Thursday, September 06, 2007

Neverending Cat Health Issues, Advice Welcome

On Tuesday Ishmael (the new kitten) started sneezing pretty heavily. He sneezes 18 times from 12:30 - 4:00 PM. He also went to the vet Tuesday who ran a shitload of tests and stuff and he's negative for all the bad stuff and was given the vaccine for kennel cough/bordetella.

His eyes are not runny at all, neither is his nose. He's eating like a cow and drinking both water and kitten milk. He's 16 weeks old, 4.2 pounds and fairly robust. He's been a bit less playful since the sneezing started but he still plays a good amount. They say kittens sleep a lot so all is okay in that regard.

Except now Templeton just sneezed 4 times in a row and I'm in a panic.

I know it could be allergies. The window is open for them to get the heat and MSNBC had a story on before about how allergies are at a critical high. My dad had to go to the eye doctor today because his allergies were so bad.

So please. Any cat experts who read this please offer some advice. I can't get them to the vet (if need be) until Tuesday and I don't know enough to discern what's alright and what's a problem sign.

I'm at a loss and in a bit of a panic because of what went down with Catsby. I don't know if I'm missing and crucial signs like we did with Catsby and I don't know if I should be worried. Tempy's sneeze fit could have been a one time thing but I'm paranoid and worried.

Symptom checklist:

Sneezing: 4-5 times in a row, deep sneezes.
Runny eyes: No
Runny nose: No
Loss of appetite: No, eats like a COW.
Loss of thirst: No, drinks a lot.
Lethargy: A tiny bit but not a lot.
Bathroom: Craps like a cow, pees often but not too much.
Coughing/hacking: No
Diarrhea: No
Vomting: No

Please help me, cat experts of the internet. It would really be appreciated, I can't take any more cat health issues...

Thanks.

1. Coco used to sneeze all the time like that.  I found vacuuming up the dog hairs twice a week and changing from the (very dusty) clay litter to Yesterday’s News stopped it.

   You have to switch litters gradually, mixing in a little more each day over a week or two.  A sudden cutover and they get a bit confused as to what the hell it is and where to go.

   The other things that make her sneeze are strong smelling perfumes (the ones found in some crystal based litter and on grandmothers) and cleaning products.

   Delicate little schnozz, she has.

    on  09/06  at  12:17 PM

2. Honestly, from the symptoms you’ve described, (and remember I’m not a vet, but I’ve seen a whole lot of sick kitties in my time and went through 1.5 years of vet tech school), he sounds fine.

   It sounds like allergies or a very, very mild “kitty cold”, pure and simple. Usually the “bad” warning signs are loss of appetite and/or bathroom issues. If both of those things are checking out okay, it’s usually not serious. AND especially if he’s been to a vet and had all the tests come up negative…

   Don’t worry too much! Enjoy your new kitten.

   Binary Blonde  on  09/06  at  07:43 PM

3. If you are super worried, take his temperature… anything at/over 104 may be signs of the beginning of respiratory infection.

   Most “cat colds” last less than 2 weeks.  My cats go through them once in a while.

    on  09/06  at  09:58 PM
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