Fiv Positive Cat With A Cold - How Long Will This Last?

[aprilc]

We have had a rough week here.

My cats are all indoor cats and we have not fostered or introduced another cat into the home recently.

One of our cats is FIV+, he also has a heart condition, HCM. On Thursday he seemed fine, Thursday late evening he was coughing a little. We thought it was a hairball. Friday I was gone all day dealing with a family emergency. My daughter advised that he did not eat and was still “working on the hairball”. When I got home at 2 a.m. he was clearly not well and we went to the emergency vet.

My first thought was that it was his heart or that he had thrown a clot to his lungs but the x-rays showed no signs of congestive heart failure and the vet doesn’t feel his symptoms are consistent with a clot. He also has a mild fever and she said he would have a low temperature if it were his lungs.

They gave him oxygen and started him on antibiotics. The vet felt it was either feline asthma or a cold. They sent us home at 6 a.m. and wanted us to go see our vet in the morning which we did.

At this point I had 8 hours of sleep in three nights and I was running on caffeine and swear words so I didn’t ask all the questions I should have.

Our regular vet did some blood work which we don’t have the results of yet, but they also believe he has a cold - say it could have been in his sustem forever and now with stress it rears its ugly head.

He has mostly stopped coughing which is good but he is open mouth breathing because he is congested and can’t breathe through his nose. Because of this, he isn’t very interested in food because he can’t smell it (and he is sick so not terribly hungry). He hasn’t had a meal in 48 or more hours, but I did manage to convince him to eat a little tuna this morning, a very little bit. He is on two antibiotics.

At this point I am starting to worry about him not eating - hepatic lipidosis is not what I want our next vet visit to be about.

When do I start freaking out? How long does the worst part of a cat cold last?

He just wants to sleep right now. He is on some pain medication because his tonsils are inflamed, and he had some subcutaneous fluids at the vet yesterday so I am not overly concerned about dehydration yet.

 

[Furballsmom]

At this point I had 8 hours of sleep in three nights and I was running on caffeine and swear words so I didn’t ask all the questions I should have.

I've so been there!

Poor baby. Poor you!

So, have you had a chance to put him into the bathroom with a steamy shower, 2-3 times a day. Or, if you have a small humidifier and a tarp, you could make a humidity tent with him inside. This will help his congested airways.

Maybe some of these things would help, on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A shot glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken or beef flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand - it's usually smelly. See if it's eaten on its own, then maybe mix it in or put on top

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes are on the internet, look for some with goat milk)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables

• There are also lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something helps a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• You could brew some chamomile tea (from the little bags - it's safe for cats) for him, a couple teaspoons a couple times a day or so

 

[stephanietx]

To add to the above, you can try warming his food up in a warm water bath or by adding some warm water to the food to make it thick like oatmeal. Find some stinky food, such as Fancy Feast classics. If he still refuses to eat, contact the vet and pick up some cans of Science Diet a/d. That stuff is full of nutrients and is like kitty crack.

 

[aprilc]

I got some of the pouches, he wasn't interested. I can't even get him to drink water right now.

I will try putting him in the bathroom when we shower, see if that helps him. It is ridiculously warm and humid where we are right now, feels like being in the shower already, ugh.

We have raw fermented goats milk that we give to our dog (apparently it is supposed to help with allergies, the jury is still out on that) but I am concerned about giving it to a cat that may be immune compromised and is already sick. Thoughts?

The vet tried some of the prescription food yesterday and he was not interested.

I think that if I can't get him to drink that it is unlikely I will be able to get him to eat. I just need to know how long the worst of this lasts? Is it the same as it is for humans, a day or two is the worst of it? If so he should be feeling a little better by tomorrow.

His timing is terrible. My father passed away on Wednesday and I really don't want to lose my cat too so he MUST get better.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm so sorry! Can your daughter help out with trying some of the things that have been suggested?

I don't know how long this might last for your kitty - every cat is different.

He's probably almost as stressed as you are. Try borrowing a small humidifier and a tarp for a tent - these sessions need to happen several a day for several days.

Keep thinking about the different things that have been suggested, there may very well be something that works for him.

Raw goats milk is a nutritionally complete food, it should be fine for your cat. I'm not a vet but I'm not seeing anything that states otherwise.

You won't know 'til you try

Keep in mind that if you can't get him to eat/drink something, you may end up syringe feeding him. Hang in there!!

 

[aprilc]

alright, I will try some of the goats milk. I was only worried because it could have bacteria in it, because it is unpasturized. I felt that giving him more bacteria would probably not be a good plan.

 

[Furballsmom]

This thread post might help you - it has to do with force feeding which isn't a stage you're at, but the mention of the foods and goat milk is something I thought you'd find interesting;
Advice For Force Feeding Hepatic Lipidosis Kitty

 

[Pjg8r]

I didn’t read all the posts, please forgive me, did your vet give subq fluids? My two caught their new sister’s URI and really the only symptom was they didn’t want any wet food. I even tried sardines and no interest. Mine would eat some kibble. I took them to the ER and they were given fluids. We started them on antibiotics too but the next day they would eat again. I think they were already dehydrated since they don’t drink water except in their wet food. It took Alex a week for his eye to stop watering slightly.

 

[aprilc]

He did get sub-cutaneous fluids so I am
Not overly worried about dehydration yet.

He got an antibiotic injection 36 hours ago, but only started on the oral antibiotic last night, so we aren’t 24 hours in on that one yet.

 

[aprilc]

Given his FIV+ status and his heart problems, I know his time with me is limited. I would prefer he didn’t go just yet but it is much more important to me that he doesn’t suffer. He was a scruffy, skinny, scabby, scarred street cat who showed up on my porch one day and waited around until I caved and brought him in. He is perfect in every way, the absolute best, chillest, most loving cat I have ever met. He had a shitty life before he came here so I just want to make sure he is as happy as he can be while he is here.

I thought we were losing him on Saturday morning so I am glad we seem to have a little more time, but he just looks so miserable.

 

[stephanietx]

Sometimes when kitties are given sub-q fluids, their appetite decreases for a bit because they feel "full". Because his immune system is already compromised due to the FIV, it will take him longer to recover than a "normal" kitty. Keep trying to feed him small meals every couple of hours. Plain meat baby food is usually my go-to. You can try sprinkling the top with parmesan cheese or bonito flakes. You can also mix canned food with plain baby Pedialyte (an electrolyte supplement) and syringe feed him.

 

[stephanietx]

I just read that he got the injectible antibiotic shot. I'm assuming that was Convenia. That shot can make them overly lethargic and zombie-like. Do some research on that medication here on the board and on the internet.

 

[silkenpaw]

Dont sweat the Convenia. It’s not evil, like some people say. There are some issues with it, but what medication doesn’t have issues?

See if the vet will prescribe you some antibiotic eye drops to drip in his nose. I think my Bassie got tobramycin when she had a stuffy nose and wasn’t eating. Her nose cleared up right away. And she, too, had looked perfectly miserable when she was blowing bubbles out of her nose.

Thank you for taking care of this cat. I can tell you love him. He’s lucky to have you. Please keep us updated on what happens.

 

[aprilc]

He has had covenia before and had no reaction, I am not concerned about the medication.

I think we are turning a corner! He was getting up and going to his food bowl when we fed the other cats last night but wouldn’t eat. At about 4 am he ate some tuna. He also doesn’t feel as warm and he has stopped hiding in his crate. He loves his crate so I wasn’t terribly concerned but he is out laying in the sunroom and moving about a bit. Just about to try to feed him again. Fingers crossed.

I am dreading what his bloodwork will show when the results come in but we will deal with that when we get there. I think we are entering the end stages of FIV, his white blood cell count was a little low last year and I think it is probably bottomed out, but we will see.

He loves to lay on our chests and wash out faces, I think he still has a few face washes left in him.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[aprilc]

My husband just came upstairs, said he thought Thomas was drooling but it is snot pouring out of his nose. So that is good. From my own colds I always feel better when the snot starts running instead of that stuffed up, it won’t move feeling.

 

[Furballsmom]

Here to continuing improvement!

 

[aprilc]

Still not improving. We went back to the vet on Tuesday for some sub cutaneous fluids and a decongestant. Still not eating. His blood work came back, his white blood cell count was ok.

I am running out of options. I don't know how long this will last, I am not sure if I am just letting him suffer through something he can't fight off. Am I making him suffer needlessly? Or is it just a cold and he will get over it and I am being ridiculous?

We are getting one small meal into him a day, beyond that he is not interested in anything we offer from kitten formula to tuna.

 

[silkenpaw]

What the prognosis is for for your particular cat, only your vet, who knows his whole history, can help you with.

As far as tempting him to eat, have you tried all of the kitty delectables Furballsmom posted?

Good luck and keep us updated on whatever you decide. We are here to help.

 

[cheeser]

It usually takes our FIV+ kitty about two weeks to bounce back from an upper respiratory infection, sometimes a little longer. And if he has a secondary bacterial infection that requires antibiotics, he needs to be on them twice as long as a healthier cat would.

Is your cat on any supplements to strengthen his immune system? Our vet told us we can double the dosage of Buddy's L-Lysine and lactoferrin when he's sick, and go back to the maintenance dose when he's better. Sometimes I go ahead and double the dose at the first sign of trouble, and it seems to help at least lessen the severity and/or length of his flare-ups.

We lost a cat to hepatic lipidosis several years ago, so I'm really paranoid about that sort of thing now, and tend to whip out the syringes as soon as Buddy's appetite slacks off. Sometimes I add a little bit of Nutri-Cal and bone broth to some Gerber ham baby food to get in some extra calories and fluids. Our vet told us not to give Buddy any raw milk. I know some FIV+ cats don't seem to have a problem with it, but Buddy has always been on the sickly side since we rescued him, and the vet feels we'd just be tempting fate. But every cat is different.

Closing Buddy up with us in the bathroom while the shower is running helps sometimes. Other times saline drops work better. But thus far, the best weapon in our upper respiratory infection fighting arsenal is a prescription eye drop that the vet prescribed for off label use as nose drops: Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Suspension. Buddy usually shows significant improvement after about 2-3 days. We just try to use them as sparingly as possible, since he's almost always sick with something, and we want the drops to be as effective as possible when we really, REALLY need them.

Hang in there. There have been so many times these past five years when we feared the worst, and by the grace of God, Buddy is still here.