Help! My kitten just caught a cold
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free skin care · Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:54 pm

Hello everyone,

I just bought a kitten last week and he's so adorable, he's an orange tabby and 2 months old.

Yesterday he has been sneezing quite a few times and was so quiet at night. I hold him in my arms all night and he didn't once try to escape (usually he will jump jump and jump all night long). So in the morning before I went to work, he seemed ok to me but right now he's super quiet and only sleep,he doesn't even walk around.

I called the clinic earlier today and they said he probably caught a cold so he should be ok after a few days.

Anyhow, since I'm new to how to take care a cat, i'm a little worried and don't know what should I do to help him feel better except turning on the heater... can anyone give me some tips on how to take care my little kitten? it can be some general facts that I should know too.. thanks!

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:47 am

Hi Christine,

I am surprized a clinc would give that advice without even having a look. Does he have watering eyes or a runny nose? Is he eating and drinking?

If he is lethargic, please keep a close eye on him. At only 8 weeks of age, his little system is still developing and wont have a lot of resistance.

Make sure he is not dehydrated (gently pull up the skin on the back of his neck and if it does not rebound, then you need to get him to a vet for rehydration). If he is not drinking enough, try adminstering some drops of water using a medicinal shringe or dropper. If he is not eating much, try feeding him small quantities by hand (something yummy he cannot resist).

If it was me, I would just take him up to a clinic for a quick check.

In the meantime, give him all the hugs he needs and make sure he has somewhere warm to sleep, away from breezes and hold off on any bathing while he has the cold (and after make sure he get well towel-dried afterwards).

With winter coming on it is best to give a daily dose of some Echinacia to kitty to help ward off future colds.

One brand that is really great is Animal's Apawthecary, which you can get from Robbins Pet Care (excellent site for quality kitty goods) http://shop.robbinspetcare.com/resources/apawthecary.html

There is a good Echinacia one from them, but I choose Ol-Immune as it combines olive leaf with Echinacea and Ginseng. This one is 5-days on and then 2-days off. It is a handy dropper style that is easy to administer.

And while you are there you can pick him up a little present for when he is full of vitality again - the ultimate cat toy!!
http://shop.robbinspetcare.com/shopbybrand/dragonflycattoy.html

Oh and pick up a bottle of Bach's Rescue Remedy drops to keep on hand at home. A couple of drops before and after a vet's visit will help with distress. It is a GODSEND and I think every pet owner should have a bottle of this on hand. If he does not like taking the drops you can just put the drop on your fingertip and then pat onto his nose and repeat. He will both absorb some through his nose and also will lick the liquid off.

I hope he feels better soon!!

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 2:04 am

Make sure he stays very warm, and try adding a little vitamin c to his food. I gave my cat a lot of vitamin c when she was extremely ill, and she came through it despite the vet telling me she only had a few months to live.

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 2:18 am

There is a form of feline influenza which all cats should be immunised against. Has your kitten had all the appropriate vaccinations?

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:57 am

I highly recommend you take him to the vet for a check up. If he's not eating, it could be an indication of feline flu which can be fatal. One of my cats contracted feline flu at the shelter before I adopted her and when I brought her home she refused to eat and was sneezing all the time. I brought her back for treatment and they had to force feed her for 2 weeks as she couldn't smell her food and hence wouldn't eat. Luckily I caught it in time and she recovered completely.
Better to be sure than sorry, so really...have him checked out!

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:34 am

tiger-tim has given you some fantastic advice there, but I would definitely get the vet to check him over. If it is cat 'flu, then kittens are particularly susceptible and it can make them very ill (and can be fatal if not treated). Older cats can still be very poorly but are usually much more resistant.

I don't mean to scare you, but it really is better to be safe than sorry. The vet might be right regarding the diagnosis as cats can actually catch colds. He can't tell for sure, though, over the phone. Much better to get him to examine your little boy in person.

Take heart if it is cat 'flu. Our charity has dealt with quite a few kittens with it and, with treatment and plenty of TLC, they can make a good recovery. The longer you leave it, though, the more likely there are to be complications.

We currently have a little boy in our care called Tiny Tim. He's an adult ginger cat, but extremely small. Left out in the wild as a stray, and obviously untreated, he now has terrible ulceration in his nasal passages, etc. He will recover, but is likely to have health problems for the rest of his life, poor little soul. We all love him to bits. If only we'd found him sooner, he'd probably have made a complete recovery.

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:28 pm

My mom found a litter of kittens in her barn (for the umpteenth time) but this whole litter had distemper. We happened to be visiting and I can remember them sneezing constantly, not eating and they had very little energy. Not all the kittens survived. But if your kitten has had his shots then I think you can rule out distemper.

free skin care · Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:49 pm

To be on the safe side, I think you should take your kitten to the vet. My cat had a cold when he was 10 weeks old. He was sneezing and congested. I took him to the vet and he was given a liquid cold medicine. He got better in a couple of days.

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