Cat’s cold won’t get better

[MojoTuxedo]

I have an 11 month old cat that was adopted almost a month ago. He sneezed since we got him and has a little bit of his third eyelid always showing. A little bit of nose discharge. No other symptoms. We took him to the vet and got some immune booster. He’s been eating it daily for 3 weeks but he hasn’t gotten better. He still sneezes a lot. We have another cat but my mom says we shouldn’t separate them since they are best friends now.
He eats, uses the litter box, and plays normally. How can we help him get better?
Also another question. Our other cat has always had a little bit of his third eyelid showing. The vet says he’s completely healthy, but it hasn’t went away for 3 months. Is this normal?

 

[jefferd18]

Could he be allergic to anything in your home? You need to get him on an antibiotic to clear it up completely.

 

[cataholic07]

My girl Ceriah had a really bad URI that she got from her sister. She still has watery eyes, and sneezes when grooming. The vet said she will have it until a year old when her immune system finally gets better and just do the lysene daily until then.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

The vet says to take the cat back only if he has thick discharge or he’s getting worse. Could you provide some examples of possible allergies?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. There are conditions when a cat's third eyelid will show that can be harmless, such as Haw's Syndrome. But, things like colds or viral infections can also be the cause. Ask your vet what condition they think is causing the issue with the third eyelids on both your cats and see what they say.

As far as your cat that is on immune boosters - what did the vet tell you to expect in terms of improvement? As far as I know, there is no guarantee that any immune booster will 'cure' the symptoms that you are seeing. However, I would expect the vet is treating him this way to see if by elevating his immune system, he will get over the condition on his own without treatment. Hence, the reason the vet said to take him back in if his condition worsens, which at that point, he would likely be put on antibiotics - or, that is my guess anyway.

Regarding allergies, they can range from any number of ingredients in food (protein or grain related are probably the most common), or environmental, such as molds, dust mites, grass pollens, ragweed, and mildew.

 

[kittyluv387]

Sounds like could be the herpes virus?

Stubborn herpes infection? Add Lactoferrin in addition to Lysine

 

[MojoTuxedo]

The vet told us he should get better in a few weeks. He sneezes around 5 times a day but his nose and eye discharge has gotten a lot better. He still has a stuffy nose sometimes but not as much.
Jack (the cat without the cold) has had his third eyelid showing since before we got Joey (the cat with the cold). The adoption center said they had treated him for an URI.
My mom asked the vet already and the vet said she doesn’t know because Jack doesn’t have any other symptoms.
Edit: also, Joey’s lymph nodes are kind of swollen and Jack’s aren’t.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The vet told us he should get better in a few weeks. He sneezes around 5 times a day but his nose and eye discharge has gotten a lot better. He still has a stuffy nose sometimes but not as much.

If you think the stuffy nose bothers him, you can run hot water in a bathroom with the door closed, and then take him in there and sit with him for 5 minutes or so in the steam to help break up the congestion. At least he might get some relief from that as you wait to see him improve more.

 

[jen]

Cats can have allergies/sensitivites to literally anything that people can, dust, pollen, carpet cleaners, candles/diffusers, cigarettes, any of that can cause irritation to the eyes and nose. It could be environmental or could be chronic herpes or something along those lines affecting the immune system. Immune booster may help the cat from getting too bad and the vet is right that if you notice thick discharge or other signs of infection then take him back in for antibiotics. Has he been tested for FIV/FeLV also?

 

[MojoTuxedo]

He has been tested for FIV/FeLV at the adoption place I think.

 

[MojoTuxedo]

Joey now has a small lump in one of his legs. Should we take him to the vet?
The vet said to not take him back unless he was getting worse. The only part of his cold that got worse is that his lymph nodes are very swollen.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't know about the lump on his leg, but the very swollen lymph nodes at least warrants a call to the vet to tell them about it. When you do that, tell them about the lump, where it is, what it feels like (hard or soft) and if there is any skin issues associated with it (broken skin, scabs, hair loss, etc.), and if it feels as if it is loose from the underlying tissue or securely attached to it. You can give a better description of it in another post, just to see what members think, but I really would call the vet about both issues.