# Cat constant sneezing, yday the vet diagnoised cat flu but today he is very sick.



## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

My 5, nearly 6 year old neutered male cat had severe sneezing for over a fortnight, it was constant and he was sneezing up lots of green snot. 

I took him to the vet yesterday and he took his temperature and it was high so because of this and because the snot was green, he said it was cat flu. He gave him an injection in the back of the neck and then gave me baytril, and told me to give him half a tablet twice a day for three days starting this morning. So this morning I gave him one, and I am about to give him another one now as its night time here.

The thing is, that today he is acting very sick. He's just sleeping, off his food and not in a good mood at all. I'm not happy with the way he is acting today. I understand he does have cat flu, and this is normal for that but its only today that he is acting strange after the vets when I was hoping there would be an improvement today.

He got bit by a dog when he was 5 weeks old on his nose and needed stiches. When he was young due to this, he had constant sneezing which is why we weren't too worried at first. This went away around the time we neutered him. He has also have bad teeth problem and had to have several removed and he did have pneumonia too. 

Oh he is also an indoor only cat and all our other cats are fine.
If he's the same tomorrow I think I will bring him back to the vet or to our other vet clinic to see what they think.

Any help would be great.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

Definitely separate him from the other cats. A URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) is HIGHLY contagious to other cats. It's very normal for him not to want to eat. Encourage canned food as it's more smelly than a dry kibble or raw and might stimulate his appetite. When you're in the shower, make sure you have him in there with you, the steam will help break up the mucus and help him feel a little bit better. Hopefully he starts eating again and feels better. If he's not eating for a couple days, another vet visit is in order. Good Luck. Also, some L-lysine might be helpful as well to boost his immune system. You can find it in treat form and power form as well.


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

3gatos said:


> Definitely separate him from the other cats. A URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) is HIGHLY contagious to other cats. It's very normal for him not to want to eat. Encourage canned food as it's more smelly than a dry kibble or raw and might stimulate his appetite. When you're in the shower, make sure you have him in there with you, the steam will help break up the mucus and help him feel a little bit better. Hopefully he starts eating again and feels better. If he's not eating for a couple days, another vet visit is in order. Good Luck. Also, some L-lysine might be helpful as well to boost his immune system. You can find it in treat form and power form as well.


Thank you for replying to me. We brought him back to the vet today and he is keeping him in. I really hope he will be ok.


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## Kbbargho (Mar 26, 2013)

I hope he's ok. Squee developed sneezing about 2 months after we rescued her. We were informed by the RSPCA that she nearly died from car flu as a kitten, so she was likely to suffer from sniffles.

But she was worse than I've ever seen in any cat before. She basically acted like we do when we have a cold. All bunged up, sneezing, snotty, wanted to be left alone, didn't eat...just slept. I was concerned as it just wasn't the norm.

Vets gave us some meds to give her for 2 weeks. She got worse for the first couple of days, but then the meds seemed to suddenly take effect.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is I hope the little man is ok, and it's just taking a bit for the meds to kick in. At least he's in good hands having such a concerned parent, and bein at the vets


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

Kbbargho said:


> I hope he's ok. Squee developed sneezing about 2 months after we rescued her. We were informed by the RSPCA that she nearly died from car flu as a kitten, so she was likely to suffer from sniffles.
> 
> But she was worse than I've ever seen in any cat before. She basically acted like we do when we have a cold. All bunged up, sneezing, snotty, wanted to be left alone, didn't eat...just slept. I was concerned as it just wasn't the norm.
> 
> ...


Thanks a million for your nice message. I hope that is the case that he was just acting fluey. His breathing started going fast and shallow all night. All he was doing was sleeping and not eating nor drinking. We were all up at 6am this morning with him! 

We haven't heard from the vet since 1pm, its after 9pm here. So we are just hoping no news is good news. We will be ringing first thing in the morning and shall let you know.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I think you were wise to go back to the vet. I really hope thsi all works out for you and your kitty.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

Sending up good vibes for the little guy. And yes no news is definitely good news


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## LaurulFeatherCat (Sep 16, 2011)

Definitely isolate the sick cat. Once that is done, think how you felt the last time you had the flu... Slept. Looked terrible. Just wanted to rest? Give the baytril time to knock down the bacteria causing the green snot, but the virus will need three to five days to completely clear your cat's body. Provide lots of fluids and warm cozy places to sleep.


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## hunterseat (Feb 23, 2013)

Leland really benefited from getting a squirt of water from a children's medicine syringe, though he protested. Morning and evening we gave him a dose of water. I think it helps thin the mucus. Hope your kitty feels better and comes home soon.


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

Hi all, thanks for all the nice comments. 

Jay came home at around lunch time today. Delighted he was ok, was up all night wondering if we were going to get bad news or not when we rang. 
He is still ill, obviously, but he isn't as bad as he was. A slight improvement. Vet said that he was really sick yesterday evening and said we were right to bring him in but was happy with his progress. He got regular injections and is home on marbocyl for the next four days. Hopefully he will improve with time. He's getting plenty of TLC, and wanting attention but i think this is due to spending the night away.

Also, just wondering if anyone knows should be keep up the baytril he was originally given along with the marbocyl or just the marbocyl. I know they are in the same family but Im unsure. We shall call the vets mobile tomorrow morning to be on the safe side.
Oh and we also have some metacam here, we could give him incase he was feeling pain as his eating isn't great but we think its because of a sore throat. Do you think it would be wise to give him some or should be leave it.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

michellexgix said:


> ...Oh and we also have some metacam here, we could give him incase he was feeling pain as his eating isn't great but we think its because of a sore throat. Do you think it would be wise to give him some or should be leave it.


First of all, there is no need for the Metacam.......cats do not get "sore throats" and so, a sore throat is not why he isn't eating. When cats do get upper respiratory infections, they lose their ability to smell foods...and, that is the cause of the inappetence. On top of that, antibiotics can also depress a cat's appetite - and anorexia is a potential side effect of Baytril.

(Secondly, I'd recommend not only "leaving" the Metacam, but _*throwing it out*_. Yes, that drug is licensed for cats in the UK - but, it is well-known in North America to destroy kidney cells. Google 'Metacam and cats'....that should tell you all you need to know.)

(I'm also wondering what this "injection in the back of the neck" was....Vets are notorious for giving a Metacam injection and prescribing oral Metcam thereafter.....you really should find out exactly what drug was injected.) And, because it's being given out like candy in the UK, I'd urge you to do your research and decide whether/not that's a drug you'd want your cat to have in future...if not, ensure that "NO METACAM" is written on your cat's file/entered in his computerized record.

The greatest threat to your kitty right now is probably his reduced food intake. You should firstly be using wet foods and, secondly trying to get as much into him as possible. Cats with severely reduced food intake easily develop a life-threatening liver condition....unlike humans, cats cannot "live off" their body fat - when their systems try to do this, the liver itself turns fatty. This is NOT something you want to invite. Here are some things to try while he's turning away from food: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Persuading Your Cat to Eat When you skim through there for *tips*, IGNORE the references to kidney disease...what you need are the tricks, like using certain baby foods, not the technical details. If your Vet is open tomorrow, I'd recommend that you pick up a few cans of this a/d® Canine/Feline Critical Care - Canned That's a 'recovery' food and most cats find it irresistible.

I don't think I can emphasize the nutrition factor enough, however. DO NOT take a wait-and-see approach to that.

As for whether/not to continue the Baytril, I would continue it until I had spoken with the Vet.

There are some other things that can be done to help a cat get through cat flu....things that help with the symptoms, just as we do for colds. The easiest is to provide extra humidity with a humidifier or just by using a steamy bathroom with the shower running. Another is using L-lysine to boost his immune response. Those symptomatic treatments are described here Harpsie's Website - cat flu (FVR and calici virus)

I think that his becoming so "poorly" was more than likely brought on by the two week interval between the flu onset and his being seen - if one of mine is showing symptoms and using L-lysine hasn't made a difference, 2-3 days would be my limit before having the cat checked - now, that's if the nasal discharge is clear....any colour to it and it's off to the Vet immediately.

Hope some of this helps!


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

Hi, sorry for not posting an update. I did read the two last posts and thank you very much for them. They were very useful and I will keep that in mind about the metacam for the future (We never gave Jay any).

Jay was improving. He was up for, not sneezing except for a few sniffles. His eating never came back, tiny amounts here and there but the vet said to just keep trying to get him to eat etc and as the days go and he gets better his appetite will improve. He was improving slowly from the flu.

However, today he is letting out a couple of sneezes and his snot is back to being green again. That means an infection, right? He also seems a little bit more down than the past few days and his breathing is gone fast again. So will he need another antibiotic to clear up the infection in his nose?


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

I read your post yesterday - I did not have the time to reply.

Let me say that I'm extremely concerned.

You didn't say what, if anything, you've done to try to increase his food intake.

I tried as hard as I could in my post above to explain just how critically important it was that you increase his food intake.

Here's what I said


> The greatest threat to your kitty right now is probably his reduced food intake.....
> I don't think I can emphasize the nutrition factor enough, however. DO NOT take a wait-and-see approach to that.


Perhaps you made some attempts and just did not describe them - BUT - attempts or not, you did say


> His eating never came back, tiny amounts here and there


Well.........here is what WILL HAPPEN if this continues: Feline hepatic lipidosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You absolutely must take measures to get food into him. Here is one method of doing that:




There are other tips/suggestions in the first link I gave you earlier.

Now.......*YES, if the nasal discharge is green - he needs to see the Vet again - if his breathing is difficult, IT'S URGENT!*

Did you try any of the "symptomatic" treatments I suggested - they're to be found in the third link I gave you (Harpsie's Website) - the bathroom "steaming" I suggested is very helpful.

But, you have to *DO something* - "wait-and-see" could now easily result in disaster.


Get more food into him
to the Vet as quickly as possible
steaming/other symptomatic treatments


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

Thank you for replying.

We have tried everything we could think off to increase his food intake. We tried offering dry food along with his wet, tried shredded chicken as chicken is his favourite, we tried ham, baby food, cream, beef stew, mayonnaise (another naughty favourite), chicken stock, tuna, blitzing the food up small, heating food, raising the food bowl, offering it to him different times, putting it on his paws so he will try and lick it off and forcing him to eat it (which always ended in him completely refusing to swallow it or if we force it far back enough he would gag and throw it back up. 

Yes, we did try the "symptomatic" treatments you and other various websites suggested. We cleaned his nose numerous times a day whenever it was dirty to help clear it. His eyes doesn't have discharge but we still cleaned them just in case. We gave him plenty of rest and encouraged drinking even though he was drinking loads already. We brought him in to the bathroom with the shower and hot tap running for steam and we also did the same with the kettle. We bought olbas oil and used that near him to help clear his airways.

We called into the vets and rang them and they just said as long as he is drinking he is fine and he has to over come the cat flu by itself and then will start eating. We knew this was not the case and couldn't leave him any longer in this state so brought him to our a different but our normal vet clinic this morning. 

He is gone down to 3.95kg from 5kg when he first got the cat flu. He's dehydrated too. The vet is keeping him tonight at least and putting him on a drip with injectable antibiotics. She suggested that he may have an underlying condition such as FIV or FELV which is making it hard for him to shift the flu but tested negative for this about 2 or 3 years ago. 
She said she will call after lunch time for an update so I am just waiting by the phone now. I hope he will be ok.


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

She just called, he is on the drip since I left him this morning and they gave him the injectable antibiotics along with an anti-inflameory.
She's going to give him 24hrs on the drip and she will give me a call in the morning to see from there. 
I'm so worried


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

michellexgix said:


> She just called...they gave him the injectable antibiotics along with an anti-inflameory.


URGENT:::::::::::::::

Please call them back immediately.......*he should have NO "ANTI-INFLAMMATORY"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

This "anti-inflammatory is *METACAM*..........this is even *MORE DANGEROUS when a cat is dehydrated*!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please call now and simply state that you explicitly do NOT want him to receive any/any more of that drug.

For your own information, here are the results of some cvases of using this drug as seen in North America: http://www.metacamkills.com/

They may object........stand your ground and simply insist that your wishes be carried out.

I'll get this off to you now and come back after.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

One quick further point,

If I were you, I would also INSIST that they syringe-feed him some of the recovery food I mentioned earlier - or, another brand of the same thing. Most Vets have Hill's, though. This is it: a/d® Canine/Feline Critical Care - Canned

You're probably feeling intimidated when dealing with these people - most of us are. What we must remember is that we are paying them for certain services - and, we can dictate certain things that we wish to be done. You'll need to take on that mindset in dealing with these people....we acknowledge that, yes, they are the ones who graduated from Vet university and, yes, after many years as well. But, we also know that not all Vets are "created equal" and that at least one of them had to have graduated LAST in her/his class!!!!!!! Hopefully this will boost your confidence a little and help you "take on" these people.

Quite frankly, they have already demonstrated their incompetence - even negligence, perhaps. This advice about 'don't worry about not eating' and giving Metacam to a debilitated, dehydrated cat has clearly articulated this. (I think you have a very good case to bring them before the regulatory authority - more about that later). I'll show you too that the *UK veterinary drug regulatory authority* clearly spells out that a dehydrated cat should *NOT* receive that drug - I'll send you the direct link.

Just a quick word of apology, too. Obviously, you were taking steps to do what you could with him by way of feeding/drops/steam etc...but, you simply didn't include that in your post when you returned. I feel awful for (perhaps) seeming to scream out about those things - _I sincerely apologize to you for that._

I'm on the run again but will post later with that additional info
*
But, really, do call them and insist on them syringe-feeding*.

If you have the resources to cover some bloodwork, I'd recommend it. I'm concerned about his liver functioning - if you were able to get the particular testing for his _*liver values*_...that would do a world of good: either alleviate our fears or, at worst, indicate that some additional treatment is needed to help the liver recover. Again, you can simply _*insist *_on that testing....and, get a printout from them of the results.

I'd also suggest that you do some looking around for a feline specialty clinic - a cats-only practice. If things get really bad, you'll need someone who could take over. If you find one, it would be a good idea to speak with the *owner* to see if they'd take him on.

I'm also aware that each of us (usually) has some natural limit in terms of our financial resources - that's just the reality of life, of which our cats are a part.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

Sorry - forgot to add:

An afterthought.......ask them if a staff will be there overnight....leaving a cat on a drip without monitoring can be very dangerous (as I'm sure you can imagine). Personally, because of (what I see as) negligence so far, I would insist on it - and, insist that they cover the cost. Having him on continual drip, I feel, is really important now* - because of that damm Metacam they gave him....a drip is really the only way to mitigate its damaging effects.

* it's also what the manufacturer recommends when a cat has gone into kidney failure because of Metacam:


> A treatment programme which includes 4-5 days of IV fluid therapy (hospitalisation), followed by 4-6 weeks of sub-Q fluids at home, is often recommended by the manufacturers, but talk to them and see what they suggest for your cat. I would also suggest that you ask the manufacturers to pay your veterinary costs - I know they have done this for some people, although they have not necessarily paid the full costs. It would appear that they may pay more if your vet calls.
> Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Antibiotics and Painkillers


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

OMG........it just gets worse.

I thought I'd check on another drug - which _*I think*_ is the one he was given - before I left the house......

IF the injected antibiotic was "Convenia".........there may be additional trouble.

The UK drug authority that I referenced earlier - "The National Office of Animal Health" or NOAH - clearly states that Convenia and Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatories - Metacam being such - *should NOT be given concurrently*.......



> Concurrent use of other substances that have a high degree of protein binding (e.g. furosemide, ketoconazole, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)) may compete with cefovecin binding and thus may cause adverse effects.
> 
> my notes:
> -that statement is in the tenth paragraph here: NOAH Compendium of Animal Medicines: Convenia 80 mg/ml powder and solvent for solution for injection for dogs and cats - Contra-indications, warnings, etc
> -cefovecin is the chemical name of Convenia


You should ask if the antibiotic injection was Convenia.

If so, I'd say it is time to 'go aboard' the owner of that clinic.


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## michellexgix (Jun 26, 2010)

Update: The vet rang me with an update. Jay ate a big bowl of food for them yesterday evening. He was very bright in himself too. This morning he is still bright in himself. He is still on the drip. They aren't sure if they are going to keep him another night or not but they are keeping him for the day and calling us early evening to say if he can come home. But she thinks he may be able to go home this evening.

First of all can I just say thank you so much for all the information you have given me in the past few days. I am always interested in learning more about things such as this and about different meds etc. The vet practices here aren't as up to date as they should be. I always feel they are lagging behind, which is why if one of my cats is ill, I always take to the internet and see what people think too. 

Unfortunately I didn't see your posts until this morning. I should of checked in before so he did get the anti inflammatory last night. But I will check on the receipt when they give me it and see just what meds they gave him and question it. 

Today, I shall read up on metacam in cats, and from now on I will double check for all vets not to give them metacam in the future. 

I mentioned before that Jay was at two vets. The first one we brought him to was not our 'normal' one. But due to opening hours of the two clinics and the fact he didn't seem ill at all then, we brought him to our second/old vet. They were the ones who said as long as he's drinking he's fine. So that's why we brought him to our normal vets yesterday who unfortunately were the ones who gave him the anti-inflammatory but they are the best vets I can find around here. Unfortunately in Ireland I often find that we can be behind on our vet treatment slightly. But I will see how they react/deal with the metacam issue.

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a feline specialty clinic - a cats-only practice here. Its such a pity though. I left my old vets (the first one Jay seen) to go to this one (the one he is in since yesterday) because they were better. They are also noted for being one of the best vets in the area. I wish Ireland was as up to date on veterinary treatment as the UK and USA.

Thankfully they didn't have to syringe-feed him as yesterday evening he ate a big bowl full of wet food for them. If he didn't eat that for them then they were going to start syringe feeding him.

There's no need for an apology, I'm thankful you were telling me what to do and advising me. I didn't make it clear what steps we were taking before so I understand why you were making show I was trying to make him better.

I do know that the on call vet checks in on the clinics if there are animals there overnight to monitor them. 

They never mentioned what the injectable antibiotic was but I will be sure to find out what exactly they gave him. 

Thank you so so much for the information which I will be following up on. I will update you on the exact names of all meds he was given between today and yesterday when I find out. 
Hopefully he continues to get better.


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## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

That's really good news, that he's eating and that he's "brighter"....I can only imagine how much of a relief that must be for you......for me, I'd be "in heaven"!

Look - about whether/not they will keep him in overnight again: again, this is what_* I *_would do - *IF* it turns out that he did get Convenia while having Metacam...I would first point out that *I know* that each of those drugs comes with the warning NOT to use them concurrently, and, I would then want them to keep him on drip for at least another day, if not longer.

Here's why: we know 1. both drugs used together "overload" the system - using them together can cause "adverse reactions" and that's why it's contradicted 2. although you don't know this yet, and this is most probably on that NOAH site as well, studies have shown that Metacam stays in the system for at least 2/3 days and Convenia for 65 days....so, the longer he's on the drip, the better chance to avoid kidney damage

So, if you put them on notice that you know this..they will be more likely to listen to you, reflect and act more diligently.

I'll get this off to you now...hopefully before she phones you back.




I don't want to lose what follows, so I'll leave it to discuss with you later:


Veterinary Council of Ireland
Home Veterinary Council of Ireland
Disciplinary Info Veterinary Council of Ireland

The Irish Medicines Board
Home page The Irish Medicines Board
Contact Us IMB: About Us Contact Us


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Michelle,

Stryker has emphasized the critical importance of getting adequate nutrition into your cat. Unfortunately, if he refuses to swallow or regurgitates anything you do manage to get down him, assist (syringe) feeding isn't going to work. In that case, you may be left with needing to have a vet surgically insert a feeding tube. This is something you need to discuss with your vet immediately. If your vet insists that his lack of appetite is not a concern, then you need to find another vet right away and insist that your cat's anorexia be addressed and corrected before he goes into liver failure.

Laurie


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