Common cold?

[crazycatlover]

So my cat, has recently gotten sick.
We called the vet, and we've been told he has the common cold. Thing is, the next day his one eye started to swell and water, and continue into the other eye.
Today the eye has gotten somewhat better, but is still slightly swollen and watery. Is this something I should be worried about? Is there anything I can do to help him?
currently to get the guck outta his eyes, were using a damp warm cloth.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[marko]

an actual visit to a vet would be best... but it sounds like it 'may' be some type of eye infection/irritation.

If that is the case Polysporin eye drops for humans are supposedly safe for cats and I have used it successfully in this regard.
(I forget what the dose was though)
Good luck!

[Barkingdog]

I never heard of a vet giving a medical diagnosis over the phone , they always tell me they need to see my pet to really know what is going on. I agree with marko that is best to see a vet .

[RUSTYcat]

Hi crazycatlover !

I hope you are a "reader".......because I'd like to give you some info on "cat colds"......and some things you can do to help relieve the symptoms - and - quite possibly speed up the recovery time.

OK, here's 'cat colds 101' : Cat Flu......if you'd like to abbreviate your reading, then go here: Feline Herpes....and, for the simplest and most effective treatments, read about STEAMING * and using L-lysine **

*an alternative to that steaming method is to steam up a bathroom and put the cat in there several times a day....you might also consider isolating the cat to a small warmer room with a warm mist humidifier - this is the method I use and I see very quick results. (the higher the humidity, the better)

**L-lysine is available at pharmacies...capsule form is easiest to use by sprinkling the powder into a teaspoonful of tasty wet food (don't heat it)...here's one brand as an example - make sure whatever you buy has no additives. You can give 500mg twice a day - I usually taper off the dose once the symptoms resolve...I don't cut 'cold turkey'.

I would NOT be using any kind of antibiotic therapy on my own, because:

• usually it's a VIRUS at work....and, antibiotics 'don't work' against viruses

• IF there is bacterial infection present, using a 'generic' antibiotic could mask the true nature of the problem and make eventual diagnosis/treatment more difficult

• indiscriminate antibiotic use IS harmful to a cat's immune system

Hope some of that will help !

IF the symptoms do not resolve over several days of those treatments - OR - if you see redness in the eyes, you may well need to see the Vet to get some antiVIRAL meds (often drops)....prolonged severe Herpes infections/flareups that are not controlled can develop into more severe eye issues.

.

[Reg]

Hello crazycatlover:

I can vouch for the L-Lyzine treatment that rustycat has mentioned. A little over a year ago, I had a similar problem with one of my cats and I was surprised to find that this was what the vet recommended. And her shop had the L-Lyzine in stock in an aerosol type can with metred doses, which could be administered either in the mouth or in its food.
I was also using Colloidal Silver to help alleviate the infection in the eyes, which did a good job. It also passed the vet's approval.
Years ago I was talking to an eye surgeon about general eye care for animals that were running in the bush or long grass and his suggestion was the use of Colloidal Silver - no more than 10 ppm - one or two drops in each eye. I've done this for years.