Uri In New Kittens

[Noodlex]

I adopted two kitties about a month ago. I noticed they were sneezing but thought it was just allergies. I took them to the vet and it turns out they have an upper respiratory infection which is common in kittens.

I first gave them doxycycline for 2 weeks but it didn’t help so now I’m giving them some antiviral. Their eyes are getting worse though, it looks super red around them (not in the eye itself but the part that circles it). I’m trying to give them Terramycin but I’m afraid their eyes are just getting worse. It’s been almost a month and one kitty’s fever went away and they’re both gaining weight but still sneeze a little and have diarrhea and their eyes just look awful to me.

Is it possible they have something other than a URI? They’re FelV negative. They don’t act unhealthy but I don’t know if they should be eating more (they do eat but not a ton).

I’m just worried it’s something worse, I’ve never taken care of kittens on my own before. I don’t know if I just need to be more patient or if I should get a second opinion. I’m just worried their eyes look worse and it is so hard to give the expensive ointment, I feel like I wasted half of it and nothing even got in their eyes

 

[silkenpaw]

Congratulations on your new kittens! And kudos to you for adopting two. Kittens should come in pairs.

To give ointment to cats, put about a ¼” of the ointment on the ball of your right index finger. Hold the eye open with your left hand and apply the ointment to the eyeball (or the red, swollen membrane). Repeat with the other eye. Reverse hands if you are left-handed. Give it a day or two to get better.

My kitten got terramycin right away, then gave her goopy eyes to all the other cats. Everyone’s eyes are getting better after two weeks.

It’s always possible that they have something else but terramycin and famciclovir will cover most kitten eye problems. It’s up to you whether you want to try something else. I would if I saw a lot of thick pus or any opacity of the cornea (the transparent front part of the eye).

Here’s a kitten weight chart. You can weigh kittens on a kitchen scale. Put them in a bowl to keep them from running off.

Good luck and please let us know what happens.

 

[StefanZ]

The advices above sound great. L-lysine added never hurts, and many be good if its virus. That said, with severe eye problems the standing advice is to get help from a vet.

OK, re the overall care. As they have diarrhea, so some pedialyte is good, maybe even necessary, to compensate for their salt and fluid loss.

Can you get raw goats milk? Healthy, and it too is sometimes the last straw between good health and so so health. So may a trifle of raw honey be. Used externally or internally (ie as part of food / drink).

 

[Sarthur2]

What are you feeding them? Do they both have diarrhea? It could be from food, or it could be a bacterial infection that requires a different medication than the doxy. Have they been wormed yet?

I think you should get them back to the vet on their eyes and the diarrhea.

N Noodlex