URI dilemma

[squirrelymonki]

Hey there,
So my family and I have been protecting and feeding a gorgeous stray we call Church (not that his personality matches that of the Pet Sematary cat). Recently, we took him inside as he injured his front leg, and was being beaten up rather fiercely outside. He's content being sheltered, and his leg is all better...but he's developed an intense respiratory infection. I have antibiotics and nose drops for him, but what else can I do? He's stopped eating - and he's been losing instead of gaining weight as it is - because he can't smell or see well (third eyelid, wet and glossed over eyes when he can open them). I'm making him comfortable, but there has to be more I can do.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sorry to hear about Church's URI. Here are some tips if you aren't already doing them that might help a bit.

Gently wipe away discharge from the eyes and nose on a regular basis throughout the day. Use a soft, damp cloth with warm water, and thoroughly clean it in between uses.

Turn on hot water in the bathroom and close the door. Once the room is full of steam, sit in there with your cat to help clear congestion and his airways with the steam - maybe 10-15 minutes if he will tolerate that long. You can do this multiple times a day.

Try feeding him his favorite, extra-tasty, extra smelly canned food, or even any smelly/flavorful human foods you can think of, just to get him to eat. If he is not drinking much, you can add tuna water or even chicken broth to help entice to him to drink more.

If by chance his URI is related to him having either herpes or calcivirus, you might ask the vet about giving him an anti-viral as well - that might help in speeding up the recovery process.

If you don't see improvement after you are half-way or so through the course of antibiotics, you might want to contact the vet and let them know to see if they have any suggestions/tips for you.

Hopefully, other members who have first hand experience with treating URIs can offer some other ideas. So keep checking back for most posts!!

 

[DreamerRose]

The steam treatments really help, and Mingo loved them. He would purr and purr while we sat in the steamy bathroom. It sounds too simple to be true, but it does help them breathe.