Shelter cat has a cold

[Deedee]

I got Tashi (1 year old from shelter) a week ago and the last couple of days she's been sneazing and watery (clear liquid) nose too. She still had her appetite so I wasn't too worried, but now I'm wondering how long this is gonna last as today she seemed more stuffed up.

She had been in the shelter exactly one month and on June 9 had got her first ever shot and June 10th got spayed. And on July 9th when I picked her up, they said they'd give her a "booster" on the way out, so they did and she was fine for the first half of her first week at home but now it seems obvious she has a cold.

Poor little thing - adjusting to her new home while being sick is not easy... but is this normal to get a cold after a shot?

[emma_pen]

Upper Respiratory Infections are very common in cats from shelters, as there are a lot of cats in a small area where such things can spread like wildfire. Was there no sneezing whilst she was in the shelter? One of my cats, who is a carrier, gets mild flu after his booster vaccinations. For this reason, I ONLY use killed vaccines for him, whereas I use live vaccines for my other boys. Your cat will probably need some antibiotics.

[coaster]

If your cat develops any colored, gunky discharge that's a sign of a secondary bacterial infection, which requires a vet appointment and prescription antibiotics to clear up.

A vaccination is stressful on the immune system. It could cause a mild reaction, or it could precipitate the development of a URI the cat has already been exposed to.

[Deedee]

She was fine at the shelter (as all the cats there seemed to be, I was extremely impressed with our local shelter) and fine for the first half of the week she was home but then started sneezing, just a few times and next day increasing to a couple after each nap upon awakening. This morning she really sneezed a lot when she woke up too but so far her nasal fluid is clear and not "gunky" at all and her eyes are not runny or dirty, but I will continue to watch it very closely. I shouldn't have put shelter in the title as I don't feel the shelter has anything to do with this but rather the booster shot they gave her on the way out.

She sneezed quite a bit after waking up today and now you can add decreased appetite to that too. For breakfast she only had about half a handful of Medi-Cal Preventive dry food but for lunch all she managed to do was lick the moisture off her Iams canned food (which earlier in the week she always finished) and then walked away. I added a little water and stirred it up an hour later hoping she'd do it again but she wasn't interested.

See this pic of her shots? They are a month apart and they are identical... is a booster an identical shot? I think she's just reacting to the shot BUT I was wondering how long this is going to last? Is an identical shot only one month later normal?? Seems like a lot.

[nanook]

It sounds like your kitty probably has an URI. As Emma said, it's very common with shelter kitties. I just went through it myself. I think you should bring her in and get her checked out. They'll probably put her on antibiotics. Also, if you have other cats, be prepared as they may come down with it as well. Sometimes cats can just let it run a normal course like a cold ( about 2 week or 14 days!) but they give antibiotics to fend off any secondary infections. One of the dangers is that if a cat can't smell they won't eat so if she gets too stuffy that could become a problem. Giving some fluids can help flush them out a bit and prevent dehydration. I tokk my kitten into a really steamy bathroom 2x a day to help break up the congestion and it seemed to help.
As far as the shots go with my vet if the cat is over a year old they don't give a second booster as the cat has already developed their own immune system (unlike kittens). But I don't know what other vets do.
let us know how it goes.

[coaster]

I see you got the Fort Dodge 4-in-one vaccine. (Yes, boosters are same) There were some recalls of some bad batches of Fort Dodge vaccines. I don't want you to panic. Most likely this isn't affected. But I recommend you call your vet tomorrow and ask about it. It's good you saved copies of the labels. A shelter with a stock of vaccine might not get a recall notice. But I'm sure a vet would know.

Normally a vaccination doesn't produce an illness that it's supposed to be vaccinating against.

[jamdan]

I'd second getting the antibiotic. My farm girl came in january with a bad cold and ear mites and cow dung in her fur. She got the antibiotic and cleared up.

[lotocats]

Your baby needs to be on some Amoxi drops for a week or so. It's a URI that are very common in cats from the shelter. I also find any type of stress will bring this on. Also moving a cat from one environment where there is a temperature change will also bring on this problem. Every cat I pick up off the street seems to develop this URI a few days after I have them inside. A few days of meds and they are fine, nothing serious.

[Deedee]

Thanks I will get my vet's opinion and make sure the vaccine batch numbers check out too. I thought a URI involved non-clear fluids and more severe or prolonged symptoms? I'm gonna make steam in the bathroom and see if that clears up her nose enough that she can smell her food... worth a try. I remember my mother doing that for us and our cats when we were little.

I just don't see why they gave her 2 identical shots within 31 days. Seems excessive on a stressed out cat, doesn't it?

[emma_pen]

I don't see what giving 2 shots a month apart would do AT ALL. You might want to call them and ask if this is the norm.

For initial vaccinations, we give a course of two shots 2 weeks apart. After that, its just one yearly booster, 12 months after the initial vaccination.

Vacinations CAN cause symptoms of the disease they are vaccinating against, although it is rare. After all, a vaccination is developed to make the immune system develop antibodies against that particular disease. If an immuno-supressed animal (or one just under the weather) is vaccinated, and the body does not develop the sufficient antibodies, then symptoms will show.

Both my dogs developed kennel cough after a KC vaccination. Needless to say, I've never vaccinated against that again. My flu carrier cat shows flu symptoms after every vaccination. Even vaccinated dogs can get parvo.