A cat forum. CatBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » CatBanter forum » Cat Newsgroups » Cat health & behaviour
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Upper Respiratory Infections



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old December 9th 03, 07:15 AM
Mike Harris
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Upper Respiratory Infections

Hi. *waves, takes cautious step into the cyberspace of the newsgroup*

I'm writing because I was wondering if people could share their
experiences with their cats having gone through upper respiratory
infections, hopefully with an emphasis on positive experiences.

I adopted a little gray domestic shorthair tabby named Charlie from our
local anti-cruelty shelter on Nov. 10. He started sneezing the day I
brought him home, got very snotted up within a day or two, and stopped
eating shortly thereafter, even despite me bringing him into the steamy
bathroom to get the phlegm loosened, and nuking some wet food to make
the smell really strong.

I unfortunately had to bring him back to the shelter so they could watch
over him and forcefeed him for a bit, and give him some meds and other
stuff.

We had thought he was out of the woods, but then, after he had been at
the shelter a week, he then developed some swelling of his joints, which
appears to be a semi-rare symptom of this upper respiratory infection.

The vet informs me that the upper respiratory symptoms have pretty much
disappeared by now, and that the joint swelling has gone down
considerably: his left paw is still a little swollen and tender, but his
right one's fine. I hope to bring him home sometime very soon.

I'm wondering: what were your cat's experiences with upper respiratory
infections? Anyone get the joint swelling, too? Did your cat come out
the other end okay?

I'm also wondering about recurrences. I've heard that stressors can
cause the upper respiratory infection to return. The stressors I can
anticipate in Charlie's future are, for example, travel to my parents'
home next holiday (a 5-hour trip over subway, train and car, but he'll
be next to me in his carrier), or, say, his vaccinations. Or let's say
he needs an operation sometime in his future. If your cat had an upper
respiratory infection, did the URI ever come back, and if so, under what
circumstances? Was it a severe, longlasting outbreak, or was it just a
momentary bout of sniffles again?

I'm curious both for Charlie's future health and also for a financial
standpoint ... had the anti-cruelty shelter not been handling this free
(since it happened so closely after his adoption), his hospitalization
might have run well over a thousand dollars by now, for all I know ...
I'm just wondering if future hospitalizations might be in the works, or
if I'm just overreacting like any new cat owner might. Just trying to
make sure I have a good sense of future responsibilities.

Thanks in advance for your input and shared stories.

Mike
  #2  
Old December 9th 03, 02:19 PM
Joe Pitt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I do rescue work and deal with URI on a fairly regular basis and can only
recall a couple cases that were as severe as you describe and they were with
little kittens rescued from the street.

One of my own had a URI and the joint pain. My vet gave me pills to help
with the pain. That was about a year ago when he was a little kitten and he
is fine now.
The normal treatment is an antibiotic for the infection and possibly
interferon to help thier immune system. The vet can also give you an
appetite enhancer. Cats won't eat if they can't smell the food so you can
try the real smelly canned food also.

It was great of the group to help you out. We do the same if the animal gets
sick right away. Colds/URI have an incubation time so the cat got it when he
was at the shelter. Unfortunately colds/URI are airborn and can run through
a shelter just like a cold goes through a pre-school.

If you have the time why don't you volunteer at the shelter. It will give
you a great feeling AND you will learn a lot that can help you take care of
your cat without running to the vet for everything. My group has a vet tech
in it and provides medications to group members for cost for their own
animals.

--
Joe
http://www.jwpitt.com/cats.htm
Cat Rescue http://www.animalrescuefoundation.com
God created the cat so man could have the pleasure of petting the tiger


"Mike Harris" wrote in message
...
Hi. *waves, takes cautious step into the cyberspace of the newsgroup*

I'm writing because I was wondering if people could share their
experiences with their cats having gone through upper respiratory
infections, hopefully with an emphasis on positive experiences.

I adopted a little gray domestic shorthair tabby named Charlie from our
local anti-cruelty shelter on Nov. 10. He started sneezing the day I
brought him home, got very snotted up within a day or two, and stopped
eating shortly thereafter, even despite me bringing him into the steamy
bathroom to get the phlegm loosened, and nuking some wet food to make
the smell really strong.

I unfortunately had to bring him back to the shelter so they could watch
over him and forcefeed him for a bit, and give him some meds and other
stuff.

We had thought he was out of the woods, but then, after he had been at
the shelter a week, he then developed some swelling of his joints, which
appears to be a semi-rare symptom of this upper respiratory infection.

The vet informs me that the upper respiratory symptoms have pretty much
disappeared by now, and that the joint swelling has gone down
considerably: his left paw is still a little swollen and tender, but his
right one's fine. I hope to bring him home sometime very soon.

I'm wondering: what were your cat's experiences with upper respiratory
infections? Anyone get the joint swelling, too? Did your cat come out
the other end okay?

I'm also wondering about recurrences. I've heard that stressors can
cause the upper respiratory infection to return. The stressors I can
anticipate in Charlie's future are, for example, travel to my parents'
home next holiday (a 5-hour trip over subway, train and car, but he'll
be next to me in his carrier), or, say, his vaccinations. Or let's say
he needs an operation sometime in his future. If your cat had an upper
respiratory infection, did the URI ever come back, and if so, under what
circumstances? Was it a severe, longlasting outbreak, or was it just a
momentary bout of sniffles again?

I'm curious both for Charlie's future health and also for a financial
standpoint ... had the anti-cruelty shelter not been handling this free
(since it happened so closely after his adoption), his hospitalization
might have run well over a thousand dollars by now, for all I know ...
I'm just wondering if future hospitalizations might be in the works, or
if I'm just overreacting like any new cat owner might. Just trying to
make sure I have a good sense of future responsibilities.

Thanks in advance for your input and shared stories.

Mike



  #3  
Old December 9th 03, 02:19 PM
Joe Pitt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I do rescue work and deal with URI on a fairly regular basis and can only
recall a couple cases that were as severe as you describe and they were with
little kittens rescued from the street.

One of my own had a URI and the joint pain. My vet gave me pills to help
with the pain. That was about a year ago when he was a little kitten and he
is fine now.
The normal treatment is an antibiotic for the infection and possibly
interferon to help thier immune system. The vet can also give you an
appetite enhancer. Cats won't eat if they can't smell the food so you can
try the real smelly canned food also.

It was great of the group to help you out. We do the same if the animal gets
sick right away. Colds/URI have an incubation time so the cat got it when he
was at the shelter. Unfortunately colds/URI are airborn and can run through
a shelter just like a cold goes through a pre-school.

If you have the time why don't you volunteer at the shelter. It will give
you a great feeling AND you will learn a lot that can help you take care of
your cat without running to the vet for everything. My group has a vet tech
in it and provides medications to group members for cost for their own
animals.

--
Joe
http://www.jwpitt.com/cats.htm
Cat Rescue http://www.animalrescuefoundation.com
God created the cat so man could have the pleasure of petting the tiger


"Mike Harris" wrote in message
...
Hi. *waves, takes cautious step into the cyberspace of the newsgroup*

I'm writing because I was wondering if people could share their
experiences with their cats having gone through upper respiratory
infections, hopefully with an emphasis on positive experiences.

I adopted a little gray domestic shorthair tabby named Charlie from our
local anti-cruelty shelter on Nov. 10. He started sneezing the day I
brought him home, got very snotted up within a day or two, and stopped
eating shortly thereafter, even despite me bringing him into the steamy
bathroom to get the phlegm loosened, and nuking some wet food to make
the smell really strong.

I unfortunately had to bring him back to the shelter so they could watch
over him and forcefeed him for a bit, and give him some meds and other
stuff.

We had thought he was out of the woods, but then, after he had been at
the shelter a week, he then developed some swelling of his joints, which
appears to be a semi-rare symptom of this upper respiratory infection.

The vet informs me that the upper respiratory symptoms have pretty much
disappeared by now, and that the joint swelling has gone down
considerably: his left paw is still a little swollen and tender, but his
right one's fine. I hope to bring him home sometime very soon.

I'm wondering: what were your cat's experiences with upper respiratory
infections? Anyone get the joint swelling, too? Did your cat come out
the other end okay?

I'm also wondering about recurrences. I've heard that stressors can
cause the upper respiratory infection to return. The stressors I can
anticipate in Charlie's future are, for example, travel to my parents'
home next holiday (a 5-hour trip over subway, train and car, but he'll
be next to me in his carrier), or, say, his vaccinations. Or let's say
he needs an operation sometime in his future. If your cat had an upper
respiratory infection, did the URI ever come back, and if so, under what
circumstances? Was it a severe, longlasting outbreak, or was it just a
momentary bout of sniffles again?

I'm curious both for Charlie's future health and also for a financial
standpoint ... had the anti-cruelty shelter not been handling this free
(since it happened so closely after his adoption), his hospitalization
might have run well over a thousand dollars by now, for all I know ...
I'm just wondering if future hospitalizations might be in the works, or
if I'm just overreacting like any new cat owner might. Just trying to
make sure I have a good sense of future responsibilities.

Thanks in advance for your input and shared stories.

Mike



  #4  
Old December 9th 03, 02:42 PM
William Hamblen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 2003-12-09, Mike Harris wrote:

I'm wondering: what were your cat's experiences with upper respiratory
infections? Anyone get the joint swelling, too? Did your cat come out
the other end okay?


I had one cat that had a bout with feline rhinitis. Whitey (short for
Whitey Ford) was a very sick cat for a week. He got oral antibiotics
and we forced fluids and nutrition using the type of plastic eyedropper
used to give babies medicine. Because the cat can't smell its food
and feels pretty miserable they won't take enough fluids on their own.
You have to be diligent about getting fluids into it.

  #5  
Old December 9th 03, 02:42 PM
William Hamblen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 2003-12-09, Mike Harris wrote:

I'm wondering: what were your cat's experiences with upper respiratory
infections? Anyone get the joint swelling, too? Did your cat come out
the other end okay?


I had one cat that had a bout with feline rhinitis. Whitey (short for
Whitey Ford) was a very sick cat for a week. He got oral antibiotics
and we forced fluids and nutrition using the type of plastic eyedropper
used to give babies medicine. Because the cat can't smell its food
and feels pretty miserable they won't take enough fluids on their own.
You have to be diligent about getting fluids into it.

  #6  
Old December 9th 03, 03:18 PM
Mike Harris
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
"Joe Pitt" wrote:

One of my own had a URI and the joint pain. My vet gave me pills to help
with the pain. That was about a year ago when he was a little kitten and he
is fine now.


Thanks. I'm glad to hear that. I've heard that because URIs are based
on the feline herpes virus and the feline calcivirus, which I guess
don't leave the body (is that correct?), that the symptoms can "recur"
in times of physical or emotional stress for the cat, such as travel,
vaccines, etc. Has that happened for your kit?

The normal treatment is an antibiotic for the infection and possibly
interferon to help thier immune system. The vet can also give you an
appetite enhancer. Cats won't eat if they can't smell the food so you can
try the real smelly canned food also.


The upper respiratory infection symptoms have pretty much disappeared,
and thankfully, he's been eating for a while; we're just waiting for the
joint swelling to go down before he comes back home.

If you have the time why don't you volunteer at the shelter.


It's certainly a thought. I will give it some serious consideration.

Mike
  #7  
Old December 9th 03, 03:18 PM
Mike Harris
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
"Joe Pitt" wrote:

One of my own had a URI and the joint pain. My vet gave me pills to help
with the pain. That was about a year ago when he was a little kitten and he
is fine now.


Thanks. I'm glad to hear that. I've heard that because URIs are based
on the feline herpes virus and the feline calcivirus, which I guess
don't leave the body (is that correct?), that the symptoms can "recur"
in times of physical or emotional stress for the cat, such as travel,
vaccines, etc. Has that happened for your kit?

The normal treatment is an antibiotic for the infection and possibly
interferon to help thier immune system. The vet can also give you an
appetite enhancer. Cats won't eat if they can't smell the food so you can
try the real smelly canned food also.


The upper respiratory infection symptoms have pretty much disappeared,
and thankfully, he's been eating for a while; we're just waiting for the
joint swelling to go down before he comes back home.

If you have the time why don't you volunteer at the shelter.


It's certainly a thought. I will give it some serious consideration.

Mike
  #8  
Old December 9th 03, 03:19 PM
Mike Harris
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article . net,
William Hamblen wrote:

I had one cat that had a bout with feline rhinitis. Whitey (short for
Whitey Ford) was a very sick cat for a week. He got oral antibiotics
and we forced fluids and nutrition using the type of plastic eyedropper
used to give babies medicine. Because the cat can't smell its food
and feels pretty miserable they won't take enough fluids on their own.
You have to be diligent about getting fluids into it.


Thanks. Fortunately, he began chowing down on his own already ... it's
just the swelling that's currently of concern.

Mike
  #9  
Old December 9th 03, 03:19 PM
Mike Harris
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article . net,
William Hamblen wrote:

I had one cat that had a bout with feline rhinitis. Whitey (short for
Whitey Ford) was a very sick cat for a week. He got oral antibiotics
and we forced fluids and nutrition using the type of plastic eyedropper
used to give babies medicine. Because the cat can't smell its food
and feels pretty miserable they won't take enough fluids on their own.
You have to be diligent about getting fluids into it.


Thanks. Fortunately, he began chowing down on his own already ... it's
just the swelling that's currently of concern.

Mike
  #10  
Old December 9th 03, 03:46 PM
Meghan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Hi Mike,

A year ago I got two kittens from a shelter, brother and sister from the
same litter. One looked healthy and the other looked pretty sickly. The
"sickly" one had an Upper Respiratory Infection - the poor little thing was
so sick he hardly moved at his first vet visit. He had a fever and was put
on antibiotics immediately. He never had any joint swelling, but I noticed
he would keep getting these recurrent eye problems (where one eye was
constantly half closed or squinting). It turns out he was exposed to the
Feline Herpes Virus (which many, many cats are) which is NOT transferrable
to humans and does not affect the lifespan of a cat if treated.
Occasionally when he gets stressed (rides in the car, etc.) his symptoms
will flare up, which almost always affect his eyes. Then he gets secondary
infections in the eye and must have an eye ointment administered.

When I first got the diagnosis I pictured a lifetime of misery for this poor
kitten (and for me!). But as I said in another post, he is now almost 14
pounds and very healthy aside from this chronic condition. I'm not sure if
your cat has the Feline Herpes - it's something you should ask your vet. My
vet diagnosed it based on symptoms. For me it has been totally manageable.

I have 4 cats and obviously all of them have been exposed. Only the one cat
ever shows symptoms. I had a 5th, older cat last year who was in the final
stages of kidney disease, whose immune system was so compromised she picked
up the Feline Herpes and had eye problems. Most normal cats can "fight off"
the disease and don't become symptomatic. This is just my experience of
what has happened. My cat has never had the Upper Respiratory Infection in
the way he had it at the beginning - it has only ever been minor eye
irritations. It is not uncommon for cats in shelters to have these kind of
infections - if I were you I'd get him home asap!

Meghan

"Mike Harris" wrote in message
...
Hi. *waves, takes cautious step into the cyberspace of the newsgroup*

I'm writing because I was wondering if people could share their
experiences with their cats having gone through upper respiratory
infections, hopefully with an emphasis on positive experiences.

I adopted a little gray domestic shorthair tabby named Charlie from our
local anti-cruelty shelter on Nov. 10. He started sneezing the day I
brought him home, got very snotted up within a day or two, and stopped
eating shortly thereafter, even despite me bringing him into the steamy
bathroom to get the phlegm loosened, and nuking some wet food to make
the smell really strong.

I unfortunately had to bring him back to the shelter so they could watch
over him and forcefeed him for a bit, and give him some meds and other
stuff.

We had thought he was out of the woods, but then, after he had been at
the shelter a week, he then developed some swelling of his joints, which
appears to be a semi-rare symptom of this upper respiratory infection.

The vet informs me that the upper respiratory symptoms have pretty much
disappeared by now, and that the joint swelling has gone down
considerably: his left paw is still a little swollen and tender, but his
right one's fine. I hope to bring him home sometime very soon.

I'm wondering: what were your cat's experiences with upper respiratory
infections? Anyone get the joint swelling, too? Did your cat come out
the other end okay?

I'm also wondering about recurrences. I've heard that stressors can
cause the upper respiratory infection to return. The stressors I can
anticipate in Charlie's future are, for example, travel to my parents'
home next holiday (a 5-hour trip over subway, train and car, but he'll
be next to me in his carrier), or, say, his vaccinations. Or let's say
he needs an operation sometime in his future. If your cat had an upper
respiratory infection, did the URI ever come back, and if so, under what
circumstances? Was it a severe, longlasting outbreak, or was it just a
momentary bout of sniffles again?

I'm curious both for Charlie's future health and also for a financial
standpoint ... had the anti-cruelty shelter not been handling this free
(since it happened so closely after his adoption), his hospitalization
might have run well over a thousand dollars by now, for all I know ...
I'm just wondering if future hospitalizations might be in the works, or
if I'm just overreacting like any new cat owner might. Just trying to
make sure I have a good sense of future responsibilities.

Thanks in advance for your input and shared stories.

Mike



 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Upper Respiratory Infection Allegra640 Cat anecdotes 29 November 21st 03 10:23 AM
AGGGH! #2: Sick L'il Kitty (upper respiratory infection) Mike Harris Cat community 22 November 15th 03 01:55 AM
Antibiotics for upper respiratory illness Knack Cat health & behaviour 10 September 2nd 03 09:05 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:16 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CatBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.