hello,
im new here..just wondering if anyone would be able to offer insight/advice into our situation.
we have a 2 year old male cat, perfectly healthy. we've been wanting to adopt another for awhile and decided to last week. we got a 6 month old female from the spca shelter..she seemed very healthy and had only been there a few days. we had to treat her for fleas and therefore when we got her home had to keep her quarantined. after a few hours she started sneezing and drooling, the next day was not any better and seemed very depressed/hiding in the corner sort of thing. we took her back to the vet and were told that she had the flu but her symptoms weren't severe and that it should run its course. he also had us give her pills for 4 days. she seems to be doing better and is very friendly and affectionate.
my question is regarding if anyone has any sort of experience with having one healthy cat/ one with the flu. we want to keep her very much and to give her a good home but at the same time are very torn about risking our other cats health.
our male is vaccinated..and they have been kept apart since we brought the new one home.
any advice on this would be very much appreciated!
thanks
can anybody help? cat flu question
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
What was the flea product used, and was it given by your vet? I ask because one symptom you note, drooling, may not actually be an upper respiratory infection (drooling, is not a sign of an URI). So, find out what flea product was used and make sure it was appropriate (not an over-the-counter product, was not ingested, was appropriate for her age and weight)
Is the vet your own primary vet, or did you use the shelter's vet? If you used the shelter's vet, it is best to have your newly adopted seen by your own primary vet immediately for a full exam, deworming, etc.
Is your kitten spayed and was she tested or vaccinated at the shelter? If not, you need to at least test her for FELV/FIV, and if negative, your vet can vaccinate her when she has recovered from this, but she should be tested immediately before you introduce her to your other cat. Is your other cat current on his FVRCP and has he been vaccinated for FELV?
Upper respiratory infections generally present signs of conjunctivitis, sneezing, discharge from nose or eyes, congestion, anorexia and lethargy. What were the pills the vet prescribed, were they antibiotics or ??
Again, find out what flea product was used...and watch her closely in the next several days, watch her eating and drinking amounts, her litterbox usage, her overall health and attitude....if this is in fact an URI, it should clear within a week or so, but if the symptoms persist or worsen, get her back to your vet immediately for a recheck. You really should have her tested and vaccinated before introducing her to your other cat. But, do not vaccinate until this "infection" has cleared completely and until she is in good health.
Is the vet your own primary vet, or did you use the shelter's vet? If you used the shelter's vet, it is best to have your newly adopted seen by your own primary vet immediately for a full exam, deworming, etc.
Is your kitten spayed and was she tested or vaccinated at the shelter? If not, you need to at least test her for FELV/FIV, and if negative, your vet can vaccinate her when she has recovered from this, but she should be tested immediately before you introduce her to your other cat. Is your other cat current on his FVRCP and has he been vaccinated for FELV?
Upper respiratory infections generally present signs of conjunctivitis, sneezing, discharge from nose or eyes, congestion, anorexia and lethargy. What were the pills the vet prescribed, were they antibiotics or ??
Again, find out what flea product was used...and watch her closely in the next several days, watch her eating and drinking amounts, her litterbox usage, her overall health and attitude....if this is in fact an URI, it should clear within a week or so, but if the symptoms persist or worsen, get her back to your vet immediately for a recheck. You really should have her tested and vaccinated before introducing her to your other cat. But, do not vaccinate until this "infection" has cleared completely and until she is in good health.
..........Traci
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
hi traci..
thanks for your reply! sorry i was so vague about the situation..here is some clarification incase you can help.
like i said, our cat cooper is a 2 1/2 yr old male, fixed, all shots up to date. he is perfectly healthy, active and we have never had a health issue with him.
the kitten was adopted from the spca. she had only been there a few days but was already vaccinated (triple vaccine), dewormed, and is NOT spayed yet. when we got her we were told she had fleas and we purchased Advantage from the vet there, and were told to apply it topically and keep her quarantined for 24hrs. we did this immediately upon returning home and kept her in the bathroom. later on that evening we noticed she was sneezing and drooling. i wasn't immediately concerned thinking that it was a new environment and that salivation could be a side effect from the Advantage if she had licked her fur.
the next day she seemed worse and congested. after the 24hrs we decided not to remove her from her quarantine and brought her back to the shelter vet. he took her temperature and told us she had herpes. he did not run any swab tests but we assumed with the amount of cases they might have there that he was correct in assuming this (?)
he gave us 4 doses of a medication (starts with a T? we gave the bottle back to them) and said it should clear up on its own. other symptoms were severe congestion but no eye or nose secretions.
we ended up bringing her back to the shelter for hospitalization. her health was improving but we were very concerned for the health of our other cat..even though he has been vaccinated. we were planning on briging her to our vet but with all the stress already put upon her we thought we should wait until she was better. the two cats were always kept seperate and never came into contact with each other..we changed our clothes/shoes and washed hands ect..when going from the quarantine room to the rest of the house.
since this started ive tried doing research on my own over the internet (which is how i came upon this site) what we are concerned about are the risks involved with having one (potentially) infected cat living with an otherwise healthy one. i have found a lot of standard info about this virus and how it affects cats. judging by what i have read her symptoms were not severe compared to other cases and she seemed to be getting better rather quickly (but i am not a vet obviously)she always had an appetite and was eating/using the litter regularily without any problems.
i was just hoping someone may have been in a similar situation where they could offer us some advice as to how this may affect our other cats health. it has caused us and both cats a great deal of stress..and we really want to keep her as we know we could offer her a home full of love.
anyways if you have any more advice/insights it would be greatly appreciated.
thank you! (sorry this is so long)
thanks for your reply! sorry i was so vague about the situation..here is some clarification incase you can help.
like i said, our cat cooper is a 2 1/2 yr old male, fixed, all shots up to date. he is perfectly healthy, active and we have never had a health issue with him.
the kitten was adopted from the spca. she had only been there a few days but was already vaccinated (triple vaccine), dewormed, and is NOT spayed yet. when we got her we were told she had fleas and we purchased Advantage from the vet there, and were told to apply it topically and keep her quarantined for 24hrs. we did this immediately upon returning home and kept her in the bathroom. later on that evening we noticed she was sneezing and drooling. i wasn't immediately concerned thinking that it was a new environment and that salivation could be a side effect from the Advantage if she had licked her fur.
the next day she seemed worse and congested. after the 24hrs we decided not to remove her from her quarantine and brought her back to the shelter vet. he took her temperature and told us she had herpes. he did not run any swab tests but we assumed with the amount of cases they might have there that he was correct in assuming this (?)
he gave us 4 doses of a medication (starts with a T? we gave the bottle back to them) and said it should clear up on its own. other symptoms were severe congestion but no eye or nose secretions.
we ended up bringing her back to the shelter for hospitalization. her health was improving but we were very concerned for the health of our other cat..even though he has been vaccinated. we were planning on briging her to our vet but with all the stress already put upon her we thought we should wait until she was better. the two cats were always kept seperate and never came into contact with each other..we changed our clothes/shoes and washed hands ect..when going from the quarantine room to the rest of the house.
since this started ive tried doing research on my own over the internet (which is how i came upon this site) what we are concerned about are the risks involved with having one (potentially) infected cat living with an otherwise healthy one. i have found a lot of standard info about this virus and how it affects cats. judging by what i have read her symptoms were not severe compared to other cases and she seemed to be getting better rather quickly (but i am not a vet obviously)she always had an appetite and was eating/using the litter regularily without any problems.
i was just hoping someone may have been in a similar situation where they could offer us some advice as to how this may affect our other cats health. it has caused us and both cats a great deal of stress..and we really want to keep her as we know we could offer her a home full of love.
anyways if you have any more advice/insights it would be greatly appreciated.
thank you! (sorry this is so long)
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
Well, I want to establish that it wasn't in fact, a result of a reaction to the Advantage. Did you apply it as instructed on the package label? If applied according to instructions, the cat cannot get to it to lick it off....it is applied at the base of the neck, this area is ideal since cats cannot lick there. If you applied it elsewhere on her body, she could have ingested it.
I'm concerned with the drooling, in possible relationship to the use of the Advantage or something else. But, if she is no longer drooling since you applied it, possibly no further cause for concern there.
I have no idea what the four pills were he gave you, nothing that starts with a "T" comes to mind. Upper respiratory infections in kittens are usually treated with antibiotics such as clavamox, for a course of 7 days. Upper respiratory infections are usually resolved within a week or two, provided the kitten recieves appropriate antibiotics and the infection is not severe to cause anorexia, dehydration, etc.
Herpesvirus is another term for rhinotracheitis, which is the most common form of upper respiratory infections. Not knowing exactly when she had been vaccinated or how many series she has received, it's hard telling, since she could have been vaccinated too late, or didn't receive more than one series. Shelters are prime environments for URI's in kittens and adult cats.
I'd get her to your own vet promptly for a more thorough exam, and to discuss what medication the shelter vet gave you...in my opinion, kitten should be on clavamox, but your own primary vet should be able to determine what is most appropriate for her, based on her exam findings. Your own vet would be less stressful than taking her back to the shelter, and putting her at further risk for contracting something else. Again, request of your OWN vet to test her for FELV/FIV before introducing her to your other cat.
For what it's worth, IF in fact this is a mild URI, and if your primary vet pronounces her otherwise healthy, and her snap test for FELV/FIV is negative, and as long as your adult cat is up-to-date on his vaccinations, then there is little concern for him to develop an upper respiratory infection from the kitten. Healthy adult cats rarely develop serious cases of URI's from an infected kitten, unless they have not been vaccinated and/or already immuno-compromised.
Please see your own vet, and get kitten thoroughly examined, discuss antibiotics, and get her tested for FELV/FIV. If you don't already, get a copy of kitten's veterinary records and proof of vaccinations from the shelter and take them with you to your own vet.
I'm concerned with the drooling, in possible relationship to the use of the Advantage or something else. But, if she is no longer drooling since you applied it, possibly no further cause for concern there.
I have no idea what the four pills were he gave you, nothing that starts with a "T" comes to mind. Upper respiratory infections in kittens are usually treated with antibiotics such as clavamox, for a course of 7 days. Upper respiratory infections are usually resolved within a week or two, provided the kitten recieves appropriate antibiotics and the infection is not severe to cause anorexia, dehydration, etc.
Herpesvirus is another term for rhinotracheitis, which is the most common form of upper respiratory infections. Not knowing exactly when she had been vaccinated or how many series she has received, it's hard telling, since she could have been vaccinated too late, or didn't receive more than one series. Shelters are prime environments for URI's in kittens and adult cats.
I'd get her to your own vet promptly for a more thorough exam, and to discuss what medication the shelter vet gave you...in my opinion, kitten should be on clavamox, but your own primary vet should be able to determine what is most appropriate for her, based on her exam findings. Your own vet would be less stressful than taking her back to the shelter, and putting her at further risk for contracting something else. Again, request of your OWN vet to test her for FELV/FIV before introducing her to your other cat.
For what it's worth, IF in fact this is a mild URI, and if your primary vet pronounces her otherwise healthy, and her snap test for FELV/FIV is negative, and as long as your adult cat is up-to-date on his vaccinations, then there is little concern for him to develop an upper respiratory infection from the kitten. Healthy adult cats rarely develop serious cases of URI's from an infected kitten, unless they have not been vaccinated and/or already immuno-compromised.
Please see your own vet, and get kitten thoroughly examined, discuss antibiotics, and get her tested for FELV/FIV. If you don't already, get a copy of kitten's veterinary records and proof of vaccinations from the shelter and take them with you to your own vet.
..........Traci
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
hello folks..i'm back with an update and a request for some more advice.
we have had a fairly horrible week concerning this situation.
last week our resident cat (cooper) started showing signs of having an URI. at a loss for what to do, we called the spca shelter and they agreed to hospitalize our kitten for us until we could find out what was going on with cooper.
coopers symptoms were sneezing and mild congestion, but he was extremely lethargic and not eating/drinking. our vet put him on a 10 day cycle of clavamox, with us force feeding him hills a/d mixed with some water through a syringe several times a day. last weekend was horrible as he was not responsive at all but was eating when we would feed him. after a few days of the force feeding he seemed to perk up a bit..with a bit of effort we got him eating on his own again (wet food, then mixed with dry). as of right now aside from some occasional sneezing he seems back to his old self, usual routines and voracious apptite. he is back to eating his regualr dry food/drinking no problems. he finishes his meds monday and we will be taking him back to the vet monday night for another check up.
the shelter has agreed to keep the kitten for us until monday when we take cooper to the vet. we were nervous about bringing her back earlier since we did not know how this would affect coopers health. she was recovering very well at our house before we brought her in, and the shelter vet said she is still doing very well, eating/drinking and everything.
we really want to give this another try but the whole ordeal has been very stressful for everyone involved. we would take her to our vet for a full checkup/fiv/flv test before bringing her back in the house. as i mentioned before she has been dewormed/examined by the shelter/first vaccinations.
since it seems most likely that both cats now have herpes virus..is it less problamatic to have them together? they had never come into contact with each other before..aside from seeing each other through a closed glass door. cooper has lived with other cats before and has always loved the company, when they saw each other there was no hissing/growling..they seemed more curious of each other than anything else.
we are just worried about how a new addition could potentially affect coopers health, or the kittens for that matter. we will talk to our vet monday and see what he has to say but we are very torn over what to do in this situation.
if traci or anyone else has any experience with this i would really appreciate the advise. from what ive read herpes is a very common and managable illness and we are willing to make the effort..just worried about the potential concequences.
we have had a fairly horrible week concerning this situation.
last week our resident cat (cooper) started showing signs of having an URI. at a loss for what to do, we called the spca shelter and they agreed to hospitalize our kitten for us until we could find out what was going on with cooper.
coopers symptoms were sneezing and mild congestion, but he was extremely lethargic and not eating/drinking. our vet put him on a 10 day cycle of clavamox, with us force feeding him hills a/d mixed with some water through a syringe several times a day. last weekend was horrible as he was not responsive at all but was eating when we would feed him. after a few days of the force feeding he seemed to perk up a bit..with a bit of effort we got him eating on his own again (wet food, then mixed with dry). as of right now aside from some occasional sneezing he seems back to his old self, usual routines and voracious apptite. he is back to eating his regualr dry food/drinking no problems. he finishes his meds monday and we will be taking him back to the vet monday night for another check up.
the shelter has agreed to keep the kitten for us until monday when we take cooper to the vet. we were nervous about bringing her back earlier since we did not know how this would affect coopers health. she was recovering very well at our house before we brought her in, and the shelter vet said she is still doing very well, eating/drinking and everything.
we really want to give this another try but the whole ordeal has been very stressful for everyone involved. we would take her to our vet for a full checkup/fiv/flv test before bringing her back in the house. as i mentioned before she has been dewormed/examined by the shelter/first vaccinations.
since it seems most likely that both cats now have herpes virus..is it less problamatic to have them together? they had never come into contact with each other before..aside from seeing each other through a closed glass door. cooper has lived with other cats before and has always loved the company, when they saw each other there was no hissing/growling..they seemed more curious of each other than anything else.
we are just worried about how a new addition could potentially affect coopers health, or the kittens for that matter. we will talk to our vet monday and see what he has to say but we are very torn over what to do in this situation.
if traci or anyone else has any experience with this i would really appreciate the advise. from what ive read herpes is a very common and managable illness and we are willing to make the effort..just worried about the potential concequences.
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
I will say this again. You need to forget the SPCA shelter and begin seeing ONLY your primary vet. By continuing to take your kitten to the shelter, she is at increased risk for contracting various virals or infections, even parasites, all of which are common in a shelter environment. Get the kitten's health records to your own vet, so that he can determine exactly what vaccines and type were given, and any other treatment.
If your primary vet suspected Cooper has a mild upper respiratory infection, chances are, he contracted it from your kitten. If Cooper is healing nicely, chances are, so will your kitten. But, your kitten needs to be on the appropriate antibiotcs, to be determined upon a thorough exam by your primary vet, not the shelter vet. Your primary vet, after examining your kitten, will then determine her overall health status, and will determine if the upper respiratory infection is rhino, herpes, calicivirus or chlamydia and will treat appropriately. Based on his assessment of your kitten and her health, he will then recommend to you whether you should continue to keep her and Cooper seperated until the infection clears, or to allow them to be introduced. Please let your vet make that determination, because he has to fully evaluate her health status.
There is no reason for your kitten to be at the shelter. If she can be seperated in another room at home away from Cooper, then get her back home at once. The shelter environment is extremely stressful, and with an upper respiratory infection, the shelter stress is only making matters worse. Get both cats to your vet on Monday for complete exams.
It is for this reason, amoung others I expressed, that ALL newly adopted kittens or cats should always see your own primary vet immediately after adoption.
If your primary vet suspected Cooper has a mild upper respiratory infection, chances are, he contracted it from your kitten. If Cooper is healing nicely, chances are, so will your kitten. But, your kitten needs to be on the appropriate antibiotcs, to be determined upon a thorough exam by your primary vet, not the shelter vet. Your primary vet, after examining your kitten, will then determine her overall health status, and will determine if the upper respiratory infection is rhino, herpes, calicivirus or chlamydia and will treat appropriately. Based on his assessment of your kitten and her health, he will then recommend to you whether you should continue to keep her and Cooper seperated until the infection clears, or to allow them to be introduced. Please let your vet make that determination, because he has to fully evaluate her health status.
There is no reason for your kitten to be at the shelter. If she can be seperated in another room at home away from Cooper, then get her back home at once. The shelter environment is extremely stressful, and with an upper respiratory infection, the shelter stress is only making matters worse. Get both cats to your vet on Monday for complete exams.
It is for this reason, amoung others I expressed, that ALL newly adopted kittens or cats should always see your own primary vet immediately after adoption.
..........Traci
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
hi traci..thanks for your reply.
i agree in retrospect it was not a good idea to bring her back to the shelter..i think we really just didn't know what to do. i do know at the shelter she has been kept in their vet clinic seperate from other cats and not with the general population. we are going to pick her up and take both cats to our vet tomorrow. cooper is doing so much better so we aren't too worried about him anymore..and the vet at the shelter told us the kitten is doing much better as well.
i am a little confused as to the cause of the URI, our vet told us cooper had rhino but i thought this was the same as feline herpes. we will see what our vet has to say about both cats having it and how to go about dealing with it.
again thanks for your advice.
i agree in retrospect it was not a good idea to bring her back to the shelter..i think we really just didn't know what to do. i do know at the shelter she has been kept in their vet clinic seperate from other cats and not with the general population. we are going to pick her up and take both cats to our vet tomorrow. cooper is doing so much better so we aren't too worried about him anymore..and the vet at the shelter told us the kitten is doing much better as well.
i am a little confused as to the cause of the URI, our vet told us cooper had rhino but i thought this was the same as feline herpes. we will see what our vet has to say about both cats having it and how to go about dealing with it.
again thanks for your advice.
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
Rhinotracheitis and herpesvirus are the same thing. In some cats, depending on the symptoms and diagnosis, it may reocur at intervals, for life. Symptoms usually include conjunctivitis and mild sneezing, sometimes congestion, anorexia, lethargy. If the infection reocurs, then the cat should be treated promptly with antibiotics, and/or l-lysine, sometimes an opthalmic ointment to treat conjunctivitis, fed a high quality diet and stress kept to a minimum at all times. Many cats have flareups from herpesvirus, but can be treated effectively by your vet at the onset of the symptoms. However, it is always a good idea to make sure other problems are ruled out before assuming herpesvirus, such as calicivirus, chlamydia, fungal disease, etc, symptoms of some of these conditions can mimic herpesvirus, so it's important to differentiate them.
There is a good chance your kitten developed the URI from the shelter, and Cooper may have been stressed, therefore contracting it also. If both cats are seemingly recovering, chances are, they will both recover in full. But, do watch them both carefully for any other symptoms or persistence of symptoms, their eating habits, etc. Tomorrow, get your kitten tested for FELV/FIV. If Cooper hasn't ever been tested, now is a good time to do so. There's no reason you need to utilize the shelter vet any more, your primary vet should have your kitten's health records either gathered from you or faxed from the shelter.
There is a good chance your kitten developed the URI from the shelter, and Cooper may have been stressed, therefore contracting it also. If both cats are seemingly recovering, chances are, they will both recover in full. But, do watch them both carefully for any other symptoms or persistence of symptoms, their eating habits, etc. Tomorrow, get your kitten tested for FELV/FIV. If Cooper hasn't ever been tested, now is a good time to do so. There's no reason you need to utilize the shelter vet any more, your primary vet should have your kitten's health records either gathered from you or faxed from the shelter.
..........Traci
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
thanks for clarifying traci..
we have all of the kittens records from the shelter (that is all that exists..) we are off to the vet tomorrow with both of them and i hope it goes well. i will request that both cats are tested for FELV/FIV and see what our vet has to say. i will also inquire about l-lysine as i have come across it often in my personal research of feline herpes.
thanks again for all of your advice..our vet has been great thus far and hopefully we will have a successful introduction and a happy family soon!
we have all of the kittens records from the shelter (that is all that exists..) we are off to the vet tomorrow with both of them and i hope it goes well. i will request that both cats are tested for FELV/FIV and see what our vet has to say. i will also inquire about l-lysine as i have come across it often in my personal research of feline herpes.
thanks again for all of your advice..our vet has been great thus far and hopefully we will have a successful introduction and a happy family soon!
-
MattinglyMom
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 10:53 pm
Re: can anybody help? cat flu question
Ok, I can't add much on the health-front here, except to say in my own experience and that of my mother with her cats, we always find it best to use only a vet we trust. The other thing is the sneezing and drooling you mentioned was something we went through with our cat Mattingly when he was a kitten. He had a lot of eye problems when we first found him on the street and our vet wanted us to keep one of his eyes dilated with Atropine. He would get the antibiotics on his fur and lick it with no real problem, but some of the Atropine got in his mouth the first time he used it and he was sneezing and drooling and licking like crazy. I went nuts myself and called an emergency vet line. They said it was probably the bad taste of the medicine, and after he drank what seemed like a gallon of water, all his symptoms went away. So in my uneducated opinion, it seems like possibly the drooling and the URI/Herpes thing are unrelated?