What Did My Cat Catch (Virus/Flu/etc)

[DJWolford]

Disclaimer: All my cats are unvaccinated, i understand i need to get it done, relevant to the topic)

About a week ago i posted this Cat Seems Ill
extremely worried i couldnt figure out what he had and semi-mind ****ed myself on the possibilities.

I have 5 cats - 1 momma and 4 babies, babies about 3.5 years old now.
I've dealt with Cat Respiratory Virus in the past -- very specific symptoms, no possibility of that this time.

My cats specific major symptoms were
Extreme Lethargy
watery eye discharge
visible 3rd eyelids

I took him to the vet she ran blood tests and feline aids/leukemia -- negative on aids/cancer, blood tests didnt really show anything.
All the vet really did was give him fluids / antibiotic shot and gave me antibiotics to take home, but i only gave him 1.5ml of it because he specifically resists so insanely hard.

he didnt want to drink water at all -- no dry food and would only take a couple bits of wet food when opened fresh can. also had diarrhea.
At the beginning of the 5th day after i noticed he was sick, appetite and energy came back and i knew it was gonna be fine.

if not 100% now hes very close.


TL;DR -- if anyone has similar experience i would love to know your thoughts on what my cat might have caught. he goes outdoors for multiple hours a day but stays very close, im assuming he caught something from outside? i really dont know.....
Doesnt seem like conjunctivitis
Doesnt seem like Respiratory virus
Do cats even catch seasonal flu's?

any words of wisdom i would love just for future reference because this could happen again.

 

[DJWolford]

He has started catching birds recently (2) -- maybe possibility aswell?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OH, boy...so many things it could be, but I would have thought that the vet would have caught most of them with the bloodwork. I don't know where to go with this at this point, other than to say, "Thank GOODNESS he is almost back to normal," and to advise that you vaccinate ALL of your cats ASAP (which you already know, as you've stated), especially if they go outside. Or if just one of them does, as that one can drag home anything he comes across.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I didn't hear you mention feline herpes (FVR/FHV-1), which I believe would explain a lot of the symptoms your cat has experienced - sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion, watery eyes, fever, and fatigue are the most common ones. Cats who have herpes tend to have flare ups, which could be what was going on. Flare ups come and go, and while sometimes antibiotics are needed for a secondary infection caused by the flare up, symptoms will often resolve themselves. Here are a couple of articles about feline herpes as well as care recommendations.
Cat Herpes: FVR and FHV-1 Symptoms and Treatments (webmd.com)
All About Feline Herpes | Great Pet Care