respiratory problems with kitten? home cures?

I have an 11-12 week old kitten that I adopted from a lady down the road.
The kitten has been very healthy but for what seemed like a hairball problem
she developed a couple of weeks ago. Then after I started treating her for
what I believed was a hairball, she started sneezing and acting like she had
a cold. I love this cat dearly, but cannot afford a vet bill right now. If
I could, I'd take her in a minute. Am I seeing this problem wrong? Is there
anything I can do for her at home to help her feel better??

Man, I've never had a kitten that young have a hairball problem. If it is
just a URI, it should be very inexpensive to treat. Also, run steamy water
in the bathroom a couple of times a day and be in there with her for a few
minutes OR if you have a vaporizer run it. Keep her cozy. Kittens can crash
fast so if she starts getting worse you REALLY need to see a vet. Is she
eating and drinking?

"Nancy R via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...
I have an 11-12 week old kitten that I adopted from a lady down the road.
The kitten has been very healthy but for what seemed like a hairball
problem
she developed a couple of weeks ago. Then after I started treating her
for
what I believed was a hairball, she started sneezing and acting like she
had
a cold. I love this cat dearly, but cannot afford a vet bill right now.
If
I could, I'd take her in a minute. Am I seeing this problem wrong? Is
there
anything I can do for her at home to help her feel better??

"Karen" wrote in message
...
Man, I've never had a kitten that young have a hairball problem. If it is
just a URI, it should be very inexpensive to treat. Also, run steamy water
in the bathroom a couple of times a day and be in there with her for a few
minutes OR if you have a vaporizer run it. Keep her cozy. Kittens can
crash
fast so if she starts getting worse you REALLY need to see a vet. Is she
eating and drinking?

Ditto what Karen said. A kitten that young probably wouldn't have a
hairball. Does she have colored discharge when sneezing? Does she sound
wheezy? How is she otherwise, i.e. is she still playing, eating, using the
litterbox?


--
-Kelly

Yes, she is drinking, but not eating much because she is congested. She
tries to eat when I come in there, but she doesn't eat much. She is pretty
normal when I come in and sit with her, but she seems more lethargic than
normal. When she sneezes, she has some colored mucous, but not much. She
sounds like a human with a bad cold. She kinda breathes with her mouth open
like we do when we are congested. I've had her in the bathroom with all her
things, plus I've been running a hot bath in the tub a couple of times a day
to loosen up the phlegm. I'm not really sure what to do. I've got a heating
pad under her blanket, with the temperature set on low. Any other
suggestions? It would break my heart if something happened to her. She
seems to perk up when I come in to see her.
Nancy

Karen wrote:
Man, I've never had a kitten that young have a hairball problem. If it is
just a URI, it should be very inexpensive to treat. Also, run steamy water
in the bathroom a couple of times a day and be in there with her for a few
minutes OR if you have a vaporizer run it. Keep her cozy. Kittens can crash
fast so if she starts getting worse you REALLY need to see a vet. Is she
eating and drinking?

I have an 11-12 week old kitten that I adopted from a lady down the road.
The kitten has been very healthy but for what seemed like a hairball problem
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
I could, I'd take her in a minute. Am I seeing this problem wrong? Is there
anything I can do for her at home to help her feel better??


--
Message posted via CatKB.com
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She sounds a bit wheezy, but not horribly. She kinda breathes through her
mouth like we do when we are stopped up. She is using the litter box, but
her stools seem a bit softer than usual. When I come in to see her, I scoop
her up and hold her to my chest, and she likes to play with my hair and my
necklace. (Pretty normal for her!) She has some colored discharge when she
sneezes, but not a lot.

Snittens wrote:
Man, I've never had a kitten that young have a hairball problem. If it is
just a URI, it should be very inexpensive to treat. Also, run steamy water
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
fast so if she starts getting worse you REALLY need to see a vet. Is she
eating and drinking?

Ditto what Karen said. A kitten that young probably wouldn't have a
hairball. Does she have colored discharge when sneezing? Does she sound
wheezy? How is she otherwise, i.e. is she still playing, eating, using the
litterbox?



--
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http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200508/1

"Nancy R via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...
Yes, she is drinking, but not eating much because she is congested. She
tries to eat when I come in there, but she doesn't eat much. She is
pretty
normal when I come in and sit with her, but she seems more lethargic than
normal. When she sneezes, she has some colored mucous, but not much. She
sounds like a human with a bad cold. She kinda breathes with her mouth
open
like we do when we are congested. I've had her in the bathroom with all
her
things, plus I've been running a hot bath in the tub a couple of times a
day
to loosen up the phlegm. I'm not really sure what to do. I've got a
heating
pad under her blanket, with the temperature set on low. Any other
suggestions? It would break my heart if something happened to her. She
seems to perk up when I come in to see her.
Nancy



It sounds like you really need to get her to a vet. The colored discharge,
nasal congestion, and wheezing is a sign of an upper respiratory infection.
She needs medication in order to clear it up. I'm sorry that's not the
answer you are looking for, but please get her seen immediately.

-Kelly

On Fri 05 Aug 2005 05:55:14p, Nancy R via CatKB.com wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav ):

Yes, she is drinking, but not eating much because she is
congested. She tries to eat when I come in there, but she
doesn't eat much. She is pretty normal when I come in and sit
with her, but she seems more lethargic than normal. When she
sneezes, she has some colored mucous, but not much. She sounds
like a human with a bad cold. She kinda breathes with her mouth
open like we do when we are congested. I've had her in the
bathroom with all her things, plus I've been running a hot bath
in the tub a couple of times a day to loosen up the phlegm. I'm
not really sure what to do. I've got a heating pad under her
blanket, with the temperature set on low. Any other
suggestions? It would break my heart if something happened to
her. She seems to perk up when I come in to see her.

This really is common for kittens. What color is the nasal
discharge? It's common for some blood to be in it if they are
sneezing a lot - little blood vessels get broken easily. The steam
treatment you're doing will help a lot. I agree that you really
should get her to the vet. Chances are that if she's already been
tested for things like feline leukemia and feline aids, they won't
really have any tests to run, so you could get away with just an
office visit fee, plus any medications the vet feels necessary. If
she has a fever (usually what you're seeing is viral and supportive
care is usually what is required) they might put her on antibiotics
for a secondary infection. The vet may also recommend/prescribe an
antihistamine to dry her up. Make sure she eats and drinks - I had
to supplement my sickly kitten with all-meat baby food when she
wouldn't eat. I spoon-fed it to her. It has a strong smell and it
must taste pretty good even when they're not hungry. Keeping her
warm and unstressed is good, as you're doing.

Finally, sometimes the upper respiratory illness you're seeing is
caused by a very common feline herpes virus - how are her eyes?
For feline herpes it's common to use an enzyme, l-lysine mixed in
her food, or in baby food if you end up supplementing that way. The
typical dose is 250mg 2x per day and it can't hurt her. L-lysine
will help stop replication of the herpes virus. I know how you feel
- I thought I was going to lose my little girl when she got so
skinny and was just miserable. She must have been to the vet at
least 5 times in her first 3 months with me. She and her
littermate are about 11 months now, and very healthy!

--
Cheryl

"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited
breath."
- W.C. Fields

YES. Work out a plan with the vet that you can make payments.
Gail
"Snittens" wrote in message
...

"Nancy R via CatKB.com" wrote in message
...
Yes, she is drinking, but not eating much because she is congested. She
tries to eat when I come in there, but she doesn't eat much. She is
pretty
normal when I come in and sit with her, but she seems more lethargic than
normal. When she sneezes, she has some colored mucous, but not much.
She
sounds like a human with a bad cold. She kinda breathes with her mouth
open
like we do when we are congested. I've had her in the bathroom with all
her
things, plus I've been running a hot bath in the tub a couple of times a
day
to loosen up the phlegm. I'm not really sure what to do. I've got a
heating
pad under her blanket, with the temperature set on low. Any other
suggestions? It would break my heart if something happened to her. She
seems to perk up when I come in to see her.
Nancy



It sounds like you really need to get her to a vet. The colored
discharge, nasal congestion, and wheezing is a sign of an upper
respiratory infection. She needs medication in order to clear it up. I'm
sorry that's not the answer you are looking for, but please get her seen
immediately.

-Kelly

On Fri 05 Aug 2005 11:12:38a, Nancy R via CatKB.com wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav ):

I have an 11-12 week old kitten that I adopted from a lady down
the road.

Oh, and Nancy, I had one more thought - was she already spayed when
you got her? If not, you're going to need to talk to the vet when
you bring her in about having it done. She can't be spayed while
she's sickly, but as soon as she's doing better she can be.
Since cost is an issue, you can check with your local SPCA (or
closest one) as they usually have low cost programs. I don't know
where you are, but there are these programs to be had in the US.
There's also http://www.spayusa.org with links that are helpful. If
you need to go this route, send in a request NOW for a coupon
because they take a while to send you one. If you have a local
SPCA that offers low cost spay/neuter, they will also offer low
cost vaccinations. I'd urge you to look into this!

--
Cheryl

"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited
breath."
- W.C. Fields

I want to thank everyone for helping me so far! Your suggestions and
comments have made me feel so much better and have given me some good advice.
Brilla(my kitten)seems to be a bit better today, and a little bit more
playful. She's awfully stuffy-nosed, but she has an appetite - just can't
eat much. She is trying to drink, too. Sounds weird, but I've been giving
her some juice from a can of tuna - she loves it! I have an eye-dropper than
I can feed her with, and she drinks it all and wants more. I have a vet
appointment for Monday morning, should she not improve anymore. Maybe I can
work something out with them as far as payment. I laughed last night when I
decided to take a bath and she promptly perched herself on the side of the
tub! She wanted me to hold her so badly, but she knew that something was
different with all this! She sat there the whole time and kept wanting to
figure out some way to get over to me. I could just see her getting soaked
and getting worse, so I kept her from falling in! It encourages me to see
her still playful, but I know how very quickly she could worsen, so I'm
keeping close tabs on her. I'll keep you posted. Thanks, again, everyone!

Cheryl wrote:
I have an 11-12 week old kitten that I adopted from a lady down
the road.

Oh, and Nancy, I had one more thought - was she already spayed when
you got her? If not, you're going to need to talk to the vet when
you bring her in about having it done. She can't be spayed while
she's sickly, but as soon as she's doing better she can be.
Since cost is an issue, you can check with your local SPCA (or
closest one) as they usually have low cost programs. I don't know
where you are, but there are these programs to be had in the US.
There's also http://www.spayusa.org with links that are helpful. If
you need to go this route, send in a request NOW for a coupon
because they take a while to send you one. If you have a local
SPCA that offers low cost spay/neuter, they will also offer low
cost vaccinations. I'd urge you to look into this!



--
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