My feral cat has been sick for 6-8 months. She is currently taking Baytril antiboitics. She uses her acessory muscles to breathe/retraction, she gets dizzy spells/hypoxemia, she salavates alot when she eats, she has her tongue out frequently and sometimes driping w/saliva, she has a hard time breathing, makes a lot of noise when breathing. What OTC meds, children's meds, or cat meds could she take? I trapped her and took her to the vet but they said that they cant treat ferals w/o sedation and sedation could mean losing her. What kind of disease do you think this is? I just want her to live comfortably and as long as she can so i am seeking medication interventions.
2006-10-17 10:58:48 · 9 answers · asked by aznsoymilk829 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
I edited this:
My feral cat has been sick for 6-8 months. She is currently taking Baytril antiboitics (for a week now 22.7mg/day/tab). She uses her acessory muscles to breathe/retraction, she gets dizzy spells/hypoxemia, she salavates alot when she eats, she has her tongue out frequently and sometimes driping w/saliva, she has a hard time breathing, makes a lot of noise when breathing. What OTC meds, children's meds, or cat meds could she take? I trapped her and took her to the vet but they said that they cant treat ferals w/o sedation and sedation could mean losing her. meaning that she already has respiratory depression and a hard time breathing and to sedate her will depress her breathing more. What kind of disease do you think this is? I just want her to live comfortably and as long as she can so i am seeking medication interventions.
2006-10-17 14:59:17 · update #1
If she has been sick that long, it is NOT likely a feline upper resp. syndrome....that usually resolves within 2-4 weeks....and it's generally viral in nature anyway, unless it progresses to pneumonia or bacterial sinusitis. (Which it doesn't really sound like.)
I'd be concerned about her having FeLV, FIV, FIP, etc., etc, etc. (I'm especially leary of FIP, given your description. The breathing *pattern* you describe is a major concern.) Unfortunately, all of those carry a very poor prognosis if showing the symptoms you describe. But if she has them, better to find out and do something about it rather than letting her die a slow, drawn-out, miserable death. An above poster is right....there's also no sense in allowing her to spread such things to other cats out there.
Do NOT give her benadryl...that will only thicken the mucus and make matters worse. There is really nothing OTC you can give her. If you can't find a DVM who will treat her, the best thing you can do is to get the bathroom all nice and steamy and keep her in there (in a cage) to breathe that for 15-20 minutes, as many times a day as you can do it. If you know of anyone who has a nebulizer, you could put her in a small cage and use inhalant medications that your DVM could prescribe, as long as that doesn't stress her out and cause further respiratory distress.
Baytril is a good antibiotic, but not my favorite for the type problem you describe. How long has she been on it, and at what dose? How are you giving it to her? You have to be careful about it causing retinal detachment/sudden blindness in some cats, and many cats just feel plain cruddy while on it.
Treating feral cats like that is a double-edged sword. I absolutely will not allow any of my staff to handle them UNLESS fully sedated.....b/c if they get bitten, we have no choice but to euthanize the cat for a rabies test. It's the law. And it's a risk to my staff I'm not willing to take. I'll sometimes take a chance myself, once I've assessed the cat's demeanor through a cage....because I have a high rabies antibody titer from vaccination. (Plus, I have several other tricks up my sleeve for handling cats like that without endangering myself or the cat.) But keep in mind....if the cat has respiratory distress, even just putting it on an x-ray table to see what the lungs look like, or drawing blood, can cause it to go over the edge if done while awake.
If she's no better after a few days of breathing the steam, I'd say you need to bite the bullet, say a prayer, and let them sedate her. I'm sure they'll start with an FeLV/FIV test and chest x-ray. Because if the blood test is positive, or the chest shows a lot of fluid, there's no sense in letting her wake up. If those look okay, however, then the next logical step would be a CBC and chem. panel, fecal, etc....and whatever else is deemed appropriate based on physical exam. (They'll of course examine the inside of her mouth, nose, etc.) As scary as sedation is, it's probably a lot less likely to kill her than having blood drawn or a chest x-ray taken while awake in that condition.
It sounds like you have a heart of gold, and I wish I could do more to help. I wish you the best of luck.
2006-10-17 12:15:38 · answer #1 · answered by A Veterinarian 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like your cat could be suffering from feline upper respiratory syndrome. Antibiotics are the only way to treat advanced cases, but you need an accurate diagnosis and only a thorough medical exam can do that.
Over the counter meds can be fatal to cats because their digestive system is different from ours and there are substances which the feline stomach simply can't break down. If your vet can't help you, try the local animal shelter. They often have a vet on staff and they are experienced in dealing with ferals. You could also try a vet who practices in a rural area. These vets often have barn cats as patients and so are used to angry feline customers.
2006-10-17 11:14:02 · answer #2 · answered by Gallifrey's Gone 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Do not give any human meds to cats. It's poison, she could die. ONLY give what the vet prescribed.
It sounds like she needs more vet care. I know it's hard with the feral cats, but she may have something like Feline leukemia or Feline AIDS. If that is the case, she will be infecting other cats with these diseases.
It is worth the risk to put her under anesthesia. One, because she is suffering, at this point, it might be kinder to put her to sleep. Months of illness will have taken a toll on her body and it's cruel to let her go on as she is.
Also, because you don't want to be spreading deadly diseases if she has them. Think of your neighbor's cats. Think of all the cats who's disease could be prevented if only you did the right thing.
2006-10-17 11:14:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Try drinking lots of fluids. The fluids can loosen the congestion/mucus. Also, have someone beat your back with the palm of their hand, not too hard, but not too light. Believe it or not it loosens the phlem. Mucinex also works. Avoid dairy too, it can thicken the mucus. Also, you may need to see your DR for some extra bronchodilators to help you during your acute spells.
2016-03-18 21:17:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats have very sensitive bodys and can die from eating an asprin! I wouldn't give her anything without a vet prescription! Sounds like a sever upper respitory infection, which could have been prevented with regular vaccines. If she's feral how do you plan to medicat her? the meds we have given cats with uri is a pill you need to force them to take.
2006-10-17 11:06:17 · answer #5 · answered by pharfly1 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
NO OTC meds should ever be given to pets without consulting a vet first, some meds are ok for cats, but the dosage would be much much different than it would be for you or me.
The risk of losing her because of an adverse reactions to the sedative is very very slim, Its worth it to get her better.
It sounds like it could be an upper respitory problem, which could eventually be fatal if you don't let the vet help her.
2006-10-17 11:08:45 · answer #6 · answered by Nikki T 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
you need to find another vet thats ridiculous, also you may want to try and run a humidifier or vaporizer for her the steam will do her good and she just needs to be in the same room with the humidifier for maybe 1/2 hour intervals twice a day...this will be similar to a breathing treatment
2006-10-17 11:51:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please take her back to the vet and let them sedate her and treat her, My personal opinion is if you let her stay the way she is to me is cruel and if your vet said to give her human meds that's one thing, but let your VET tell you what to give her. Most people here like myself are not vet and we haven't seen your cat, so PLEASE don't give her human meds without your vets approval. Good Luck KG
2006-10-17 12:01:15 · answer #8 · answered by kgreives 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
benadryll -tabs or liquid depending on the size of your pet.Has she been checked for worms
2006-10-17 11:09:52 · answer #9 · answered by Zabrina's sis 1 · 0⤊ 6⤋