but matched the description of your cat perfectly - we finally found out too late into his life that he had some sort of nasal deformity (plus allergies) that caused a lot of his problems and he probably needed surgery as a young cat to help with it. Instead we had put him on a hypoallergenic food (I think it was a Natural Balance one) and gave him clear baby Benedril (with our vets recommendation and blessing - but I don't remember the dose) or half a crushed adult Benedril pill once a day when he was really bad and it helped more than anything but probably contributed to his early kidney issues. Weirdly, out of desperation, we tried the "old wive's tale" or whatever you call it trick of wiping the back of his head with a little organic apple cider vinegar (on a cotton ball) and wiping his paws with a 50/50 vinegar/water mix twice a day and that often helped, too - though don't ask me how or why!

Thank you! I didn’t realize allergies could do that, but I will talk to my vet about getting him tested. Part of the problem is my vet isn’t experienced in more complicated cases, so trying to find a good vet with a lot of cat experience is a challenge. He is somewhat flat faced so I will have them look for a deformity as well. I had a cat years ago that had ear polyps, I wonder if this could be similar to that. And I’m all for trying natural solutions, I hate the thought of keeping him on constant medication especially because his appetite is so strong. I appreciate all your insight.

 

[Jaxpax]

Also, have you had his discharge cultured to see exactly what this bacteria is? Some of them can be very specific for medications. Just a thought.

I have not. I‘m going to look for a new vet with more experience and will ask them too though, thank you, I didn’t realize this was possible.

 

[stephanietx]

My Hannah was like this. It took us 8 months to find out that she had a secondary infection. We treated the secondary infection and then she was better. Our vet did a culture and sensitivity test on her nasal discharge. She had high pseudomonas, which can be fatal if not treated. The culture showed bacterial or viral and the sensitivity test showed which med would best treat it.