We adopted a shelter kitty 6 days ago. Three days before that, she was a vibrant and demonstrative little tabby - a bit small (3 pounds at 4-1/2 months) but active and outgoing. The following day, she was spayed and when we saw her on the next day (Saturday), she was lethargic and only somewhat responsive.
Sunday, we decided to get her out of the stressful environment. No temp so no meds but we knew she was coming down with something. In the afternoon, it was evident that she had no interest in food so I tempted her with tuna. No success.
After a restless night during which she breathed through her mouth most of the time, she went to the vet the next morning and was diagnosed with a URI. By then she was at 103F. They gave her fluids subcutaneously; I was advised to feed her CliniCare by syringe and dose her with a decongestant and eye ointment. (They put ivectin in her ears for mites.)
Tuesday she was marginally better but not enough. Back to the vet we went, for more fluids. Wednesday she slept all day but still no interest in food and still a lot of stuffiness (though not as severe).
Thursday, she was more alert but still not eating. Returned yet again to the vet for more fluids and a change in antibiotics (Amoxcill to Clavicil(?)). Today (Friday) I took her to the vet for treatment during the day. She has lost weight (down to 2.4 pounds) but is better hydrated today. Still very stuffy and not eating. She did have a cough yesterday morning but it cleared last night and her lungs are clear today. I also started GSE yesterday - two drops in the syringes since she may not be drinking either. I'll add lysine today (500 mg to start).
Through all of this, I have been syringe feeding her CliniCare (70ml/day) and have started giving her baby food veal with a little water in it. I wrap her in a towel and we work through it, with her yowling. (Washing her face with a baby wipe and stroking her head will calm her.) There is a humidifier in the bathroom where she is encamped,plus I have the window open a crack (it's raining like crazy here). I have a heating pad and there is a heat lamp in the ceiling, but the air temp so far is mid-70's F. I did have a radio in the room, but haven't brought it in when I moved her into the bathroom. She has no interest in using the litter box, so when I wake her up I wait until she squats and place her in it immediately. She also takes no interest in grooming, so I wipe her with very mild baby wipes at least once a day. I have a stack of towels and change them whenever I find a wet spot. She also has a kitty 'house' to go into and snuggle up.
She is a very sweet, loving and snuggly cat and would rather be in my lap or under my chin than almost anywhere else. This makes it doubly tough for me to see her so weak and uninterested. I pick her up in a few hours, late this afternoon. The vet is going to show me how to do the subcutaneous fluids (if I can get someone to hold her). I keep feeling like if I can give her three good full days of nursing care, we can lick this thing.
My biggest questions... what else can I do to help her?? And what do you all believe her chances are of making a full recovery? When might I see improvement? I am exhausted trying to keep up with her care, care of my family and the fact that I'm working on a very demanding project just now. (The vet bills aren't much fun either.)
My other questions... since she is a shelter kitty, they checked her for FIV and FeLV and she was negative 14 days ago. Could she have been infected and the lack of response is due to the fact that she is now positive? She does not demonstrate lameness and I've described her symptoms as best I can.
I'm also worried that she is not even interested in her litter box. I don't know her history other than she was a stray. I haven't started with putting dirt into the box because I'm not sure that she can smell it anyway.
And, I'm concerned about our other 18 month-old cat who though quite fully vaccinated and an indoor cat has never been sick a day in his life. He knows there's another cat in the house but the new one is sequestered behind two closed doors and we adhere to handwashing after handling plus hand sanitizer (I also put clothes over my normal ones when I handle the sick kitty). We won't even attempt introductions until the new kitty is well.
All advice and support is welcome, as is information on therapies that others have found useful for combatting URI.
BTW a number of the kitties in the shelter with her also have URI and are in isolation, including another one I fell in love with who has been in iso with URI for 7 days. However I don't have the energy to care for two at the same time. (I know my limits - at least most of the time!)
Sunday, we decided to get her out of the stressful environment. No temp so no meds but we knew she was coming down with something. In the afternoon, it was evident that she had no interest in food so I tempted her with tuna. No success.
After a restless night during which she breathed through her mouth most of the time, she went to the vet the next morning and was diagnosed with a URI. By then she was at 103F. They gave her fluids subcutaneously; I was advised to feed her CliniCare by syringe and dose her with a decongestant and eye ointment. (They put ivectin in her ears for mites.)
Tuesday she was marginally better but not enough. Back to the vet we went, for more fluids. Wednesday she slept all day but still no interest in food and still a lot of stuffiness (though not as severe).
Thursday, she was more alert but still not eating. Returned yet again to the vet for more fluids and a change in antibiotics (Amoxcill to Clavicil(?)). Today (Friday) I took her to the vet for treatment during the day. She has lost weight (down to 2.4 pounds) but is better hydrated today. Still very stuffy and not eating. She did have a cough yesterday morning but it cleared last night and her lungs are clear today. I also started GSE yesterday - two drops in the syringes since she may not be drinking either. I'll add lysine today (500 mg to start).
Through all of this, I have been syringe feeding her CliniCare (70ml/day) and have started giving her baby food veal with a little water in it. I wrap her in a towel and we work through it, with her yowling. (Washing her face with a baby wipe and stroking her head will calm her.) There is a humidifier in the bathroom where she is encamped,plus I have the window open a crack (it's raining like crazy here). I have a heating pad and there is a heat lamp in the ceiling, but the air temp so far is mid-70's F. I did have a radio in the room, but haven't brought it in when I moved her into the bathroom. She has no interest in using the litter box, so when I wake her up I wait until she squats and place her in it immediately. She also takes no interest in grooming, so I wipe her with very mild baby wipes at least once a day. I have a stack of towels and change them whenever I find a wet spot. She also has a kitty 'house' to go into and snuggle up.
She is a very sweet, loving and snuggly cat and would rather be in my lap or under my chin than almost anywhere else. This makes it doubly tough for me to see her so weak and uninterested. I pick her up in a few hours, late this afternoon. The vet is going to show me how to do the subcutaneous fluids (if I can get someone to hold her). I keep feeling like if I can give her three good full days of nursing care, we can lick this thing.
My biggest questions... what else can I do to help her?? And what do you all believe her chances are of making a full recovery? When might I see improvement? I am exhausted trying to keep up with her care, care of my family and the fact that I'm working on a very demanding project just now. (The vet bills aren't much fun either.)
My other questions... since she is a shelter kitty, they checked her for FIV and FeLV and she was negative 14 days ago. Could she have been infected and the lack of response is due to the fact that she is now positive? She does not demonstrate lameness and I've described her symptoms as best I can.
I'm also worried that she is not even interested in her litter box. I don't know her history other than she was a stray. I haven't started with putting dirt into the box because I'm not sure that she can smell it anyway.
And, I'm concerned about our other 18 month-old cat who though quite fully vaccinated and an indoor cat has never been sick a day in his life. He knows there's another cat in the house but the new one is sequestered behind two closed doors and we adhere to handwashing after handling plus hand sanitizer (I also put clothes over my normal ones when I handle the sick kitty). We won't even attempt introductions until the new kitty is well.
All advice and support is welcome, as is information on therapies that others have found useful for combatting URI.
BTW a number of the kitties in the shelter with her also have URI and are in isolation, including another one I fell in love with who has been in iso with URI for 7 days. However I don't have the energy to care for two at the same time. (I know my limits - at least most of the time!)