Cat has URI and is super congested

[Gizm0]

My 8 month old kitten just got sick for the first time and he’s having a hard go. We are on day 5 of the URI. It started with sneezing and a runny nose and progressed to bad congestion today.

Yesterday we had a vet visit and he was prescribed liquid doxy. He’s only had two doses so far..he was a lot less congested yesterday.

He’s been sleeping most of the day and I have a humidifier running next to him (plain water, no Vicks or oils, don’t worry). He’s eating and drinking, there’s no eye discharge, just clear runny nose snot. He doesn’t want to play at all. He just seems so sad and it kills me to hear him struggling to breathe with a snotty nose.

Should I take him back to the vet and get an antibiotic shot? Is there really anything they can do for him or do I just have to give it time? Maybe saline nose drops? Get a nebulizer treatment? I just feel super bad for him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You probably ought to give the antibiotics more time to work - better than doubling up on the antibiotics. At least call and ask the vet about the anticipated timeline to see improvement. In the meantime, try running hot water in a bathroom with the door closed to create a steamy, sauna effect. Then, take him in there and sit with him for 5 or so minutes and see if that helps. You can do that multiple times a day.

If this is viral related, you might want to look into supplements that can boost his immune system and help to reduce recurrences. One mentioned here often is DMG.
DMG ( Vitamin B15 ) for Pet Health | Pet Health | Articles | Magazine (totalhealthmagazine.com)
Amazon.com : VetriScience Vetri DMG Liquid Drop Immune Support Supplement for Dogs, Cats and Birds, 112mL Bottle : Pet Antioxidant Nutritional Supplements : Pet Supplies

 

[stephanietx]

It takes about 72 hours for antibiotics to kick in. In the meantime, you can steam him the bathroom. Get your bathroom good and steamy and then sit in there with him while the steam dissipates. This always worked better for my girl even though I ran the vaporizer for her all the time. You can also get plain saline nasal drops (no decongestant or anything added to it) and put one drop in each nostril. This helps them sneeze out the snot. You could also ask the vet for nose drops (Gentamycin) or even Tobramycin eye drops which will help to clear up congestion.