Upper respiratory infection question

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Desmond was not feeling well so my husband took him to the vet yesterday (in the snowstorm) and he has an URI. The vet gave him some antibiotics, so hopefully he will be feeling better soon.

I'm wondering if he possibly got it from Kiki, who we recently got from a shelter. Kiki does sneeze once and a while, but otherwise shows no symptoms. Should I take Kiki to the vet, too, or will she get over it on her own if she has one? The vet said the antibiotics don't treat the virus, just the bacterial infection that cats sometimes get. When we took her for her wellness visit after adopting her, they didn't say anything about an URI.

Last question- are cats who have already had an URI immune to it?

When we got Pippin from the shelter, he had an URI and was being treated with antibiotics. This was several years ago, but I want to know if I should keep the cats separated to minimize exposure.

Thanks! I know that was long-winded.

[moosmom]

Since I have a family of cats, when one gets a URI, because my place is so small, it's impossible to quarantine them. So I have to hope for the best. When Maya had her URI a month ago, she was put on Amoxicillin. I had another container in the fridge. When Shortie started to sneeze, I immediately started giving it to her. None of my other cats came down with a URI. So I guess that some cats can become immune to URIs. Go figure.

[Freedom]

Think of a URI as the kitty cold. Son having it does not make them immune. They can get it repeatedly. Some are more prone to it than others. My RB Vita use to get at least one per year. And she was never able to fend it off herself, always needed Clavamox to treat it.

Chestnut is sneezing just now, but he seldom gets a cold so I am holding off and hoping it will run its course and he won't need a vet visit. He was sneezing a lot 2 days back, now it is just a few times per day. So I think it is leaving.

The sneezing is the big indicator. I take mine to the vet when it lasts more than 4 days, when the sneezing is non stop, when snot starts shooting out, when the nose gets crusty. Things like that. At that point, I figure it is well settled and not leaving by itself.

Other than Vita, I've never had one cat infect another. As I said above, she was prone to it and if ANYONE in the house got a cold (cat, dog, human) then Vita was sick too.

Kiki may have had the virus, fought it off herself, given it to Desmond, who for whatever reason needed some help getting over it.

[Pinot's Mom]

All I can do is relate my shelter experience with Pinot, which I've done, but each cat's case is different. I've never had another cat with this problem...
Pinot came from a shelter, her story is here: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2009/May/05.htmlBUT we were told by three vets not to have another animal in the house; that this was in all probability caught at the shelter, and Pinot would probably be a carrier.

Bottom line: a "URI" is not always a "URI" and each cat is different. The vet is the one who knows the story of all the kitties and needs to be the one to make the determination. Shelters are breeding grounds for this type of disease; it's unfortunate but reality. My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is that if Kiki's been having problems that were not mentioned to the vet, she needs a visit, and you need to discuss exposure issues regarding Desmond and Pippin. Let us know what happens; I hope all kitties are fit as a fiddle soon!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Thanks for the input. I decided to keep Pip away in the big bedroom since he is the easiest to confine, and it worked ok for 24 hours. We went to a few stores today and came back, and he was loose.

Des still seems pretty ill, I'm just making sure that he stays fed and hydrated. Getting him to take the medicine is tough, even with two people, so I hope what he's getting is enough.

[moosmom]

Pinot's Mom is right. When cats come from shelters, there is ALWAYS a chance of a URI. That's why, when adopting a cat from a shelter, it's always a good thing to keep them isolated for at least a week just in case a URI surfaces.