[asrowley]

Well, my kitty Pinky is finally getting over a horrible URI she had when we first got her. She's been on antibiotics for two weeks, and has come to a dry sneeze every once in a while, especially when she wakes up. It excites me to know she's feeling better, but I'm just not sure if this is the end. My vet is out for Christmas, so calling her is not going to happen, but I want to know is do you think she'll be ready for her vaccinations on the 3rd of January?

I'm really hoping so. She's got every vaccination but a few round twos she needs. (Like feline Leukemia)

I guess I need a little confirmation that yes, this is the end and my kitty is going to be a happy healthy kitty. I know you guys can't do much since you can't see her, but if you've dealt with it, is a dry sneeze every once in a while the end? Is she going to be ready next week for the vaccinations?

Thanks ahead of time guys. =^..^=

 

[laurief]

My advice is to wait until next week and see if all symptoms of the URI have ceased before taking her in for any booster vaccinations. If she is still sneezing or has any discharge from eyes or nose, reschedule the vaccinations. Also, it's best to administer only one vaccination at a time with at least a week between vaccinations.

Laurie

 

[asrowley]

Thanks Laurie. The only thing she has is dry sneezes, the discharge is gone, for the most part, just a dry boogie here and there. Her Vaccinations aren't until next week and I called the technicians at the vet office today. They said it's okay for her to be off the clavomox. They can't say for sure whether she'll be ready for the vaccinations yet. I think the only booster she needs at the moment was the feline Leukemia, because we were able to do the deworming last week. I never had a cat with a URI before, all my other shelter cats were very healthy, she just somehow got the butt end of it, and a ton of cats in the shelter. From what I can gather from the shelter is they took in a cat with a URI (they didn't know it until too late) and a lot of their cats ended up with it. They have been patient and payed for all the treatments so far. I'm blessed with that.

 

[laurief]

Chances are that the URI she contracted was viral (the more common feline URI's are), so all the antibiotic was doing was preventing a secondary bacterial infection from occurring while her immune system was busy battling the virus. Antibiotics, of course, have no action against a virus.

Just so you know, the most common URI - herpesvirus - is incurable, and almost all cats carry it. In most cats, herpes lies dormant most of the time. It can, however, flare-up into an active infection when a cat is stressed, immuno-compromised, or in direct contact with another cat with an active herpes infection. It's generally not a big deal, but it is highly contagious in the active state, and it can be a real nuisance in a shelter setting where one cat with a flare-up can trigger flare-ups throughout the feline population. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that you may not have seen the last of the URI's in your new girl. If it is herpes, which is likely, you may see it again if and when something triggers it to flare-up again in your girl. Like I said, more a nuisance than anything else.

Laurie

 

[CJinCA]

If it is Herpes, you can help suppress it by giving L-Lysene. You can buy it at health food counter (make sure its pure L-lysene and doesn't have any other ingredients). Get the 500 mg caplets and give half with wet food in the morning and the other half in the evening meal.

 

[asrowley]

It's possible to be herpes but they tested her twice for it and nothing came up. So they are going to do a full on blood test for EVERYTHING next tuesday. That's going to be a neusince on my pocketbook, but I saved up a lot of money in case I'd run into something costly. (as well as moving out to an apartment closer to work) If it indeed finally comes up as Herpes, I've heard of the L-lysene and will be able to give it to her.

I also knew what the antibiotic was for, I'm not a first time cat owner, this is just my first one that got a URI. My other kitties (who live with My parents in Oklahoma) never got any illness from shelters or kennels... which was lucky for us since Gata was from a shelter, and Bitsy had to be boarded for a couple days after she got spayed because she didn't take the anesthesia well and had to be watched. Neither of those two have feline Herpes either. Lucky ducks.

Hopefully, as I said before, we can get her the vaccinations, which is all I'm worried about at this point. The state of Nevada is very strict on these things (or at least the Las Vegas area)

 

[librarychick]

My youngest cat (Muffin) had the herpes virus when I got him at 4 weeks. He had sniffles and weepy eyes on and off for his first year. I gave him l-lysine and it did help, so I vote for that, btw.

Unfortunatley he had a flare up about 1 1/2 years ago and he gave it to my older girl, Jitzu, who now has a chronic nasal problem. The innitial infection she got from Muffin caused permanent damage to her nasal cavity, and there's not much I can do about it. I've held off on her vaccinations since she's been sick for a few reasons, but mainly because I KNOW her immune system is compromised by constantly fighting off this illness that won't go away. I gave in and took her to get her shots this summer when she seemed to be feeling better. Horrible mistake. She's been slowly backsliding ever since.

I'm not saying don't get her her shots. It sounds like you're lucky and she hasn't got the nasal damage. But TBH I wouldn't give her any shots until the sneezeis gone, completely, for at least a month. AND give her the l-lysine.

In any case I wouldn't suggest the feline leukemia vaccine anyways. It's a pretty bad vaccine, as far as reactions go, and I've done some research that shows it doesn't do much good. She's your cat so it's your call, but I believe very firmly in research before vaccines or other treatments. And I always ask my vet about possible side-effects versus risk/benefit. They don't always tell you that right up front.

 

[asrowley]

True, her breed isn't leukemia-prone, so I may just opt out of it. I've been thinking of that too. But both my other kitties had it just fine, not sure how she's going to react to it. I may swing by petsmart later today (they have the lysin stuff for very little) and keep it at that.

I have a true fear that this is Herpes and she probably does have some nasal damage (she ended up with two nose bleeds from sneezing) She didn't like it but when those happened I would take some hot showers with her in the room.

Otherwise she is a very happy playful kitten! Thank you guys for all your input =^..^=

 

[laurief]

As far as I know, there is no reliable test to diagnose feline herpes. Even a PCR test can return false negatives. Also, a positive result doesn't necessarily identify herpes as the source of current symptoms. A cat can carry the herpesvirus and also be ill with another of the URI's. Testing is more likely to rule out other URI possibilities than it is to definitively rule in herpes as the source of the current problem.

L-lysine is just an amino acid, so it can be given safely regardless of whether or not your girl actually has herpes. It can be quite helpful with a herpes flare-up because it inhibits the herpesvirus' ability to replicate. This makes it easier for the cat's immune system to battle it into remission.

Laurie

 

[asrowley]

Alright that makes a lot of sense. You guys have been a lot of help