my kitty is sick, the doctor says upper respiratory infection, but...??

Question

he has been to the doc 3 times since he was very tiny for this sickness, and he isnt even a year old yet, the first time he was given antibiotic medicine when he was tiny, it helped and he was good for a bit and then he was sick again, lying next to the heater and not doing much of anything, but he was eating and drinking water, the vet gave more antibiotics, he was better for a bit and then again he was sneezing and not moving around much with runny nose and watery eyes, again he was given the same medicine, clarivox i believe it is called, not sure, but now he is out of the medicine again and sneezing and runny nose, i feel so bad for him....

it seems like he has to be on the meds continuosly, he hates taking them, i just wish he would be better, does anyone have any idea what could be the problem with my kitty?

Answer 1

Clavomox is good. I would check the house for mold your kitty could be allergic to mold and that could get symptoms started and then the infection sets in. If your cat goes outside be sure to keep him in there may be something out there he is allergic to. If none of these are possible he may be sick. We do get a lot of sickly kittens and it takes months to rehabilitate them but the best bet is to keep stress levels down in order for him to keep his immune system up.

Try mixing the dose of clavomox in yogurt (just a table spoon) to make it tastier.

Answer 2

I would ask your vet to run a Bartonella blood test on the cat. Bartonella has recently (past five years or so) been associated with chronic conditions such as you described.

One veterinary lab in New Jersey sprecializes in the tests. A small blood sample is mailed to the lab and the results are faxed to the vet. The test takes two weeks or so to run and at the vet hospital where I work costs about $50.

If the test is positive, the cat goes on a specific antibiotic for about a month. The course of antibiotic costs around $60. Then six months later he gets a follow-up blood test. If it comes back negative, that's all there is to it. He wouldn't require any more antibiotic -- it's not a matter of being on something the rest of his life. If the test does not show complete recovery, the cat gets another month-long course of the antibiotic. I don't recall any cat at our hospital not responding to the second go-round.

Two of my cats came back positive for Bartonella and got the treatment, and it made a tremendous difference in their health. I only wish it had been available many years ago.

If your vet has not heard of the Bartonella tests, email me and I will send some information from the vet hospital where I work. I am [e-mail].

Answer 3

That is normal for what your kitty has.

Since 90% of upper respiratory infections are viral in origin, and they have no antibiotics against viruses, it seems strange that most feline upper respiratory infections are treated with anti-bacterial medications. The reason is that it is common for these viral infections to become complicated by secondary bacterial invaders. The antibiotics act on these.

Ninety percent of feline upper respiratory infections are caused by either feline Herpes or feline Calicivirus. Neither of these infections is transmissible to humans or to other animals.

Most feline colds run a course of 7 to10 days regardless of treatment but it is important to realize that these infections are permanent, and stresses to the kitten commonly induce a fresh upper respiratory episode. These episodes may recur for the life of the cat though as the cat matures, symptoms become less and less severe. For younger kittens that are infected, the most significant factor in their throwing off infection, is usually maturing and gaining a more effective immune system growth.

I have found that with different vets, you get varied opinions and treatments on a lot of ailments. I would try a different vet. It never hurts to have a second opinion. I have a cat with Herpes of the eye. My first vet prescribed eye drops that cost $250! Another vet had a different approach and the medicine was $46!

Also read this article on Upper Respiratory Infections. It's very good: http://www.2ndchance.info/respiratorydiscat.htm

Good luck. Your kitty is lucky to have an owner that cares.

Answer 4

Your vet is doing all that can be done for your kitten I think.

Unfortunately, upper respiratory infections are often viral in cats, and there is no cure for viruses - only treatment for symptoms. The antibiotics the cat is on are given not to cure the illness, but to prevent secondary bacterial infection.

Upper respiratory illnesses can be symptomatic of viral cat 'flu as well as FIP (feline infectious peritonitis, not uncommon in young cats) or other viruses. Once a cat has caught one of these viruses, the symptoms can flare up from time to time. With cat flu, even if a cat gets over it they will be a carrier for the rest of their life i.e able to infect other cats even if they're not showing symptoms. It is not uncommon for a young cat to contract a form of calici or coronavirus. Once they do, it's up to the immune system to fight it off, meds can only assist, not cure the problem.

Your vet is the best person to ask these questions. If your vet cannot cure your animal (and as I said, there is no cure for viruses) then no one on Yahoo can!

Ask your vet if tests can be taken to find out the specific illness your cat has. You might then have a better chance of discovering the cat's long term prognosis. Also explain all these concerns to your vet so they can advise you, perhaps on changes of meds that your cat may be more comfortable with. I'm afraid this is going to be a long-term condition your cat has.

Chalice

Answer 5

Sounds like your kitty has Herpesvirus which are recurring. So maybe everytime he has a breakout he gets a URI!! A URI is usally caused by a virus working out in 7-10 days. The vet will usually give antibotics to help with any secondary bacterial infections. Hope your kitty feels better soon.

Answer 6

Some UTI's are hard to get rid of and need a couple of doses of antibiotic.

You may need to wash the bedding and whatever bedding he lays on to get rid of the germs. Wash all of his food bowls with antibacterial soap, get rid of all the old toys he has (if he has any) and get new ones.

When the kittens and cats have UTI's in the shelter, we treat with Clavamox but then we need to disinfect all of the cages (with Rocal) and use a ventilation system to help clear the air.

This might help. If not, the vet may need to prescribe another medication or do more tests to see if anything else is going on.

Good Luck.