Need advice for Kitten with URI

How old is your kitten? The younger the kitten the more fragile. And I have no experience with kittens younger than 3 months of age.

In kittens several months old, and adult cats, a URI is often not very serious- and it is extremely common for shelter cats to have them. They are often caused by viruses, in which case the antibiotic won’t help; although coughing up thick gunk sounds to me as though it could well be bacterial. How many days are you to give her oral antibiotics? And are you successful in getting her to take them? Is she still coughing? If she is no longer coughing, I would think that that is a good sign- the infection is moving out of her lower respiratory system.

Meanwhile, while the antibiotics are working she needs supportive care. Closing her in the bathroom while you run a nice steamy shower may help decongest her. She is probably not eating much because she can’t smell her food while congested, and so it doesn’t taste good. I would try giving her moist food, and warming it gently in the microwave beforehand. (Before you give it to her, mix up the food thoroughly and test the temperature on the inside of your wrist- it has to be just warm, no hot spots that will burn her mouth!!!) You can also try giving her some tuna juice as it is nice and smelly.

If cats don’t eat for 2-3 days, they can develop fatty liver disease, which can be fatal. So make sure that she is eating something. Also, dehydration can be a problem; check this thread for the ‘tent test’ http://www.dailykitten.com/chat/topic/31106

You can always call the vet, explain that you are a first-time kitten mommy and ask them what they think- is this normal progression or worsening.

Well, she probably does feel lousy if she has a bad cold. Humans do. As long as she is eating and playing, though, I would think that she is fighting it. You can always smear the antibiotic paste on her gums if she won’t lick it.

So, supportive care. Put her in a steamy bathroom to decongest her, give her moist food if possible rather than dry, and serve it at least room temp to make it more fragrant and appetizing. I’ve never seen a cat blow their nose, and they can’t lick out their nostrils like a cow, so she just has to sneeze that gunk out unfortunately.

The vibravet paste is one of the best antibiotics i’ve come across in my experience with kitties. The uri’s kittens get are usually caused by a strain of herpes, which they carry for life once they had it, whenever the kitty’s immune system becomes supressed. Its not usually fatal, especially if its caught early and appropriate treatment is given. The biggest problem associated with this is secondary pulmonary infections, which combined with the poor appetite that goes with a uri can cause a kitty to go downhill very fast.

So the best you can do is to continue with the medications the vet gave you, and like kipling said, supportive care. Steam is good for opening the airways, and its important that you try to get her to eat something. If you cant get any food into her, try giving her some pedialyte to keep her fluid & electrolyte levels up. My vet has in the past given me medication called interferon – its an immune system boosting medication they usually give to cats with leukemia or aids, but it will obviously be good for any kitty who is sick. And then some cortisone might help with the sneezing and nasal discharge, in case you decide to take her back to the vet you could ask about those as well.