Kitten cold just keeps getting worse - update

**Lizzie** · 07-08-2006, 03:41 PM

Elliot is just over 3 months old and I brought him home from the shelter 9 days ago. He started sneezing heavily two days after I got him and the vet put him on amoxi, and terramycin for his weepy eyes. Up until Wednesday afternoon, he continued to eat well and play strongly with his brother and sister. On Wednesday evening I found him listless and without appetite so I took him to the emergency vet. They said that since the cold was caused by a virus, the amoxi was only helping to hold off any secondary infections and that the cold virus would get worse before it got better. Well, it keeps getting worse and worse and I'm wondering if I should take him to the emergency vet and leave him with them. I've nursed kittens with colds before, and cats, but I've never seen one that has lasted this long or that keeps deepening.

I've been force feeding him since Wednesday evening which is very distressing because, as when I give him the amoxi and nose drops, he feels he is being suffocated. I do it very slowly, one cc at a time, rest, another cc, etc. I've been using Little Noses since Monday. On Thursday evening, I noticed that he had a little blood on his nose. I remembered one of my vet's techs remarking some time ago that when kittens sneeze a lot, they can get bloody noses, so I accepted it. This morning I gave him nose drops and he, of course, did a lot of sneezing and a good spray of blood came from his nose.

I talked to my vet on Thursday to check I was doing all possible. Then I stopped by my vet a short time ago, about half-an-hour before they close to ask advice. I really wanted to take him in for a check-up but knew that would be stressful for Elliot and the vet wouldn't want a highly contagious kitten in the practice if not necessary. Unfortunately, the vet was leaving early as he had no late appointment and his responses were rather brief and distracted. He just said that nose bleeds were not usually seen with colds and agreed I should stop the nose drops.

So my questions are:

Are small nose bleeds normal with kitten colds?
Are the nose drops to blame (they are non-alcohol so non-drying) or is it the sneezing?
I've had a borrowed humidifier running since yesterday evening. Should it be run all the time?

His breathing looked so odd a while ago that I nearly rushed him off to the emergency vet again. I saw his lower chest/abdomen rise and fall very slightly a few times, then he'd open his mouth and give a big breath, then nothing for several seconds, then another gasping breath. He's breathing more normally now or I'd be on the road.

When will this break? I long to see one small sign that it's starting to get better.

**Craftlady** · 07-08-2006, 05:15 PM

Personally, I would be at the ER vet with this little guy. I'd look for another vet for his regular one. Blowing you off because he is in a hurry to go somewhere is unexceptable.

**Laura's Babies** · 07-08-2006, 05:21 PM

Oh Lizzie, I would be as paniced as you are. I am sorry but I don't have any experience with kitty colds other than to say maybe run the humidifier around the clock for him... someone with experience may nix that suggestion so wait for the more experienced.

Have you researched on the internet about kitty colds and what to do?

**Lizzie** · 07-08-2006, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by Laura's Babies

Have you researched on the internet about kitty colds and what to do?

Laura - thanks for the concern.

Yes, I have and they all say what the vets have said - tough going and no magic bullet. I did find out that the nasal drops can have irritated the septum and that can cause small nose bleeds - so, no more nasal drops. I'm doing everything that everyone has told me to do. A few vet sites have said they administer prednisone and B12 shots, though there's always lots of controversy about the pred. The vet did give Nougat B12 several weeks ago when she had a calici virus cold but he didn't mention it for the kittens - perhaps they are just too young. Kittens are both more vulnerable because the cold is harder on them and because they can't be hit as hard with drugs.

I hardly dare say it, almost like I'm making it true, but now Ashley seems to be getting worse also.

I must remember that they are both tough cats that fight like mad when they are cocooned for treatment, so I've just got to keep up my end of the fight and hope.

It's good to be able to come here and worry everyone else as well as me. I just realized that my car is still parked on the street because when I got home from the vet all I could think of was getting on PT.

**Laura's Babies** · 07-08-2006, 06:38 PM

Keep a close eye on them (like anyone has to tell you that!

) and keep us posted. I will be watching this thread for updates and keeping my fingers crossed and praying that this passes fast.

**moosmom** · 07-08-2006, 07:41 PM

You might want to try bring the kitty in the bathroom. Close the door and turnthe shower onto hot. Let the steam build up in the bathroom. Kitty will get a little wet from the moisture, but it might help add moisture to his septum and also break up any congestion he has.

Little Noses are great. I use them whenever my cats get a URI. You might want to ask the vet about Zythromax. It's a pediatric antibiotic that really works well on cat URI's, speaking from personal experience.

I wouldn't wait too much longer before I take the kitty to the vet again. The last thing you want to do is have it turn into pneumonia.

Please keep us posted on your kitty's condition.

**smokey the elder** · 07-09-2006, 08:16 AM

There was a bad URI going around a couple of years ago. The vet put our cats on Zithromax. It worked very well. Good lick with the kitten.

**Lizzie** · 07-09-2006, 12:43 PM

I finally see a the glimmer of hope that I've been waiting for. This morning, Elliot took several laps from a dish of smelly tun cat food. It barely made a dent, but it was more than he'd taken on his own since Wednesday morning. Then, when I used grooming wipes on them, he purred more strongly and walked under me to get more attention. It didn't last long, but it made us both feel better.

Ashley is holding her own, he congestion has never been as bad as Elliot and I'm able to give her nose drops without a problem. She still has no interest in eating on her own but I have hope that she will in a few more days.

By the way, those grooming wipes are wonderful because they make the kittens feel as though their mother is grooming them. I cleans them up and makes them feel comforted.

Now I'm off to buy several gallons of Nature's Miracle to work on another serious problem.

By the way, Donna, I was taking the kittens into the shower room but after a friend loaned me her humidifier, it was easier to let that run and leave them on their sofa.

I'll ask the vet about Zythromax.
Thanks

**Laura's Babies** · 07-09-2006, 05:59 PM

Maybe you have turned a corner now and things will start getting better! (I HOPE!) GET WELL BABIES!! SOON!

**Lizzie** · 07-11-2006, 08:38 AM

Finally! They are both tucking into their food as I sit at my computer and relish the fact that for the first time in 6 days, I won't have to do any forced feeding. Not that Elliot had to be forced after the first 3 days, he just sat on my lap and opened his mouth for the syringe. He's still got a very bloody nose, both the exterior and interior. The vet freaked out last night when he saw him sneeze and kept re-examining him while racking his brain for a solution. I've decided to take the most gentle approach and not keep trying to clean his nose, but just keep dabbing aloe vera on the front sore and keep up the humidifier at night.

Ashley's lack of coordination (she has CH) got very much worse when she was most ill, and she couldn't take one step without falling over, but she is moving around more steadily now. She did go back to peeing on cloths on plastic when she'd finally mastered getting into a litter box, but that should reverse itself in a few days.

Edited to add that vet told me they are seeing lots of kittens and cats with colds right now and that they are generally worse than they've ever seen them.

I can't wait to see the two of them zooming around with their brother in the main part of the house, but that is about 10 days away.

**momtomany** · 07-11-2006, 11:56 AM

Two of my rescue kittens developed horrible colds that caused them to drool excessively. It was horrible and I took them to my vet a couple of times cause I would panic. Bless my vets heart she was patient with me and told me she wasn't as concerned over the drooling, it just looks terrible, but had concerns about secondary infections and pneumonia. We started treating them and 5 more of my cats with amoxicillin. Anyway, I bought one of those.......I can't recall the exact name........things you plug into your electrical outlet that helps relieve nasal congestion. I didn't run it all the time, because it does permeate your house, but it really did seem to help them both. I also did not enclose them into a room with it. I have 8 other cats and 5 of them were in various stages of colds, but not as bad and it seem to help them. You may want to try that. I really had a terrible time getting amoxil in everyone and finally resorted to mixing it with carnation can milk for some and yougurt for the others. Keep us posted.