Kirin has a cold :(

[Samantha Puppy]

Hi guys,

Kirin came to me with one heck of a cold. His nose is constantly running, poor guy, and he's always sneezing. I just feel awful for him. Is there anything I can do? I keep wiping his little nose but by the time I throw the piece of toilet paper away, he needs it again.

Any suggestions? Poor kitty...

[aly]

Just be sure that he's eating and drinking. If he's not, you can mix some canned kitty food with some Pedialyte to rehydrate him. When all my cats had upper respiratory infections at the same time, I gave them L-Lysine. It is over the counter and my vet is the one who told me to give it to them. I gave them each half a pill twice a day. You can make a quick call to a vet if you want to double check that you can give that to your kitties. It really seemed to work well for mine and got rid of thier runny noses a lot quicker.

He may get really congested. If he does, put him in the bathroom 2 or 3 times a day with the hot shower running. The steam helps clear them up a little so they can breathe easier.

The foster mommy didn't say anything about his sickness?

[Samantha Puppy]

Thanks for the tips!!

She did tell me he had a cold but didn't say anything about helping me to help him.

[aly]

Originally posted by Samantha Puppy
Thanks for the tips!!

She did tell me he had a cold but didn't say anything about helping me to help him.

SHEESH. She should be a bit more responsible.

If you do end up giving them the L-Lysine, give it to Sushi too even if he doesn't have any symptoms yet. Chances are he will come up with it since its highly contagious.

The foster mom had them checked for FIV, right? I'm SURE they don't have it, but I'm just asking to see if she's done ANYthing right, hehe.

[Samantha Puppy]

Yup, they've been tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia. Both were negative. Sushi's gotten all 3 of his boosters and Kirin needs one more in a month.

Thanks for the advice, Aly. Is the L-Lysine easy to find? Is it with the other supplements/vitamins?

[aly]

Yup, I found it at Eckerd's in the vitamin/supplement section. The Walgreens here didn't have it though. It should be at GNC and other nutrition stores too.

[jazzcat]

:( Poor little guys. I hope he gets over it quickly and Sushi doesn't catch it.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Poor Kirin.:( I hope he gets better soon and that Sushi doesn't catch it. Please keep us updated. Good luck.

[lizzielou742]

Aw, poor thing! Great advice, Aly! Gotta love PT! :D

Get well soon, Kirin!! :)

[Samantha Puppy]

I think I'll try the shower thing tomorrow. His nose stopped running as badly but he's still wheezing and sneezing. LOL I feel so bad for him! He's such a little lovebug though. Sushi's... weird. He burrows in the crevis of your arms and kept sticking his head up my husband's sleeves (short sleeves). He'll jump up on you but he's constantly on the go. Kirin jumps up on you and is so content, he immediately starts purring and goes to sleep.

I love being a meowmie. I just wish Kirin didn't have this cold.

[rosethecopycat]

Clavamox is usually prescibed for a cat with a cold.
It is an antibiotic, and although they cannot cure a virus, they can prevent secondary infections, such as in the lungs.
Basically the cold must run it's course, just like in humans, but the clavamox is an insurance policy.

All of mine had it. They will get over it.

Humidfiers, or shut up in a shower for 15 minutes (stay with them, don't leave them unmonitored)

L -Lysine

Hydration

[aly]

My vet only gave Clavamox to my kitty who got eye infections from the upper respiratory. They don't recommend using it as a preventative because if cats take antibiotics too much, they can build up a resistance. Then if something more serious happens down the line, it will be hard to medicate.

[rosethecopycat]

Most of my foster cats do get the clavamox, I understand what Aly is saying though.
I guess mine have been pretty sick.:(

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Originally posted by aly
If you do end up giving them the L-Lysine, give it to Sushi too even if he doesn't have any symptoms yet. Chances are he will come up with it since its highly contagious.

Poor little man.
About a year ago my cat Oliver got a cold and had a horrible fever, my vet put him on Baytril, it brought the fever down rather quickly. It did spread through the rest of the house, 6 of my 7 cats got the cold. Luckily none of them got it as badly as Oliver.

Feel better baby boy.

[mina'smomma]

You might want to keep Kirin away from Sushi and Samantha until his cold gets better, but don't let him think he is being punished.

[Samantha Puppy]

These colds are transmittable from cats to dogs? :(

[Samantha Puppy]

Okay, I was finally able to get to the store to get poor Kir some L-Lysine. I just crushed half a tablet and put on his dinner. I also did the shower thing earlier. He seemed to actually enjoy that.

But tonight for dinner, he didn't eat *as much* as he usually does. He was fine earlier today but is napping on the stairs now. I feel awful for him, if I sounded like he does, I know I'd feel miserable.

Is there anything else I can do for that poor baby?

[Samantha Puppy]

bump

[catcrazylady]

If he is still acting down he is probably going to require a vet visit for some anitbiotics. It takes a lot to make a kitten miserable but you will need to make sure it doesn't turn into pnuemonia. Poor little guy.
I would keep the doing the shower thing as often as you can to keep it loose.

Kissies to the poor little sicky poo.

[catmandu]

i would get some antibiotics,from your Vet,preferably the liqiud,that you can put on his paws!