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Cat sneezing/wheezing/coughing URI?

jnaymie
November 18th, 2010, 04:44 PM
Hi everyone, my cat was recently sick with possibly some sort of URI and we took her to the vet. They gave us Antibiotics to give to her and they seemed to be doing the trick. It has been about a week since the prescription was finished and the symptoms seems to be returning (the coughing/wheezing/sneezing).

The vet gives free checkups so I will be taking her there soon but I am unable to go until Friday night at the earliest. Does anyone have any ideas or advice that would help us identify what is wrong or what to do about it? Also if anyone knows any thing that can be done to quell the sneezing/coughing. before we took her to the vet she was sneezing so violently that blood was visible in her nasal discharges. It hasn't gotten anywhere near that bad but it still seems quite uncomfortable for her.

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

-Josh

catlover2
November 18th, 2010, 06:55 PM
A room humidifier may help, or being in a bathroom while someone's having a shower or bath. Your kitty may need another round of antibiotics to subdue this URI.

sugarcatmom
November 18th, 2010, 07:31 PM
Because most feline URIs are viral, antibiotics are really only useful if there is a secondary bacterial infection. A better idea would be to boost your cat's immune system and give her own body the strength to deal with the illness. For starters, what food does she eat? Diet plays a huge role in how well cats are able to fight off disease. Stress can also be a big factor.

There's an amino acid supplement you could add to her food in case it's a herpes virus that's responsible. L-lysine can be found at any pharmacy or health food store. Mix about 250-500mg twice a day into her wet food until symptoms subside.

More info for you on URIs:
http://www.holisticat.com/uri.html

Lefties Rule
November 24th, 2010, 07:03 PM
Yes, I agree. Most URI's in people as well as in cats, are caused by viruses, and antibiotics are pretty much useless for this. They are only good for bacterial infections. And in fact, because the antibiotics are not specific for the one particular strain of bacteria that's causing illness, they kill off a whole lot of the beneficial bacteria in the gut, which upsets the balance of intestinal flora and can cause other nasty issues. Bottom line is - antibiotics used properly and for the right reasons are great, but should not be used every time there is a URI. But like sugarcatmom says, sometimes when a person is fighting off the initial infection, they may go on to develop a secondary bacterial infection, which can be treated with antibiotics. There, now that I got THAT off my chest, I feel much better!!! :laughing:
Lefty (mom of my CRF cat, Rosebud)