So I've got two kittens, named Salt and Pepper. They're about 5 months old now.
When we first got them, they were sneezing quite a lot. Sometimes Salt would even have times where he would sneeze like five times in a row, which were a little frightening. Salt was also breathing about double the speed he should have been. My parents didn't agree with taking them to the vet—they felt that they were already spending a lot of money on the cats, and they also didn't believe that the kittens were really in too bad a way. They were still eating and had a string appetite, were drinking, and playing well. Basically acting totally normal. I argued about it quite a bit, but they put their foot down and my mom even researched it and said that most people say that it should eventually pass; probably just a cold.
Fast forward to now, about a month later. The sneezing has all but stopped—I'll maybe hear a very occasional sneeze but not often. Salt's breathing is just about right now. They never did fully get rid of their nasal discharge issue though (more on that later). Last week we went to a low-cost vaccination clinic and got them a vaccination for upper respiratory diseases (can't think of what the vaccine was called now). Ever since then, I think Pepper is getting the respiratory issue a little worse. Salt seems almost entirely okay, with very little nasal discharge, although he was the worst right in the beginning (I'm worried this will make an even stronger argument anti-vet wise). But Pepper seems a tiny bit more sleepy (not a whole lot, but a little), and his breathing is a little funky. Sometimes, when he's sleeping, his stomach will rise with a breath and then there's a bit of a delay until his chest actually rises (I'm not sure if that's normal or not?). A couple days after the vaccine, he seemed to cough a couple times one evening and coughed up about two quarter's size worth of what looked like mucus or the thick, sticky snot that you get when you've got a cold. He hasn't done that again. Sometimes, especially in the past day or so, I've been able to hear him breath. He sort of whistles a but while he breathes, or just makes more normal breathing noises but they're still louder than normal.
A week or so ago, I was doing some research on respiratory issues in cats and read something about the color of the nasal discharge being normally either clear or slightly yellow. Now all this time, my kittens had been having brownish discharge and I just kind of assumed that was the normal color (I know, I'm probably an idiot for assuming that). Now I read that that means that they're having a really bad respiratory issue or something.
They're still active and playful, and have a great appetite and drink well, and their poos are all solid too. They're acting entirely normal.
So I'm not sure what to do, or even if this is actually serious or if I'm just overreacting. It's weird because the nasal discharge is basically the only constant symptom, and I can't really find info on that online. Almost everything has it in combination with eye issues, or open-mouth panting, or something. I don't want anything to happen to my kittens, but I've also got no idea how to convince my mother that they need a vet. I'm 18 and I'm pretty close to getting my license, but I can't drive yet and I'm not 100% sure I've got enough money for a vet trip with them both. How much does the average vet trip for two cats cost, assuming I have to be prescribed antibiotics or something? I would hate to go against what my parents want like that though, and of course I won't have my license for quite a while though. So either I need a home remedy, or I need a way to convince my parents that they're dying, which I doubt will work if they're still eating, playing, and growing. Or I need to know if it's not serious at all and I should just wait it out.
When we first got them, they were sneezing quite a lot. Sometimes Salt would even have times where he would sneeze like five times in a row, which were a little frightening. Salt was also breathing about double the speed he should have been. My parents didn't agree with taking them to the vet—they felt that they were already spending a lot of money on the cats, and they also didn't believe that the kittens were really in too bad a way. They were still eating and had a string appetite, were drinking, and playing well. Basically acting totally normal. I argued about it quite a bit, but they put their foot down and my mom even researched it and said that most people say that it should eventually pass; probably just a cold.
Fast forward to now, about a month later. The sneezing has all but stopped—I'll maybe hear a very occasional sneeze but not often. Salt's breathing is just about right now. They never did fully get rid of their nasal discharge issue though (more on that later). Last week we went to a low-cost vaccination clinic and got them a vaccination for upper respiratory diseases (can't think of what the vaccine was called now). Ever since then, I think Pepper is getting the respiratory issue a little worse. Salt seems almost entirely okay, with very little nasal discharge, although he was the worst right in the beginning (I'm worried this will make an even stronger argument anti-vet wise). But Pepper seems a tiny bit more sleepy (not a whole lot, but a little), and his breathing is a little funky. Sometimes, when he's sleeping, his stomach will rise with a breath and then there's a bit of a delay until his chest actually rises (I'm not sure if that's normal or not?). A couple days after the vaccine, he seemed to cough a couple times one evening and coughed up about two quarter's size worth of what looked like mucus or the thick, sticky snot that you get when you've got a cold. He hasn't done that again. Sometimes, especially in the past day or so, I've been able to hear him breath. He sort of whistles a but while he breathes, or just makes more normal breathing noises but they're still louder than normal.
A week or so ago, I was doing some research on respiratory issues in cats and read something about the color of the nasal discharge being normally either clear or slightly yellow. Now all this time, my kittens had been having brownish discharge and I just kind of assumed that was the normal color (I know, I'm probably an idiot for assuming that). Now I read that that means that they're having a really bad respiratory issue or something.
They're still active and playful, and have a great appetite and drink well, and their poos are all solid too. They're acting entirely normal.
So I'm not sure what to do, or even if this is actually serious or if I'm just overreacting. It's weird because the nasal discharge is basically the only constant symptom, and I can't really find info on that online. Almost everything has it in combination with eye issues, or open-mouth panting, or something. I don't want anything to happen to my kittens, but I've also got no idea how to convince my mother that they need a vet. I'm 18 and I'm pretty close to getting my license, but I can't drive yet and I'm not 100% sure I've got enough money for a vet trip with them both. How much does the average vet trip for two cats cost, assuming I have to be prescribed antibiotics or something? I would hate to go against what my parents want like that though, and of course I won't have my license for quite a while though. So either I need a home remedy, or I need a way to convince my parents that they're dying, which I doubt will work if they're still eating, playing, and growing. Or I need to know if it's not serious at all and I should just wait it out.
