Viral infection update rhino? + other

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Viral infection update rhino? + other
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Thu, 12-09-2004 - 9:30am
Well, (Friday vet trip) Copper has possible rhino viral problems. He was better overnight. Casey (dog)went to the vet Sat., got several shots including an allergy shot. It seems to have stopped her chewing on her feet and her ears seem better. Monday my cat Hunter went to the vet. He is sneezing, coughing, choking. Had a fever and pneumonia. He gets to go back for four days for a shot each day. Now 10 of my other cats have started sneezing and choking. I don't know if its the rhino sickness or what. They are all eating etc. I have started them on the pink antib. med to keep a secondary infection away. Its raining outside and half of them are having a fit wanting outside. This is unreal. I'm worried about Hunter. He won't stay in 24/7. He is in the worst shape. Catwoman, do you know if it sounds like they all have the rhino virus and is it too late to give them a shot or should they get it anyway? My vets have never mentioned anything other than leuk. shot and rabies shot. Donna

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 10:37am

Wow, it seems like you're having a time of it all huh?!

Cat =^..^=
Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 10:59am

{{{Donna}}} I'm sorry your cats are getting sick.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 12:08pm
I'm using 2 vets now, one is out of town. She is more into cats and dogs. She also suggested I bring the cats in for the shot, even though she said it sounds like they all have it, including Hunter, she said his just turned into something worse. I think I'll have the vet come here and give as many cats their shots as we can round up! It is so pitiful, all these cats sneezing! I'm surrounded! Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 12:15pm
Eleven of my 16 cats are sick. They are all sneezing over and over. Luckily they are eating and grooming. Six of the 16 are inside-only. I didn't even know about the shots. The vet here is more of a cow/horse doc. I have started using a vet out of town that is more into dogs and cats. I'm really watching Hunter. I lost a cat this past year to pneumonia. He couldn't shake it. They think he probally had leukemia and couldn't handle the pneumonia because when I first took him to the vets he was just breathing a little bit fast in my opinion, no other signs of sickness. In fact I thought I was over-reacting for even taking him to the vet. They ended up keeping him a week, he got worse and worse and had to be pts. It was horrible. Hunters illness is very different from how Pumpkin was. Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-2003
Fri, 12-10-2004 - 12:34pm

Oh, my word, Donna -- how horrible. And I've been there myself, so I know what you're going through. If there's nothing but sneezing going on, it's possible it's nothing more serious than pneumonitis, the feline equivalent of the common cold. If the symptoms are more serious, it could very well be rhinotracheitis. It's good you've started them on antibiotics; kicking the secondary bacterial infection and good supportive care is all important. If there's no underlying problem like leukemia they'll probably recover in good form. However, a fair percentage of cats who come down with rhinotracheitis end up having recurrences for the rest of their lives; they're called chronic snufflers, and it's due to the damage caused to the tissues in the nasal passages. Tegan is a chronic snuffler, and Lois was also.

Absolutely the FVRCP shot is the most important for cats in a multi-cat household. (Of course the others are important too, especially since you have so many outdoor cats.) I wish I had known that years ago when I had about 15 cats, none of them vaccinated. Nobody ever vaccinates cats in this area! Aaargh! Some vets absolutely refuse to give vaccinations while there's any infection, since vaccines mount an immune response and there's already plenty to get the immune system stirred up if they're sick. Some give the shot anyway, on the assumption that at it's better to get it now than never. I've wondered if being vaccinated while sick might actually contribute to the chronic snuffling, but I have no real information about it. It could be strictly a coincidence.

Please know you're in my thoughts. I've been there and I know how incredibly stressful it is to care for that many at once.

Best wishes,
Penelope

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Registered: 05-06-2004
Fri, 12-10-2004 - 9:49pm
Thanks alot. I plan on getting the cats the vaccine as soon as they are well. Some are barely sick, two are having a worse time of it, one turned into pneumonia (he is going to the vet for 4 days in a row of an antib. shot. He seems better. One, Precious honey bunny, is having a horrible time with it. She could barely breathe during the night, had her mouth wide open, I took her to the vet first thing this morning, they gave her an antib. shot, steriods and tetracycline drops. She is the abused kitty I got in May, had a terrible upper resp. infection then and two hernias, took 6 weeks to get better and many vet trips. She is one sick kitty if she ever gets anything. Even after her spay she had a fever hit, had to go get more medication. Suzy P with her cat Misha and I were going through a hellish time together with these two sick kitties. I'm very stressed and worried right now, constantly watching all the kitties for any signs of problems. I can't believe there is a vaccine out there that could have prevented this. Its nice knowing there are people out there that understand how hard this is to go through. Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-2003
Sat, 12-11-2004 - 4:32pm

That poor baby! It's not funny when they can't breathe, it's really not. Have you tried a vaporiser in the room she's in? That can really help to loosen things up and help them breathe, especially if you put in some eucalyptus drops or something. Of course, if the weather's too wet already, it might not do any good, depending on how well-sealed your house is.

I know what you mean about "I can't believe there's a vaccine that could have prevented this!" I never knew there WERE vaccines for cats until just a few years ago. Rabies, that's all I'd ever heard of. And yeah, I DEFINITELY know what you're going through. In probably late 1995 my cats got hit with some sort of incredible eye infection. As far as I can remember I must have had about 12 cats at the time, and AT LEAST seven of them came down with eye problems. Alex and two of her daughters had slight corneal ulcers that healed with only a little terramycin, Beckett and Ambrose had such severe ulcers they both barely escaped having to have one eye each surgically removed, Lois had a growth at the side of her eye for the rest of her life, and her sister Imra ended up totally blind in one eye and retained maybe 50% vision in the other. And all of it would have been preventable if I'd known about the cat vaccines.

Penelope

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Sun, 12-12-2004 - 11:24am
That is terrible about your cats eye infections. I'm telling you these sicknesses can turn bad fast. I took Precious to the vet Fri. morning, postponed daycare opening 2 hours. She needed new meds and a shot, she seems a bit better. Meeting the vet this afternoon at 2pm to get shots and a different med. for two other cats that are having a bad time, then have to take Hunter back Monday afternoon for his last antib. shot. I'm just about looney. Its been 9 days I think. I posted somewhere else about this, several of my kitties are fighting over who gets to sit in my lap, they all want to when they feel bad, just like a baby! Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Sun, 12-12-2004 - 8:31pm
Ended up taking 4 cats to the vet today and brought a different med. home for a fifth cat. Missy had a 103 temp, Misha had a fever. They got a steriod/antib. shot and a different antib. That was one fun trip. I hope they get better soon. I'm almost too tired to work tomorrow. Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Sun, 12-12-2004 - 8:35pm
Took four cats to the vet today. Got steriod/antib. shot and a different antib. They were on the pink med. now on tetracycline. The cats I've already taken for these shots and this med. seem better. What I thought was interesting is one vet thinks its rhino and the other vet said no because some of the cats have/had a fever. Their nose was running a little. Missy had 103 temp today and Misha had a fever. When Precious honey bunny went Friday morning, she was in bad shape, was having a horrible time breathing Thurs. night, she didn't have a fever. Donna

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