Need help my cat is sick

[jijithecat]

Hi, I have a 1 year old male cat named Salem. When he was kitten he got sick. He had congestion, was limping, had a fever and would only sleep. I took him to the vet and the only thing they told me he had was an URI and that he was really congested. They gave antibiotics and steroids. Within a few days he got better. Last month, he got sick again. He was stiff and seemed like the had a hard time moving. He was breathing with his mouth open, and had a fever. He wasn't eating or drinking, but did get up to use the litter box. I took him to the vet and they didn't know what was wrong with him. They wanted to do x-rays and blood work, but I don't have the money to do that. They gave me the same medicine he took when he was a kitten. I only gave him the medicine twice because it was really difficult to give it to him. He was better three days later. Now a month later he has the same symptoms he had last month. Is it because he didn't finish his medicine? I can't take him to the vet again, because they want to do blood work and x-rays and those are really expensive for me right now. I have another cat and he doesn't get sick like Salem. I also have a vaporizer set up for him and that seems to really help his breathing. I am currently saving money to get the x-rays and blood work he needs. I am really worried because I have had other cats, but I have never had an adult cat that gets an URI. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[cataholic07]

Can you find a low cost vet clinic that could help? Are you giving him lysene daily? I have a kitten whose sister had bad uris, she only had a little bit of watery eyes and sneezing, she had to get meds because it became an infection, but with lysene she's been great

 

[MissClouseau]

Can you take a loan? Or discuss payment options with the clinics? If you are in the USA I heard there is CareCredit there.

It might be because he didn't finish his medicine. But it might also be he has something else and not URI that requires more diagnostic tests, or there is more than one thing going on. Is he up to date on deworming and other parasites? Did they rule out asthma? Can you think of something that was similar when this was happening like anyone in the house smoked something, or a candle... ?

How is he doing now - is he on a vitamin supplement, eating and drinking?

 

[di and bob]

If he goes outside at all, or the other cats do, he could have a compromised immune system and can come down with every little virus, etc. that comes around. I found out my cat has leukemia and had become sick with a URI often. Keeping all inside has so far been good, no illness in 5 months. I also started giving DMG which builds up their immune systems. After research, and contacting the company, I found the most economical way to give DMG is to buy the Vetri Lysine Plus treats which have DMG in them. Two treats in the AM, and one in the PM. VetriScience brand on Amazon. It wouldn't hurt. I also found that medicines can be easily given by getting some 'lickable' treats at Walmart, or pet food section, in the chicken and tuna, or tuna and whitefish. Get the stew, not the bisque. They absolutely love them and lick them right down. It is the only thing my cat ate when he was so terribly sick and refused food for a week. It kept him going!

 

[stephanietx]

If you still have the medication left, I would give that to him and see if he improves. If it's a tablet, you could crush it and put it in tuna juice or cheese, if he likes those. Also, work on improving his overall health to reduce the flare ups of these symptoms.

 

[jefferd18]

Your kitty needs medical care.. If given antibiotics again, please use all of it. You can get a pill dispenser for you kitty from your vet- that makes it much easier to get a pill down his throat. I would suspect that whatever he has is not going away because you are not being consistent with his medication.

Are there any sliding scale vet clinics where you live? Does your vet have any coupons for the veterinarian school?

 

[amandag1]

Ask the vet or any other vet about care credit or payment plans , maybe you can make some payment now and arrange for it to be paid later with care credit.