Feline Upper Respiratory Infection? Please help!?

Question

Help! My kitten has caught most likely caught Feline Upper Respiratory Infection from a homeless cat. Im pretty sure because I looked it up online and it looks like what the homeless cat had. We gave the homeless cat to a shelter. What can I do to fix it. How much do antibiotics cost and how where can I buy it? And does it go away by itself?

Answer 1

Take your kitty to the vets.

Yes, Cat flu can sometimes resolve on its own but their are risks of secondary infection (such as pneumonia) and even death if not treated. This is especially true in young kittens or elderly cats.

The vet is likely to prescrive antibiotics for your kitten. It is best to get the kitten seen though, rather than self diagnosing. The vet is the professional who has trained for this job, not you. Its great you are doing some research yourself but you would be silly not to take the kitten to a professional as well.

EDIT: If your parents can't afford to care for the kitten responsibly then they should not have taken it on. This includes vet care. Harsh but true... Do you get pocket money, have a job, or have any savings? Maybe you could help chip in?

Answer 2

Kittens shouldn't be let outside until 9month old. Upper Respiratory Infection doesn't go away by itself-So a trip to the vets is MUST! Antibotic vary on the serverity.

Cats can suffer alot of illness with similar symptoms.

Cat flu is like a human cold – it can cause a runny nose and eyes, and a sore throat. Other symptoms include aches and pains in the muscles and joints, mouth ulcers, dribbling, sneezing, loss of voice and fever. Cat flu is not usually serious in adult cats, although they can be quite ill. All cats with symptoms of cat flu should see the vet.

Cat flu can be serious, even fatal, in kittens, and in adult cats with other serious underlying illnesses. There is a risk of lasting damage to the eye, even in animals which otherwise seem mildly affected. Eye ulcers are often found and, particularly in kittens, can progress to cause serious damage and even lead to the loss of an eye. If your cat or kitten has a sore looking or partially closed eye seek immediate veterinary attention.

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/site/Paw...

Cat flu (URI)

Sneezing, runny nose, gunky eyes

Can sometime have a furbull like cough-but with no result.

http://www.kittencare.com/askKC_Sneezing...

Answer 3

Calm down!! URI is common among cats.  My kitten has it too and theres' nothing wrong except a wheezing noise that comes when shes tired and sometimes a little eye crust.  The vet gave us antibiotics and it made the eye crust go away but she still has wheezing.  The more serious symptoms of a sever URI is loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and a blurriness in the eye.  Good luck with your cat and don't worry, nothing will happen to your cat (:

Answer 4

Upper Respiratory infections are VIRAL.. that means there is no cure, only treatment and management of symptoms. If your kitten isn't eating, lethargic, etc she should see a vet right away. Secondary bacterial infections are the danger here.. keep your kitten indoors, clean her eyes and nose daily to keep them crust free. If her eyes are irritated you can use Polysporin Eye DROPS, not the ointment, just the eye/ear drops. They are particularly effective.. I just used them on 4 kittens I am fostering who have a viral eye infection and they are clear now. You can also give your kitten l-lysine supplement. 250mg a day mixed in with her food, I used the capsule you can just open them and put the powder on the wet food. It boosts the immune system which is what you want to do.

Antibiotics from your vet will only treat the symptoms they can't cure a URI.. but you may need to get them if your kitten becomes seriously ill or stops eating. Please keep a close eye on her, keep her warm, dry, in the house and keep her eyes/nose clean. Make sure to give her canned food. Often when they are stuffed up they lose their appetite, but wet food usually brings it back!

It does eventually go away but you have to treat the symptoms or it will get worse and she will have to see a vet or risk dying.  

Answer 5

URI's are kinda serious, especially if left untreated.  It will most likely turn to phnemonia on it's own...  Vet's will prescribe an anti-biotic to help them battle the infection.  Follow their instructions.

Keep the kitty warm well hydrated and fed.  But a vet visit is needed... especially if it was from a stray ...who knows how bad it could get!

Adding a little bit of pedia-light (found in the baby supply section of a grocery store) to the kittie's water will help to :) yay for electralights