Jake Sick Again-Advice?

[catloverforever]

Hi everyone,
I am sure many of you remember Jake, the Snowshoe Kitten that we adopted a few months ago. Anyways, he is sick with Upper Respiratory again. (As you may recall he was sick with it a little while after we got him as well, and in the shelter, too.) So, we got him the medicine that we gave him last time he was sick. However, it has been a good week and a half since we begun to give him the medicine, and he isn't improving a whole lot. Any suggestions on what we could do to help our little guy out??? Are there any home remedies you know of that could help his cold get better and provide some relief from it? We tried putting him in the bathroom while the shower was on two nights ago, hoping the steam would help him out. The symptoms of his cold are as follows:
-Congestion
-Runny Nose/Sneezing
-Sleeping More Than Usual, but not lethargic (He still gets up every once in awhile, walks around, plays, meows, e.t.c.)
He doesn't have a loss of appetite, however, he sometimes starts coughing like he is about to throw up. Before we gave him the medicine he threw up a few times. He hasn't done this recently, but makes the attempt to. All of this worries me. He hasn't been that healthy so far in his life.
Thanks so much for all of your help and support of our littlest kitty. I am attaching a photo of him. He is still as cute as ever!
Happy New Year! Wishing all of you a prosperous, blessed 2008!
Thanks once again for all of your help,
Catloverforever, With Love From Her Kitties
P.S. Will URI just keep coming back to him? Should I separate him from the other cats (they haven't gotten sick yet, but who knows)? I am concerned for my little boy, and my other cats. I want the best for him and the others.

[Craftlady]

You should see improvement after a few days on medication, I would call the vet for an appointment. Since there is a history of URI maybe there is something more going on than just a cold.
URI's are contagious. IF no one else has gotten sick it might not be URI that he has but an allergy.

[Freedom]

Basically, I agree with Craftlady. Just a few things to add.

My Vita is prone to URIs. We are lucky to get 6 weeks between bouts. The vet tells me a herpes virus has taken up residence and is not leaving any time soon. This has been 9 YEARS of it. She has had teeth cleanings, no teeth issues. It is frustrating; and the best I can do is to get her on the meds right away, so it clears. And at times, the 10 day therapy is not enough and I have to give her Clavamox for 14 days. So we go 2 weeks of meds, pray we can get 6 weeks relief, then back on the meds again. Sigh.

And while URIs are contagious, in 9 years of this, I've only had one other cat have a URI and only once. Go figure. Does this mean it isn't a URI? Maybe but then what the heck IS it???

That was my other thought. Hairballs, and tooth issues, could bring on the symptoms. If you don't already, consider using a hairball treatment -- either food with it built in, or one of the gels out there. It shouldn't hurt, and may help. Tooth issues, well, only a dental exam can tell if that is the problem.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that Jake is sick again. I'd take him to the vet again and like others have said it may not be a URI. My cat Sky gets these type of symptoms every year and I had to take him to the vet the other day. He's now on antihistamines for allergies and is doing well on it so far. Jake may also have a bacterial infection. I hope he'll get well soon. He sure is a cutie pie. Good luck.

[catnapper]

Sounds like one heck of a URI. They are contagious, but in the years I've had fosters, not one of my guys caught the URI from any sick fosters. It has to do with how healthy their immune systems are before they come in contact with the virus. Some kittens are just so young and haven't developed a strong immune system yet that the URI will run a long time.

I had a few fosters who just sneezed and coughed for weeks, despite multiple doses of antibiotics. Pouncer seems to be one cat where the typical "10 day" prescription doesn't cut it; every time he needs an antibiotic he gets it for 20 days because of his immune system.

I've also learned to try different antibiotics. If Clavimox doesn't work, try Baytril. If Baytril doesn't work, try something else. A lot of vets don't like to prescribe antibiotics for URIs because they feel they just need to run their course. In the meantime we're frantic over our snotty little kitten who is miserable.

ALSO, Allen can't take antibiotics - they make him sicker than before (must be an allergy) so when he gets sick, I seriously have to be patient and let it run its course. Allen becomes vomit boy whenever I give out any type of antibiotic (the question in my mind is always this: is it easier to clean up lots-o-vomit or cat pee whenever he has a urinary infection )

[Medusa]

Yes, that's way too long for a URI. Get Jake back to the vet. And, yes, URI's are contagious but it might be an allergy since he's had these symptoms for so long. Prayers going out that you find out what it is and that it clears up quickly......

[catloverforever]

Thanks for all of your help regarding Jake! Your information you all shared was very informative and helpful. He is getting a little better it seems; he has more energy. But if he doesn't get truly well within a few days, we'll make an appointment with the vet. An appointment for him would have been made sooner, however, we are trying to see if his sickness will just end as he is showing some improvement.
He might have an allergy as some of you say; the other cats have not obtained his sickness. But then again, they could just have strong immune systems as some of you say, too (thank goodness, I do NOT want them getting sick, as well!) If he doesn't get well soon, we'll go to that vet and see just what is up.
Thank you once again so much. I'll keep in touch.
Catloverforever, with love from her kitties; Nellie, Reggie, Nitschke, and Jake