Uri And Not Eating Much

[ameliashuman]

My older cat has been sneezing for the last two weeks. On Friday I noticed a change in his eating and more distress so I took him to the vet. The vet checked him out and said it was likely an URI and gave him antibiotics, she didn't see any other concerns. Then this weekend he became lethargic and won't eat except after spending time in a steamy bathroom. But even then it's only a few bites. I've seen him drink water, but it is for sure less than normal. We're giving him antibiotics, have a humidifier going, and are giving him warmed up wet food. Is there anything else we should be doing? We're thinking of taking him to the vet again. I feel so worried for him. He just adopted us last September, had thyroid surgery in Feb, he's had such a rough time of it.

 

[lacy2000]

He’s likely not eating because his nose is stuffed and he can’t smell. You can try heating up his wet food (I see you’ve already been doing this), feeding chicken baby food, or getting infant nasal drops and put them in his nose to unclog sinuses. The lethargy and less water intake is worrisome and I would take him into the vet if he doesn’t start acting better by tomorrow.

 

[neely]

I'm so sorry your cat has a worrisome URI after dealing with thyroid surgery several months ago. Thank you for adopting him last September and looking after his well being. Here is a helpful Article about cats with upper respiratory infections: Feline Herpes And Rhinotracheitis
If you don't see any improvement definitely contact your vet. Please check back to let us know about his progress.

 

[Emma2]

I have the exact same problem with my old cat, he seemed unwell for 2 days, then a little better, but yesterday he looked sick again, he doesn't sneeze as much (since starting the antibiotic) but his nose is very runny and he makes weird sounds, like he's gulping (maybe his throat hurts him), he only eats a few bites and drink a little bit of water.
And my other cats started showing the same symptoms yesterday.

I read online that Grapefruits seeds extract is very good for URI's but I keep finding different information on the dosage, and am not sure which one is correct.

 

[catlover73]

Is your baby eating better yet? How many times a day and for how long are you doing steam treatments? If your baby’s appetite is still messed up you may want to call the vet to see if he needs a different antibiotic or an adjustment to the dosage.

 

[ameliashuman]

Thank you everyone for the support. I have found this site to be the most supportive when I get anxious over the cats

Neil (the sick one) is still under the weather but has eaten a little more, including some cat treats. It's not as much as I would want, but the vet said to keep monitoring and that she wasn't overly concerned at this time. He is coming out of the closet to sleep with us so that seems like an improvement. We clearly have been lucky the last five years since our other cats would only get the sniffles and nothing worse.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thank you everyone for the support. I have found this site to be the most supportive when I get anxious over the cats

Neil (the sick one) is still under the weather but has eaten a little more, including some cat treats. It's not as much as I would want, but the vet said to keep monitoring and that she wasn't overly concerned at this time. He is coming out of the closet to sleep with us so that seems like an improvement. We clearly have been lucky the last five years since our other cats would only get the sniffles and nothing worse.

Our cats all had URI's this past winter. Not fun. It took a lot to get a few of them eating again, my normal routine of having cats leaping onto the counter, sticking their noses into the food, swatting at my legs and trying to leap up and grab spoons out of my hand was forgotten as I had all these cats staring at me with apathy and walking away when I set food out. Totally unlike them and very worrisome but it sounds like you're seeing improvement!!
I get what you're feeling, and it's bothersome but hopefully he's on the mend

 

[ameliashuman]

Wanted to give an update. Things got worse for a bit so the vet gave him an antibiotic injection and we started nebulizing Neil. We were able to get him to drink some and eat a little. After about three days he started improving back to his old self. Now he's totally back to normal. Thanks everyone for the support, it's scary when they seem so sick and there's not much you can do. I included a picture of him loving on a catnip
toy!